Lark Nationals at Teign Corinthian Yacht Club - Day 1

47 Larks assembled at Teignmouth for the 2010 Brookbank Sailing Lark National Championships. After a day of measuring, buoyancy testing and a practice race, the Larks did what they do best and started to party. On Sunday morning rumours abounded of several antics of Gross Underachievement which will merit Duckhams nominations tonight.

Sunday dawned with a NE breeze coming down the Teign valley, but not carrying out to sea, so after a 2 hour postponement the fleet launched to a fluky F2 sea breeze. Course was a trapezoid with a gate start. First out of the gate was Nigel Hufton and Andy Douglas, leading Harry Pynn and Michael John (MJ) Gifford and Ross Kearney and Ali Dart. Stuart Hydon and Tim Linsell were 4th at the end of the first lap. Hydon/Linsell edged up to second on the last lap with Kearney/Dart slipping back to 4th. On the last beat Harry and MJ managed to tack just in front of Hydon and Linsell on the starboard layline, taking the lead from Hufton/Douglas, with Steve and Chris Videlo sneaking through to 3rd. Pynn managed to retain position from Hydon to the finish, with Hufton/Douglas 3rd.

Race 2 was also trapezoid with a gate start with Pynn first out of the gate. At the first windward mark Pynn and Gifford established a comfy lead with Dan Watson and Sara Cox-Olliff 2nd, followed by the Videlos and Steve and Nicola Cumley. With the sea breeze fighting the land breeze, positions throughout the fleet changed, although the front of the fleet seemed resilient to the changes having finished the run before the wind died. The race was shortened at the windward mark with Harry and MJ taking their second bullet of the day.

Results after Day 2: