Navigators & General Mirror Nationals at Brixham Yacht Club

Navigators & General Mirror Nationals at Brixham Yacht Club - Day 3

by Rob Bellfield 16 Aug 2014 08:20 BST 13-16 August 2014

A light North North West wind greeted the sailors, giving them a long slow beat out to the course area, and it proved to be even more fickle than the breeze on day 2.

Race 1 got away at the forth attempt under a black flag. Reg & Gemma were 1st at windward mark. There were a lot or place changes amoung the chasing pack on the next lap which saw Sarah & Sandy move up to second and Ollie & Archie Hawkins up to third ahead of Richard & Thomas Sender and Colin & Polly Stephens.

Race 2 got away at the first attempt with a number of boats OCS, but this was to prove controversial later. Dave & Ed Coady went left, sailing very fast, and took advantage of the wind shifting left to build a big lead at the windward mark over Alexander & Douglas Simpson with Reg & Gemma in 3rd. The reach to the gybe mark was very tight in a dying wind and the wind shifted again making the next reach tight. The wind continued to drop with big patches where boats were totally becalmed. The course was shortened to one lap. The first three boats finished in ghosting conditions, but then the wind filled in from the North and built quickly, favouring those furthest to windward on the reach.

Race 3 got away at the first attempt, Dave & Ed were 1st to the windward mark with Sarah & Sandy second and Scarlett Shepherd & Harvey Martin 3rd. On the reaches Reg & Gemma and Henry & Jamie Rastrick overtook Scarlett & Harvey with the wind dropping all the time. On the second beat, with the wind almost gone, Dave & Ed and Sarah & Sandy went left, but the wind died compleatly on that side of the course. Reg & Gemma and Henry & Jamie went right into a small area of very light wind and tacked up the right - middle of the beat. Then the wind filled in from the south in a random patchy manner such that boats were running or reaching to the "Windward" mark where the course was shortened. Henry & Jamie were first ahead of Reg & Gemma with Dave & Ed 3rd.

Last day of the Navigators and General Mirror Nationals tomorrow - what will Torbay bring? More of the same or something different? Some boats have mastered the conditions - many more need to improve if they are to succeed at the Europeans next week. We're also looking forward to welcoming more of the Irish fleet.

Photos from Day 3 are on www.boatographic.co.uk from where they can be purchased.

Results after Day 3:

Pos	Sail No	Helm	Crew	R1	R2	R3	R4	R5	R6	R7	R8	Pts
1	12	Rachel Grayson	Gemma Francis Burnett	5	5	2	1	1	1	3	2	10
2	32	David Coady	Ed Coady	1	3	9	3	3	8	1	3	14
3	15	Henry Rastrick	Jamie Rastrick	8	10	5	2	2	9	4	1	22
4	14	Sarah Richards	Sandy Simpson	2	1	10	15	5	2	16	4	24
5	5	Roscoe Martin	Maddie Wylie	24	16	6	5	11	7	8	16	53
6	33	Colin Stephens	Polly Stephens	4	35	20	11	10	5	35	5	55
7	31	Shane McLoughlin	Oscar Langan	3	2	1	26	17	25	35	10	58
8	23	Scarlett Shepherd	Harvey Martin	7	13	12	12	15	13	26	7	64
9	34	Rebecca Stephens	Ruby Stephens	23	26	19	10	6	11	9	12	67
10	7	Gemma Keers	Imogen Bellfield	16	6	3	20	30	16	35	8	69
11	27	Esther Bowdler	Scarlet Crago	14	17	4	13	13	18	15	11	70
12	9	Alexander Simpson	Douglas Simpson	29	18	17	18	4	35	2	13	72
13	18	Natasha Ewart Smith	Sarah Ewart Smith	22	8	7	9	30	10	20	21	75
14	25	Richard Sender	Thomas Sender	16	19	30	14	18	4	35	6	77
15	8	Eleanor Keers	Izzy Pugh	6	29	14	4	19	14	25	24	81
16	28	Brian Bowdler		31	30	25	8	8	27	5	9	82
17	19	George Richards	Alexander Baird	12	4	11	33	22	12	23	22	83
18	29	Jamie Penman	Harry Penman	15	14	23	17	16	31	7	17	86
19	13	Matt Grayson		13	28	15	16	21	19	6	18	87
20	4	Emma Clayton	Faye Caswell	18	11	16	23	27	6	17	26	91
21	30	Martin Egan	Sennen Addinall	20	20	13	19	14	24	12	15	93
22	17	Emily Heath	Pippa Heath	19	12	27	22	20	15	13	23	101
23	21	Tom Weston	Paddy Jefferies	17	25	18	34	9	23	10	25	102
24	24	Richard Rowell	Rosie Rowell	27	15	26	6	26	35	11	19	103
25	16	Henry Heath	James Dickinson	10	9	21	30	24	26	21	20	105
26	22	Harriet Watkins	Helena Watkins	34	21	22	24	12	21	18	14	108
27	1	Robert Richardson	Jamie Wilson	11	7	24	29	25	20	27	28	114
28	10	Celia Hansell	Jasper Ewart Smith	32	27	29	7	7	30	19	27	116
29	2	Ollie Hawkins	Archie Hawkins	21	24	32	21	29	3	22	30	120
30	26	Tai Buxton	Thomas Hartley	25	35	8	27	32	17	14	32	123
31	20	Felix Jefferies	Monty Heath	33	35	31	25	35	22	24	29	164
32	3	Oliver Wilson	Hannah Wilson	28	23	34	32	28	29	28	31	167
33	11	Edward Hansell	Sally Lorimer	26	22	28	31	31	35	35	35	173
34	6	Ollie Pugh	Lucy Pugh	30	35	33	28	33	28	29	33	181