RYA Volvo Zone Championships - Overall
by Ellie Williamson, RYA 27 Sep 2010 08:40 BST
25-26 September 2010
Ample wind for most on the closing day of the RYA Volvo Zone and Home Country Championships
More wind came out to play for most today (Sunday 26 September) for the closing off of the 2010 RYA Volvo Zone and Home Country Championships delaying racing at two of the eight championship events enough to lose a race each. RYA Scotland’s Home Countries Championship however suffered for the second day with the opposite problem, not enough wind.
Having nearly all eight championships enjoyed top racing conditions yesterday, 750 of the nation’s Olympic sailing hopefuls who have hit the water across Scotland, England and Wales this weekend, had high hopes for another great day, and for many that’s what they got.
Sailing a full complement of six races over the weekend and making provision for one discard the South West (Plymouth), South (WPNSA), South East (Queen Mary), West (Ullswater) and Wales (Pwllheli) events rounded off a fantastic championship today enjoying steady moderate to strong winds making for a thorough test of sailors skill.
Suffering the most yesterday however was the Scottish (Helensburgh) event battling with very light winds to get their three scheduled races in, but, with even less wind today just 1-2 knots at the most, sailors were held ashore throughout the morning before racing of cancelled for the day shortly after lunch.
For both the East (Burnham) and North (Yorkshire Dales) events, winds gusting up to 27 knots this morning forced a near on two hour delay before it moderated enough to allow racing. Strapped for time the North managed to fit all three windsurf races in but the Opi’s and Toppers lost their last race completing two each. It was a similar story for the East who got out racing at around 1:00pm leaving enough time for two highly competitive races in all three Cadet, Topper and Optimist fleets.
Head RYA High Performance Manager Chris Atherton was pleased to see such great conditions for the majority of the events and was impressed with how the sailors dealt with the strong winds.
“The 2010 RYA Volvo Zone and Home Country Championships have gone really really well. It’s fantastic to see such good attendance and we’ve had fantastic racing again today at most events with some venues not being quite so lucky as we have been in Weymouth,” he said.
“We’ve had really good testing conditions which have meant great racing really helping the selectors in making their final decisions for the zone squads invitations. Suffering quite a bit from light winds the past couple of years it’s great the sailors have had the opportunity to show us what they can do in more windy conditions akin to what they can expect through winter zone squad training.”
He continued: “The standard has been really really good. The event coach David Mellor here in Weymouth said the thought the standard across the fleets is definitely up compared to previous years and the level of boat handling has been good.
“It’s been great to see lots of new faces across the events and they will have learnt a lot from the events and coaching on offer at them and I hope to see more new faces next year,” he concluded.
The Championships traditionally mark the end of the Junior racing season and are a key event for any young sailor wishing to be selected for the RYA Volvo Zone and Home Country squads, which are the first step on the pathway to Olympic Classes sailing.
RYA Volvo North Zone Championship (Yorkshire Dales Sailing Club, Yorkshire)
The hardy north zone sailors battling it out for zone honours up in the Yorkshire Dales almost all got a full series of six races in this weekend. For the dinghies today’s high winds, gusting 25-26 knots this morning, forced a delay too long to squeeze the last race in but time allowed for an extra race for the windsurfers which meant they got a full series in.
The breeze having moderated to 16-18 knots from the north east meant the first races were underway by 12:30pm and the challenging quite gusty and shifty conditions gave the sailors another day of great racing testing them to the max allowing the best sailors to demonstrate their skill and float to the top. Racing was close particularly in the Topper and windsurfer fleets.
Toppers:
1st Edward Connellan
2nd Luke Cowling
3rd Toby Woodings
There was no change to Saturday’s standings today with Edward Connellan posting two more bullets, Luke Cowling two seconds and Toby Woodings a 4,3.
Optimists:
1st Andrew Kilburn
2nd Tom Smith
3rd Eve Wilkinson-Bell
Andrew Kilburn held on to his overnight lead posting another two bullets and Eve Wilkinson-Bell also holding on to her placing posting a 3,4. Alex McCormick knocked Tom Smith off his previous day’s second place podium to claim his finish.
