Hall's Property Lawyers Hansa UK National Championships at Weymouth
by Marcus Frith 24 Aug 2015 16:27 BST
14-16 August 2015
303 fleet during the Hansa Nationals at Weymouth © Nicky Mathew
Chesil Sailability was privileged to be hosting the 17th Hansa UK National Championships. This was the first ever time this event has been held on the sea and sailing off the very same pontoons that three years ago, our Paralympic hero's had been for the 2012 Paralympics – this was real legacy in action!
As the 14th August neared, the forecast for the three days of racing in Portland Harbour looked awful, but despite a rather wet day on Friday, the weather proved to be on our side and thanks to the Race Officer and her team, all scheduled 8 races of the Halls Property Lawyers Hansa Nationals UK Championships were successfully completed.
The first day was wet, with a good strong breeze but that didn't dampen the sailor's enthusiasm as they got underway with the first two races of the championship. By the end of Day 1, David Durston has posted two firsts to be leading in the Liberty fleet, and the two visiting Belgian teams topping the 303 single and double handed fleets.
After an evening meal in the Spinnakers at WPNSA, a bright and sunny morning meant a further four races got underway on Saturday. The real excitement on the race course was the small pod of dolphins that made a guest appearance. A highlight for many of the sailors who spotted them, but not enough to distract them from the close racing. Paul Phillips, in the Liberty, Tim Scarisbrick and Anya de Iongh in the 303 Double and Lesley Philip in the 303 Single all made the most of the conditions to add wins to their scoreboards.
The Saturday evening saw the fleet enjoy views over Portland Harbour from Castle Cove Sailing Club – a lovely welcoming club!
The final day of racing saw the AP flag up for an hour to wait for the lighter breeze to fill in and stabilize. It was a photo finish on the line for the 303 Double fleet between the Belgian team and Tim Scarisbrick and Anya de Iongh, while Kate Hedley posted a convincing win and second place. Battles within the Liberty fleet kept everything still to play for in the final race.
Thank you to the Event Director and Race Management team for getting in the full schedule of races against a challenging forecast, the pontoon volunteers who got everyone in and out of their boats safely and all the onshore volunteers who helped it all go smoothly.
A specific thank you goes to our sponsors, Hall's Property Lawyers and Hansson Chiropractors.
Congratulations to the top British Sailors in each class:
- David Durston – Liberty
- Tim Scarisbrick and Anya de Iongh – Hansa 303 Double
- Kate Hedley – Hansa 303 Single
- Lindsay Burns – Hansa 2.3
Overall Results: (top three)
Hansa Liberty Class
1st David Durston (Whitefriars Sailability)
2nd Paul Phillips (Frensham Sailability)
3rd Monique Foster (Rutland Sailability)
Hansa 303 2 Person Class
1st Christophe Sloor and Ingrid Vandervelden (Flanders Sailability Belgium)
2nd Tim Scarisbrick and Anya de Iongh (1st British Boat) (Chesil Sailability)
3rd Chris Atkin and Peter Lawrence (Hanningfield Sailability)
Hansa 303 I Person Class
1st Tanya Bourgeois (Flanders Sailability Belgium)
2nd Katherine Hedley (1st British Boat) (Tideway Sailability - London)
3rd Lesley Philip (Frensham Sailability)
Hansa 2.3 Class
1st Lindsay Burns (Frensham Sailability)
Additional awards were given to the following people:
- Pat Crawley – Endeavour Prize for supporting a fellow competitor
- Lesley Philip – Novice Prize for best first season sailing solo