Harken Solution National Championships at Gunfleet Sailing Club

Gunfleet Sailing Club hosted the Harken Solution National Championships for the second time over the weekend of the 11th – 12th August, with a training session on the afternoon of 10th August for those who wanted to familiarise themselves with the local conditions, get tips on tuning and sail setting, and practice some starts.

The racing got underway on Saturday morning with 3 races of 3 laps each planned under blue skies and a pleasant force 4 breeze. Race 1 was led from start to finish by Nathan Batchelor from Clevedon SC, followed by Paul Davis and Simon Clarke, both from Gunfleet SC. On the 3rd lap Simon overtook Paul to take 2nd followed by Paul for 3rd. Reigning champion Kevin Clark from Delph SC finished 4th.

After lunch the next 2 races were sailed back-to-back with the wind increasing to a good force 5. Race 2 was led from start to finish by Kevin Clark, followed by Nathan. 3rd place was once again a contest between the boys from Gunfleet, with Simon overtaking Paul on the 2nd lap to take 3rd place.

Race 3 was once again led from start to finish by Kevin who was revelling in the stronger wind conditions with Nathan securing another 2nd place. Following a good start, Sam Davy from Hykeham SC held 3rd place for 2 laps before taking a swim at a gybe mark allowing Simon Clarke to take 3rd place again.

On Saturday evening all the competitors enjoyed a BBQ and rested aching limbs (some using alcohol as an anaesthetic). With Nathan Batchelor only 1 point ahead of Kevin Clark and the local duo of Simon Clarke and Paul Davis hot on their heels, it was all to play for in Sunday’s races.

Sunday was another beautiful sunny day with a steady force 4 but with more swell than the day before. By mutual agreement it was decided to hold 3 races back-to-back in the morning to allow more travelling time for the competitors who were a long way from home. To accommodate this, the Race Officer shortened the races to 2 laps each.

Race 4 had an eventful start, as the leeward mark chose to detach itself from its ground tackle as the fleet were heading down the first run. The safety boat responded promptly but was unable to retrieve it from the shore in time for a fair rounding and so the Race Officer took the decision to abandon and restart. From early on in the first lap of the restarted race, Nathan again took control and led throughout closely followed by Kevin Clark who took 2nd place and Simon Clarke who took 3rd place.

With the wind gradually reducing, Race 5 got underway with Paul Davis first to the windward mark followed by Nathan and Simon. These positions remained unchanged for the first lap but Nathan gradually overhauled Paul to take first place at the line with Paul coming second. Meanwhile Simon and Kevin were having their own battle for 3rd with Kevin finally overtaking Simon to take 3rd place.

The final race was a lap (or 2) of honour for Nathan who had already secured the title but led from the start to win in fine style. Kevin was also certain of 2nd place overall, which meant that all eyes were on the battle for 3rd place between Simon and Paul. Simon was in 2nd place at the end of the first lap with Paul 3rd and Kevin 4th. On the 2nd lap Paul and Kevin both overhauled Simon to finish the race in 2nd and 3rd respectively.

Overall Results: