Zhik Cadet National Championship at Royal Torbay Yacht Club - Days 1 & 2
by Melanie Penn 31 Aug 2015 11:45 BST
28-31 August 2015
Zhik Cadet Nationals at Torbay © Jean Border /
www.borderphotos2010.com
Only three weeks after returning from their successful World Championships on Lake Garda, the GBR Cadets continued their amazing summer of major regattas, meeting for their 65th National Championships at the famous Royal Torbay Yacht Club.
The Class, which has taught literally thousands of young people to sail and race since the first cadet was launched in 1947,welcomed 10 new teams into its bronze fleet for their first taste of championship racing, the launch point for future stars, and for the first time in many years saw six newly launched boats competing in the main fleet.
Day 1
After the usual hospitable welcome from the RTYC, the 100 or so competitors launched onto the beautiful Torbay waters, with a brisk 15-18 knot SW and blue skis above.
Race 1 got underway at the 2nd attempt, with the experienced Aliya and Aqil Jannaty winning the start and maintaining the lead to the windward mark, closing followed by the ever improving Ryan Wilkinson/ Hamish Taylor (fresh from the 1st overall win in the Garda worlds promotional regatta) with Scarlet Anderson/ Freddie Pitcher in 3rd.
As the race developed through the triangular legs, members of the successful Worlds team started to emerge, chasing down the early leaders. With Wilkinson/Talylor, unfortunately misreading the flags on the committee boat and heading for a premature finish, Ed Harris /Daisy Nunn took over, to lead the fleet through the last lap and claim the first gun of the event, with team Jannaty in 2nd and Lucy Corby/Oli Payne taking 3rd.
First in the silver fleet where Nationals newcomers, Harry and Alice Folkard, whilst in the booze fleet, Anna Wootton/Amelia Mayhew set the standard with an impressive win from local RTYC team of Eliza Jones/Cody Griggs.
With the breeze and waves building, the fleet eagerly awaited the opportunity of the champagne sailing conditions that race two would deliver.
The arrival of the hot shots at the pin end suggested that going left would pay. Worlds team members,Tom Collyer/Cara Bland, forced to retire from race one with gear failure, powered off the pin to quickly establish a lead closely followed by fellow worlds teams members, Jamie/Bettine Harris and Archie Penn/Hazel Whittle in their new Synergy Marine Mk.4 Cadets, were in close pursuit as the leaders rounded the windward mark.
With spinikers set, the fleet enjoyed a blasting "sunshine and spray" reach as they surfed out to the wing mark - a wonderful sight with so may different coloured boats and spinnakers.
At the front, Collyer/Bland held off the Penn/Whittle, Harris/Harris challenge with Harris/Nunn and the Colquitt brothers in close pursuit. The leaders divided at the bottom gate, with Collyer/Bland and Penn/Whittle going right and Harris/Harris and Harris/Nunn going left. Collyer/Bland tacked back to cross to the left and cover the threat, leaving Penn/Whittle clear. At the final windward mark, Collyer/Bland had done enough to protect their lead but Penn/Whittle had closed right up on them, the pair having a commanding lead over 3rd placed Harris/Harris, as the three boats broke well clear of the fleet, with Harris/Nunn having suffered a capsize. the two leaders separated down the run as Penn/Whittle, reveling in their favourite conditions moved ahead to take the win from Collyer/Bland with Harris/Harris in 3rd.
Once again in the silver fleet Folkard/Folkard secured a 2nd win ahead of the Waldringfield boats of Erin Marks/William Seabrook and Angus Collingridge/Freddie Simpson,while in the bronze fleet Wootton/Mayhew showed good boat handling in the conditions to secure their 2nd win from the Frensham team of Toby Slump/Harrison King.
Day 2
After the champagne conditions of day 1, the forecast didn't bode well for the 3 scheduled races. After waiting for the SE 5 Knot breeze to settle, the fleet got underway, with the pin end clearly favoured. Harris/Harris made the perfect pin end start and headed off on port, while Collyer/Bland headed off on Starboard looking for that little extra pressure out on the left. The tactic worked well and as the slow motion race developed, Collyer/Bland arrived with a big lead at the windward mark. Harris/Harris lead the rest of the fleet in 2nd followed by the silver fleet boats of Oli King/Sophia Sfaxi, Maise Harkness/Annabel Hitchmough and Erin Marks/William Seabrook in 3rd,4th and 5th. Over the next two legs Penn/Whittle and Wootton/White moved up in 3rd and 4th with the two leaders now well clear. Collyer/Bland securing the win from Harris/Harris, with Wootton/White 3rd and the first silver fleet boat of Marks/Seabrook in an impressive 4th just a head of Penn/Whittle.
In the bronze fleet, two of the worlds crews showed what the future hold, as now helming, they adapted well to the very light conditions, with Wootton/Mayhew continuing their dominance with a 3rd race win ahead of Cally Terkelsen/William Cowling.
After two days Penn/Whittle lead on count back from Harris/Harris with Collyer/Bland looking strong once the discard kicks in and the lose their DNF.
Now two races behind schedule, the race officer will be hoping for better winds over the next two days.
Results so far can be found here.