Windsurfers
4.5 open: 1st Jack Bramley, 2nd Joshua Carey, 3rd Lydia Howley – Joshua Carey sailed a great day posting two bullets enough to see him knock Lydia Howley off second place to finish just one point behind first place Jack Bramley.
5.5 open: 1st Harry Davis, 2nd Jack Lennon, 3rd Sarah Labourne – last night’s standings still stood at close of play today with all top three sailors keeping it consistent to the end.
Techno 6.8: 1st Rob Griffiths, 2nd Ruben Lansley, 3rd Emily Hall. Rob Griffiths had a great day edging ahead with a 2,2,1 leaving second and third places for Emily Hall and Ruben Lansley to fight over. Both finishing on 13 points Emily picking up the first girl prize.
Techno 7.8: 1st Emma Labourne , 2nd Luke Patrick, 3rd Oliver Bradley-Baker. Under 15 Techno Worlds silver medallist Emma Labourne showed her steal today posting 4,1,1 gaining two places over taking the boys to claim event honours.
RYA Volvo East Zone Championship (Combined Clubs of Burnham, Essex)
The east zone sailors took another battering from the wind and cold today as they were greeted with gusts of 27 knots this morning and grey skies. Despite a repeat of some pretty testing conditions seen during yesterday’s two races the sailors remained upbeat and keen to get out on the water and finish off what they had started the day before.
A two delay in racing gave enough time for the South Westerly to moderate to a more manageable 15 knots and a slightly later than planned two races went ahead in all fleets. Racing was close and tightly fought at the front with the less experienced sailors picking up some valuable lessons and experience out on the racecourses.
Toppers:
1st Freddie Chiddicks
2nd Katie Dabson
3rd Joseph Mullan
All change at the top of the Toppers today Joseph Mullen was pushed down into third from his overnight lead Freddie Chiddicks dominating the fleet with three firsts pushed very Hard by Katie Dabson both having scored an OCS on the previous day.
Optimist:
1st David Labrouche
2nd Emily King
3rd Kathryn Hutton-Penman
Overnight leader Emily King was beaten to second place by David Labrouche on a tie break today, Kathryn Hutton-Penman pushing up into third.
Cadet:
1st Nick Sutton / Scarlett Anderson
2nd Lucy Terkelsen / Lainey Terkelsen
3rd Harriet Ayre & Jonathan Vaningen
Sutton and Anderson pushed ahead today posting bullets in three races leapfrogging Ayre and Vaningen into first place.
RYA Volvo West Zone Championships (Ullswater Sailing Club, Cumbria)
A north easterly light and not so cold 6-8 knot breeze was the order of the day at the RYA Volvo West Zone Championships providing very similar conditions to that of yesterday. The shifty winds again demanded sailors to keep looking ahead and anticipating the changes allowing the cream to rise to the top as honed skills came into play.
A full schedule of three races went ahead in all classes rounding off a fantastic 2010 RYA Volvo West Zone Championships in a stunning location giving squad selectors plenty of racing to critique.
RS Feva:
1st Crispin Beaumont / Nick Wilson
2nd Ella Stoggall / Sarah Norbury
3rd Joseph Winbush / Jamie Pearson
Beaumont and Wilson kept hold of their lead Stoggall and Norbury posting two bullets to jump into second place.
Mirror:
1st Ben and Matthew Lulham Robinson
2nd Emma and Rachel Grayson
3rd William Hide / Emma Clayton
European Champions Ben and Matthew Lulham Robinson pushed ahead of Junior European Girls Champions the Grayson sisters posting bullets in all three of today’s races.
Optimist:
1st Bobby Hewitt
2nd Hannah Bristow
3rd Charlie Ewing
Hewitt posted a 1,1,2 to keep hold of his overnight lead Bristow kept it consistent to retain their second.
Topper:
1st Dan Venables
2nd Jamie Purcell
3rd Jamie Catchpole
Jamie Purcell and Dan Venables swapped first and second overnight places, Venables three bullets beating Purcells 2,2, DNC.
RYA Volvo South East Championship (Queen Mary Sailing Club, London)
Another great day of wind graced Queen Mary today. 15-18 knots from the north allowed three back-to-back seamless races in all three classes in dry but cloudy conditions.
Racing was extremely close especially in the Optimists where the top five or six sailors crossed the finish line in a group every race.
Optimists:
1st Karyna Manuel
2nd Jenny Smallwood
3rd Ross Banham
Karyan put in a fantastic performance this weekend posting a 1,1,2,1,2,1 which won her the top South East Zone prize awarded by RYA Regional Chairman Tony Rowe. Racing was extremely close all weekend at the front with the top five or six sailors finishing at the line in a group.
Toppers:
1st Hamish Streeter
2nd Alisha Manuel
3rd Harriet Ward
Alisha Manuel lost her lead of the fleet today Hamish Streeter managing to stay consistent with ones and twos. Harriet Ward did a great job of rectifying a frustrating 12th yesterday also managing much more consistency to climb up into third.
Windsurfers:
4.5’s: 1st Zara Petts – held on to her lead of yesterday comfortably posting an unbeaten record.
5.5’s: 1st John Humphries – dominated the weekend posting bullets in all his races.
Techno 6.8’s: 1st Henry Bloodworth. The 2010 RYA Eric Twiname Champion showed his skill posting bullets in all his races.
Techno 7.8’s: 1st Matthew Barton. Held on to his lead quite comfortably posting bullets in all his races apart from the last where he discarded a disqualification.
RYA Volvo South West Zone Championship (Plymouth Mountbatten Centre, Devon)
Sailors down in Devon at the Plymouth Youth Sailing run event enjoyed a 6-7 knot light breeze this morning which quite quickly built to around 10 knots by the time all fleets were released for the first races of the day. The Opi and Feva course got underway first getting in a full schedule of three races. Racing on the Cadet and Topper course started a little later, the race committee contending with more shifty conditions on the westerly course before completing their full day’s schedule.
The wind was up and down and quite patchy all day demanding sailors to have their heads out of their boats to spot the shift and gusts and adjust their plan accordingly.
The RYA Volvo Zone Championships woolly hats came in handy in the bright but chilly conditions as the full complement of three races today rounded off a successful weekend in Devon.
Optimists:
1st Benno Marstaller
2nd Oliver Guess
3rd Alex Putt
Overnight standings remained today Marstaller posting a 1,2,5 to hold on to his title winning position. Guess and Platt were tied on 11 points each in second and third place.
Toppers:
1st Robbie Robinson
2nd Finn Murphy
3rd George Watson
Robinson continued to dominate the leader board today posting back-to-back bullets, Murphy holding on to his overnight second placing.
Cadets:
1st Max Crowe / Henry Collings
2nd Rhos Hawes / Lewis Lane
3rd Alex Philpott / Megan Ferguson
Haws and Lane did their best to try and knock Crowe and Collings off top spot but a 2,3,1 saw them finish three points behind.
RS Fevas:
1st Morgan Peach / Herbie Harford
2nd Jacob Barnett / Emma Barnett
3rd Ben Binmore / Luke MacDermott
Peach and Harford successfully defended their 2009 zone title in emphatic style posting another day of consistent results finishing six points ahead of second placed Barnett siblings. The Barnetts put in a solid performance today but their two bullets in the last two races weren’t quite enough to displace the leaders.
RYA Volvo South Zone Championship (Weymouth and Portland Sailing Academy, Dorset)
Another day of fantastic racing conditions greeted the 200 sailors doing battle at the RYA Volvo South Zone Championships today. Beautiful September sunshine was in residence again and so was the northerly autumnal chill but the 16-18 knots of pretty steady breeze fuelled the sailors enthusiasm who simply wrapped up warm and made the most of the stunning racing.
Another three back-to-back races were run on the Mirror and Opi course as well as the Laser 4.7 and Topper course. Like yesterday the windsurfers enjoyed a break for lunch coming in after two races completing their final race by around 3:00pm.
Team Volvo for Life sailor and Skandia Team GBR 470 squad member Saskia Clark dropped in just in time for prize giving handing out the prizes and congratulating the sailors.
