Cherub Nationals at Pembrokeshire Yacht Club

Peter Barton & Roz Allen win the Cherub nationals at Pembroke © Stu Tinner

Will & Lucy Lee finish second at the Cherub nationals at Pembroke © Stu Tinner

23 Teams made the trip to Pembrokeshire Yacht Club for the 2008 Cherub Nationals. Travelling from all over the UK, as well as two teams from the newly formed French fleet. Everyone was met with a warm welcome from the club with a free meal the night before racing.

Day 1

Met by a steady breeze of up to 20 knots, the first days racing was held in Angle Bay with the more wind favourable side of the course being graced by 3 tugs, 2 jetties and the main shipping channel.

Race 1

The race got away on time with Ronin port tacking the fleet and disappearing up the favourable right hand side, leaving the defending champions in Antidote to play catch up after a dreadful start.

By the top it was Ronin followed by Antidote at a decent interval and the battle was on. By the bottom the gap had closed but it was still Ronin by several tens of boatlengths. A dragrace to the right (dodging tugs, buoys, and a pair of trawlers along the way) resulted in the better speed of Antidote counting for little against the far better pointing of Ronin.

At the top it was Ronin with Antidote closer than the previous lap but still behind. Bigger breeze allowed Antidote to catch and roll Ronin who gybed. Antidote kept going to hit the far right and tore in at Warp 8.6 (approx) to take the lead at the bottom only to lose it again instantly to Ronin on the drop. By the next top mark Ronin was so far ahead few things could alter the outcome, and they even caught the race committee off guard - being there so fast that they ended up doing an extra lap on their own! As for the rest of the fleet there was much place switching with the gusts and waves catching almost every team out at one time or another, making for some exciting racing for all. Race one heroes being Strangely Browns efforts claiming 4th in their 91 rules boat.

Race 2

Before race two a rib visited every boat to say that a tanker was about to go down the channel (thanks to those guys) so racing was not to go beyond the channel markers. At the front it was a similar story, with Ronin nailing the start and staying ahead throughout the race this time. But as the wind steadied down so too did the drama of mid fleet, with far more consistent sailing had by most.

Race 3

With the tanker passed the far far right of the beat came available again, with some teams opting to brave the larger waves for the greater wind. The racing at the front was equally close but once again Ronin came out on top. Another noteable performance came from the 97 rules single trapeze, The Flying Kipper who excelled in the strong breeze to claim 5th right up there with the big rigs.

Day 2

Much lighter winds, with marginal twinning up wind and down. Racing was in Sandy Haven Bay, with the race committee starting the racing dead on 1pm, and catching a few boats out.

On all three races Ronin took full advantage of the favoured right side of the beat getting three easy bullets. Antidote rolled the dice to try their luck with the slightly greater pressure on the left, but were set back by the tide every time giving them 2,3,2. Subtle Knife also chose hard right up the beats and came home 3,2,3. Close racing was had between the 97 rules Dog’s and Scum Bag leaving the points tight overnight.

Day 3

Once again in Sandy Haven Bay with similar wind strength to Day 2, dying slightly as the day prgressed, but from south east, swinging to south between races necessitating a swift change in course. The starts were hotting up with a general recall in race 7, and Antidote was holding on to Ronin for longer thanks to a few rig tweaks but didn't manage to break their run of bullets. Lots of tide near the windward mark, with a change from ebb to flood between races 8 & 9, causing a few bad layline calls by numerous teams. The lightweight pair in Loco Perro were enjoying the light breeze, continuing their consistent results from day 2. As for the mid fleet, slippery when wet got the better of the other 97 rules boats pulling out a small points lead into day 4.

Day 4

Wind from the south again, decreasing from marginal twinning in race 10 to foredecksville by race 12. Again, lots of tide out by the windward mark, and this time it paid to bang the left up and down despite the weed hazard. Another general recall in Race 10, and then a clean start with Antidote managing to stay with Ronin up the beat, and hoist in front of them on the first lap. Ronin got away down the run, but only just. Things were close again up the second beat till Antidote had an attack of stage fright and tipped it in on a tack, giving Ronin the race and letting Subtle through in second. In race 11 Antidote had their best start of the week and managed to stay in front of Ronin till the drop on the first lap, were Ronin had a smoother rounding at the righthand end of the gate. They led till the end, but there was only a few boat lengths in it. The light winds of Race 11 and 12 allowed Dangerous Beans to engage mega pointing, leaving other 05 boats long behind ending up with a 3rd and 2nd, and more importantly staying well clear of the Team chasing them in the overalls Atum Bom. Race 12 also favoured other teams with their tactical heads switched on with Slippery when wet getting their best result of the regatta, a 6th. After getting to the windward mark an impressive 4th.

Many thanks go to everyone at Pembrokeshire Yacht Club, the race commitee, the rescue crews and everyone in the clubhouse who made us feel so welcome, and provided us with an excellent series.

Prize Winners:

1st 1997 Rules Boat, Phil Kirk and Tom Sully, 2657, Sipper When Wet
1st Vintage Boat, Ed Sibson and Sarah Chadwick, 2445, Epoch II
1st Female Helm / Crew, The Silver Teapot, Roz Allen
Best Newcomer Dean Ralph and Simon Jones, 2685, Loco Perro
Best Improver ‘The Mason Trophy’ Alex Cramp and Tim Noyce, 2694, The Badgers Nadgers
Prix D’Elegance Ed Sibson, 2445, Epoch II
‘The Phoenix’ Best restoration Ross Burkin, 2705, Flat Stanley
The Ashes for the mightiest piece of boat destruction, 2676 Dave Ching and Lara Gonzalez-Ruiz Shiny Beast
The Davey for the most spectacular capsize; 2688 Stu Hopson and Steve Hackett
The Spanking Paddle for the most disgraceful behaviour: Stu Tinner

Overall Results: