GP14 UK Grand Masters and Masters Championship at Welsh Harp

GP14 Masters at Welsh Harp © Richard Blackah

GP14 Masters at Welsh Harp © Richard Blackah

Saturday 9th July saw a close contest for the 2100 GP14 Grand Masters and Masters Championship, held at the Welsh Harp, near Wembley.

The 31 entrants included competitors from many different clubs in the UK, including Bolton, Chase, South Staffs and Nottingham, to name but a few. In all, fourteen clubs were represented, including the local clubs of BTYC Sailsports, Seahorse and North Circular.

The wind was a favourable Westerly Force 2 to 3, which meant that Brian Jefferies (commodore of BTYC) was able to set a course along the length of the Welsh Harp. One boat was OCS, but returned and re-entered the race. Richard Instone and Jim Toothill from Chase/Blithfield started off leading the first race. The wind conditions, although relatively light, did prove to be a problem for a couple of boats, and there were a couple of capsizes and retirements during the early part of the race. At the final line, Justin Jones and Liz Senior from South Staffs SC took the first race from David and Pete Mitchell (RYA). Richard Instone and Jim Toothill came in third.

The second race was sailed in similar conditions, although there were some moderately powerful gusts from a more southerly direction. Brian made the course more challenging by adding extra gybe marks. David and Pete Mitchell led from the start, chased by Richard Instone and Jim Toothill, with Martin Brennan and Alistair Knott (Hollingworth Lake SC) behind them. At the final beat, David & Pete had preserved their original lead, to win the race from Justin and Liz, with Richard Instone and Jim Toothill third.

The first day ended with David and Pete Mitchell in the lead. The local clubs had organised an evening Barbecue and Entertainment (including participatory Morris Dancing!) on the outdoor area overlooking the water. Some visitors camped overnight at the Harp ready for the following day.

Sunday 10th brought very light wind, and required different skills. Two races were run back-to-back, this time organised by Julian Bradley, Commodore of Wembley Sailing club, another of the Welsh Harp clubs. There were a number of boats OCS on the first race of the day, so a general recall was sounded, but the black flag kept the fleet under control in the light conditions. Justin Jones and Liz Senior were winners once again, with the Mitchells second. Third place was Richard Instone and Jim Toothill.

The final race of the day was very short, mainly because the wind conditions were dying down even more. The course only included half of the Welsh Harp Area. Richard Instone and Jim Toothill won this final race, followed by Martin Brennan and Alistair Knott. Third place went to Dave Pugh and Mike Senior.

At the presentation, Julia Touloumbadjian, the secretary of the Welsh Harp SA, expressed her thanks to the Organising Committee led by Liz Hall, and to the GP14 Association. Thanks were also given to the Safety Boat team, OODs and especially to Helen Allen, Penny Abbott and their team of helpers for the superb food and the organisation of the catering. Many other members gave up part of their weekend to come and help make the event a success.

Thanks to the generosity of our sponsors, there were a number of items to be presented. Justin Jones and Liz Senior from South Staffs won the Master’s Trophy, and Richard Lord from Seahorse SC (with Steve Wang and Steve Jannering crewing on different days) took the Over-60 Trophy and the Grand Master Trophy. The “Ton Up” Shield - for the best scoring pair with combined ages of 100 or more - was awarded to Tim Davies and Mark Collingwood of Chelmarsh SC.

Sponsorship was provided by Speed Sails, the Welsh Harp Boat Centre, Fullers Brewery and Paintcraft.