Optimists:
1st Scott Wallis
2nd Jenny Cropley
3rd Max Clapp
Wallis discarded a sixth today in his second race to win a comfortable nine points ahead of Cropley who only just managed to hold on to his second placing having to discard a 23rd in the second race.
Toppers:
1st Ross McFarlane
2nd Sam Barker
3rd Matthew Stephens
McFarlane had a great day posting a 1,4,1 allowing him to discard a 12th and jump ahead of Barker finishing a painfully close one point behind.
Mirrors:
1st Rosie Watkins / Madeleine Watkins
2nd Hugo Moss / Benedict Heber
3rd Anna Watkins / Harriet Watkins
Overnight standings stood today replicating their points score of yesterday to keep it consistent enough to take the win Rosie and Madeleine Watkins enjoyed another great day.
Laser 4.7s:
1st Matthew Hall
2nd Dan Bullock
3rd Robert Dyer
Hall had a great day yesterday and just managed to hold on to his overnight lead pushed all the way by Bullock posting three bullets to finish one point behind in second.
Windsurfers:
4.5’s: 1st Joshua Croft, 2nd Zoe Dixon, 3rd Jack Bassett
5.8’s: 1st Ross Warren, 2nd Georgina Savage, 3rd Ella Milne
Techno 6.8’s: 1st Daniel Wilson, 2nd Fynn Page, 3rd Emma Wilson
Techno 7.8’s: 1st Sebastian Cooper, 2nd Joe Barnes, 3rd Alexander Savage
RYA Volvo Welsh Zone and Home Country Championship (Pwllheli Sailing Club, Gwynedd)
The 67 Optimist and Topper welsh junior sailors had a slightly more sedate day today with the northerly winds of yesterday moderating to a lighter but quite shifty 6-10 knots as they came off the hills of Snowdonia. The shifts forced a short interlude between races as the windward mark was moved to take account with racing getting off on time with two final races completed by late lunchtime.
Optimists:
1st Rowan Edwards
2nd Daniel Whiteley
3rd Will Creaven
The top three sailors did some place swapping today Rowan Edwards having a great day posting a 2,1 to jump from third to first place with Daniel and Will stepping down a place each to occupy second and third places.
Toppers:
1st David Clark
2nd Alex Jardine
3rd Danielle Rowe
The Toppers were dominated all weekend by 15-year-old David Clark winning all but one of his races with Alex Jardine and Danielle Rowe holding on to their day one places with consistent races.
RYA Scotland Volvo Zone and Home Counties Championship (Helensburgh Sailing Club, Argyll and Bute)
After a very challenging first day yesterday Helensburgh Sailing Club had an even bigger challenge to contend with today in the form of absolutely no wind! Basking in the wall-to-wall sunshine the race committee hoped a breeze my fill in allowing for some postponed races later in the day. But with just two knots from the South West piping up in time for lunch not enough had arrived and racing for the day was canned.
Nick Scott, Event Director, was pleased to have got some good racing in yesterday allowing the talent to rise to the top and despite the frustrations of today hailed the event a success.
Optimists:
1st Jamie Calder
2nd Alasdair Ireland
3rd Jack Alexander Gillespie
Jamie Calder improved on his third place finish at least years event posting two bullets after discards.
Toppers:
1st Joanna Barrie
2nd Jack Aitken
3rd David Abraham
Joanna Barrie dominated the event beating all the boys also posting two bullets after discards.
RS Fevas:
1st Gillies Munro / Daniel Harris
2nd Laura Ellis / Catherine Ellis
3rd Christopher Kilgour / Struan Donaldson
New to the event this year the Feva’s had an extremely close battle with first and second placed boats tied on points with sisters Laura and Catherine Ellis conceding first place to Gillies Munro and Daniel Harris having discarded a third place over the pairs second.
Windsurfers:
5.8’s: 1st Luca Dominguez
Techno 6.8’s: 1st Jan Goldbeck
Techno 7.8’s: Natalie McWilliams won all four of her races to take an emphatic event win.
For further information visit www.ryaracingevents.org.uk