Laser Radial Boys' RYA Youth Nationals at WPNSA

by Ben Whaley 15 Apr 2015 19:01 BST 4–10 April 2015

Day one

There was a strong fleet of 65 boy Radial sailors at the Youth Nationals. For the first day, a 9–15knt breeze was blowing from the SW. Dan Whiteley started off strongly, posting the first bullet of the event, with Jack Cookson taking second place and Joe Mullan rounding off the top three.

For Race 2, Cookson took the line honours after coming out on top at the end of a closely contested last run, with Whiteley in second and Matt Whitfield taking third place. A third race was started, but due to a large left-hand shift as well as the dying wind, the race was abandoned when the leaders were nearing the windward mark. This meant that overnight Cookson led, with Whiteley in second and Whitfield in third.

Day two

Day two started with a promising wind from the east, but once the fleet got out to the race course in the bay, the breeze had died off and was holding at around 4knts, which was not enough to start a race. After a lengthy postponement on the water of around two hours, the wind finally increased enough to allow the fleet to start Race 3. Whiteley posted another bullet, with Whitfield taking second position and Milo Gill-Taylor third. The wind then died down so another race could not be started and soon the racing was abandoned for the day, so the fleet headed ashore.

Day three

For day three of the championship, the fleet once again headed out to Weymouth Bay in search of wind and racing. Unfortunately, the wind followed much the same pattern as the second day, with little to no wind blowing out in the bay. Eventually, after another lengthy delay, the wind once again increased enough to allow the fleet to start Race 4. Gill-Taylor took the line honours this time, with George Ford in second place and Jamie Calder taking third. The wind then proceeded to die, just like the day before, but this time the Race Committee decided to move the race course to inside Portland Harbour.

The solid 5–7knt breeze inside the harbour allowed the Race Committee to quickly get Race 5 underway, and this time Matt Whitfield took the win, followed by Mullan and Calder. Another race followed quickly after the first in similar conditions. This time Cookson secured another bullet, closely followed by Lewis Smith and Isaac Marsh. The fleet then headed home after a lengthy nine and a half hours on the water, but nonetheless with three more race completed. Cookson now led overnight, with Whitfield in second and Whiteley in third.

Day four

Day four was quite a disappointment as far as racing was concerned. The fleet launched on time, but quickly a thick sea fog settled in and would not budge. The fleet returned to shore and, after a few hours' postponement, racing was abandoned for the day.

Day five

For the final day of the event, the fleet launched slightly early to a 15–17knt breeze from the east once again. There had been a change to the SIs which now permitted the Race Committee to complete three races, instead of the usual two, on the final day. Race 7 was quickly started and Whiteley posted his third bullet of the championship, followed by Cookson and Hamish Eckstein.

For Race 8, Ben Whaley posted his first bullet of the regatta, very closely followed by Whiteley and Cookson as the wind died to near nothing. The fleet then waited around for the 14.30 deadline, the last time that a race could be started on the final day. With 20 minutes to go until the deadline, the breeze filled in from the SW to a solid 12knts. The last race got underway at 14.25 and Whiteley once again took the line honours to post his fourth bullet of the championship, followed by Cookson and Dan Martin.

This left Jack Cookson in first place overall and Youth National Champion, followed by Dan Whiteley in second and Matt Whitfield in third.

Overall Results:

Pos	Sail No.	Helm	R1	R2	R3	R4	R5	R6	R7	R8	R9	Pts
1	206918	Jack COOKSON	2	1	‑5	5	‑18	1	2	3	2	16
2	204537	Daniel WHITELEY	1	2	1	10	‑34	‑18	1	2	1	18
3	204536	Matt WHITFIELD	6	3	2	7	1	‑16	13	‑37	4	36
4	208853	Ben WHALEY	‑24	4	4	12	4	8	7	1	‑25	40
5	204019	Jamie CALDER	12	7	8	3	3	‑29	14	6	‑21	53
6	203973	Daniel MARTIN	7	5	28	4	6	11	‑29	‑33	3	64
7	203975	Joseph MULLAN	3	8	18	18	2	9	21	‑36	‑30	79
8	208659	Daniel WIGMORE	‑25	9	‑32	13	24	4	9	23	5	87
9	203967	Lewis SMITH	14	6	24	14	21	2	‑33	‑31	7	88
10	203581	Edward HIGSON	17	18	BFD	27	8	7	5	‑28	6	88
11	206490	Milo GILL‑TAYLOR	‑37	17	3	1	29	14	26	4	‑32	94
12	198827	Jake FARREN‑PRICE	4	23	12	16	‑26	‑36	6	19	17	97
13	206856	Isaac MARSH	‑34	13	23	6	23	3	22	‑35	10	100
14	200225	Will BEDFORD	‑32	27	9	8	19	5	17	16	‑35	101
15	198902	George FORD	15	‑33	7	2	30	25	‑32	8	18	105
16	204975	Haydn GRIFFITHS	19	11	21	9	‑38	10	31	‑47	20	121
17	207804	Calum ROSIE	10	12	27	25	‑32	20	‑28	13	19	126
18	202458	Hamish ECKSTEIN	13	20	30	23	DNC	‑43	3	27	12	128
19	184315	Jordan GILES	EXP	22	‑36	‑34	31	32	4	5	9	128
20	147142	Alex WARRINGTON	BFD	19	13	24	22	12	23	‑29	15	128
21	201020	Adam STONE	11	29	11	20	‑36	19	‑43	25	14	129
22	206876	Oliver BLACKBURN	28	14	19	11	20	‑41	27	12	‑37	131
23	204540	Merrick STANLEY	20	34	6	‑40	‑40	22	18	9	36	145
24	201514	William HERITAGE	18	40	10	15	27	‑47	24	‑45	11	145
25	204209	Dan JONES	21	15	25	‑37	7	34	‑36	18	26	146
26	208680	Joe WOODLEY	8	16	BFD	22	DNC	13	34	17	38	148
27	205712	Ben CHILDERLEY	‑41	30	17	36	5	31	16	14	‑45	149
28	205129	James DRIVER	‑40	10	‑35	31	28	26	12	15	28	150
29	203969	Dan THORNE‑LARGE	31	‑43	31	30	11	‑42	11	20	33	167
30	201836	Tom FENEMORE	22	38	BFD	44	15	37	BFD	11	8	175
31	204765	Tom JOICE	38	36	‑48	21	14	6	37	‑40	31	183
32	206295	James BISHOP	16	25	33	19	‑53	30	30	30	‑40	183
33	207612	Jack SHEPHERD	9	‑50	29	38	‑56	33	42	7	27	185
34	184970	Ted BLOWERS	39	‑46	34	33	9	27	20	‑43	24	186
35	182593	Ciaran RANDERIA	30	37	‑44	‑43	12	24	35	26	23	187
36	200520	Lewis HUMPHRIES	BFD	53	16	47	17	17	‑54	21	29	200
37	201873	Dominic HALL	43	21	20	29	‑44	40	19	‑50	34	206
38	202204	Greg BARTLETT	35	24	26	35	43	‑58	‑46	24	22	209
39	179741	Arthur BROWN	BFD	44	53	32	42	23	10	‑61	13	217
40	206942	Angus LAWSON	23	26	14	‑57	45	38	BFD	32	43	221
41	201084	Yann BRACEGIRDLE	45	31	15	28	‑57	‑49	15	46	42	222
42	203307	Charlie BLAZEBY	26	35	45	‑50	47	21	8	‑51	41	223
43	207749	Robby BOYD	42	‑54	‑50	42	13	35	25	41	39	237
44	195034	Tom GRAHAM	36	28	39	17	46	‑50	38	34	‑51	238
45	204065	Adam ROWLATT	27	45	42	26	16	‑54	51	44	‑58	251
46	206783	Adam RUSS	29	42	37	41	33	44	‑47	‑48	46	272
47	207750	Thomas PARKHURST	‑58	51	22	‑55	54	15	41	49	49	281
48	200748	Tai THOMAS‑DAY	51	32	41	39	10	52	DNC	DNC	DNC	291
49	191306	Thomas HARDIE	44	48	46	49	51	‑53	44	‑53	16	298
50	201175	David SAUNDERS	46	41	38	45	‑61	‑51	45	39	50	304
51	200646	George KENNEDY	52	‑59	51	‑53	39	46	49	22	48	307
52	183469	Andrew ROBINSON	47	39	43	48	‑49	‑56	48	38	44	307
53	203910	Ben HAWKES	53	55	49	‑58	52	‑62	40	10	54	313
54	180950	Alex MCFARLANE	54	‑56	BFD	46	37	45	39	54	56	331
55	199273	Alistair HIGGINS	33	52	‑58	52	48	48	52	‑63	47	332
56	206794	Harry COWELL	49	47	55	51	50	39	58	‑62	‑63	349
57	197933	Rory COHEN	BFD	62	54	59	‑63	28	60	42	55	360
58	192835	Ross SLATER	‑57	57	47	‑65	35	55	57	56	57	364
59	206941	Iain DUNCAN	59	‑60	60	‑64	25	59	55	57	53	368
60	185652	Sol THORNTON	50	49	56	54	60	‑61	59	59	‑61	387
61	200043	Matthew LUXTON	‑61	‑63	52	61	41	57	61	58	59	389
62	166336	Drew GIBSON	48	58	59	‑60	59	‑63	53	60	52	389
63	188781	Thomas SOUTHWELL	55	DSQ	57	63	62	‑64	50	52	60	399
64	198904	Alexander DAVIES	56	61	40	62	55	60	DNC	DNC	DNC	400
65	204965	Ross NEVILLE‑JONES	60	64	DNC	56	58	‑65	56	55	62	411