420 Winter Championships at Weymouth & Portland Sailing Academy

420 Winter Championships in Weymouth © Mike Riley

420 Winter Championships in Weymouth © Mike Riley

After a hard and cold winter of training, forty teams arrived in Weymouth to take part in the 2013 British 420 Winter Championships over the weekend of 2nd and 3rd March. The 420 Winter Championships was also the first of three 'International Selection' events to confirm the teams for the 2013 420 World and Ladies World Championships in Valencia, Spain from 22-30 July and the 2013 420 Junior European Championships being held on home waters in Pwllheli from 14-22 August.

Saturday greeted the fleet with some light winds which was a relief for some of the newer boats to the fleet but made life difficult for the race team. In the end only one race was completed which was won by Neil "Evergreen" Marsden with his crew Matt Wallis. He was run a very close race by Irish team Peter McCann and Arran Walsh but came through on the second run. Morgan Dibb and Gemma Bird were third giving them a great start to their series. With dying winds and very cold sailors it was decided to send the sailors ashore but unfortunately no wind appeared and racing was abandoned for the day.

The sailors awoke on a very different outlook on Sunday with 15-20 knots blowing in the harbour. The fleet launched for a real test of their sailing skills in heavy winds. The first race of the day got underway after one general recall and was won by the Irish combination Patrick Crosbie and Gratton Roberts. Callum Airlie and Joe Butterworth were second, with Tim Riley and Luke Burywood in third.

With the wind building the second race got underway and this time, after some impressive sailing by the fleet in the growing waves, Tim Riley and Luke Burywood came through to win followed by Harry and David Whittaker with Neil and Matt in third. By now the safety fleet were earning their keep and the sensible parents were sitting safely in the Academy watching the tracking and live filming being transmitted back to the website!

The third race got underway with winds gusting up to 25knots. With a number of early retirements, Neil and Matt showed the fleet a clean pair of heels and came through for the win, followed in second by Callum and Joe with Tim and Luke in third.

Luckily for a weary Neil, the wind had picked up too much to run another race and the fleet returned ashore. Overall, the event was won by Neil and Matt, with Tim and Luke second and Callum and Joe third. Harry and David Whittaker were fourth and first overseas boat and Annabel Cattermole and Bryony Bennett Lloyd were first girls in fifth place.

A big thank you to everyone who helped over the weekend, the Sailracer team who ran the tracking and live webcast of the racing and to Curradinghy for the prizes.

Overall Results: