Sun shines on opening day 30th RYA Eric Twiname Championships
by Imogen Stanley, RYA 8 May 2016 08:15 BST
7-8 May 2016
The forecasted thunderstorms never appeared at the 30th RYA Eric Twiname Championships (7-8 May), and the 270 young sailors enjoyed sunny conditions and light winds at Rutland Water Sailing Club.
All classes completed their intended schedule of racing with consistency key if sailors wanted their name at the top of the results sheet at the close of day one.
Topper
Isabel Wallwork (Redesmere Sailing Club, N) leads the Topper class following a first and a second: "I did alright today, in the first race I got a first then a second and then a fifth. It felt good to win the first race, it was quite close at the end but I did well downwind."
Harris Cartwright (Clyde, Scotland) won the second race and is three points behind Wallwork.
Gemma Mcdonnel (Hollowell, Midlands) won the third and final race of the day and had a broad smile as she dragged her boat up the slipway: "It was really good to win, I like getting a horn!"
"I had a pretty good start then I tacked on the start and I got to the windward mark first. It's nice when you are at the front, there is no one to mess you around and you can just extend your lead," concluded McDonnel who is fifth overall.
RS Feva
Three different crews took the RS Feva race wins today, all who form the top three. Ewan Wilson and Fin Mcghie (Wormit Boating Club, Scotland) won the first race and are third overall.
Sian Talbot and Eloise Clapson-McBride (Leigh and Lowton, North) won the final race of the day and are placed second overall, however it's Pierce Harris and Alfie Cogger (Windermere School, N) who sit one point ahead at the top of scoreboard and who also won the middle race today.
"We did pretty well today, we got a second, a first and then not really sure in the last one it was so close," said Cogger.
Harris added: "The racing today was good it was pretty shifty on the last one, well it was pretty shifty all round but the last race it shifted right and we managed to get the kite up on the beat which was interesting. We were waiting on the layline then it shifted hard and we popped our kite and went."
The shifty conditions challenged sailors across all the courses.
Techno
The Techno Windsurfers stormed through their schedule of racing with all fleets completing four races.
Three race wins for Samuel Williams (Buzz Active, SE) puts him in the 7.8m Techno lead. Tom Cunningham (Bewl, SE) and Jeremey Whale (Porthpean,SW) both had a good day on the water and sit in second and third respectively.
Emily-Jane Eldred (Queen Mary, SE) won three of the four races in the 6.8m Techno and leads overall. Billy Ellis (Covenham, Midlands) won the race that Eldred didn't as well as posting a 5, 6, 2, and ends the day on joint points with Rafferty Read (Oxford, S) in third.
Oscar Shaw's (Academy Allstars, SW) clean sweep of firsts put him clear at the top of the 5.8m Techno. Louis Walker (Buzz Active, SE) and Jenni Roberts (Hollingworth, N) are chasing behind, both picking up scores within the top three.
Younger brother to Oscar, Boris (Academy Allstars, SW), in the 4.5m Techno, also had a brilliant day, two seconds and two firsts put him at the top of the fleet: "I had a good day, the start of it was not windy enough but then it got windier so better for me," said Shaw.
"First in the third and fourth race felt really good but now my arms ache because I had to pump a lot."
Charlie Bennett (Pugneys, N) won the first race and sits second overall, William Russell (North Lincolnshire & Humberside Sailing, N) is third.
Queries are still being addressed with the Optimist results at this time. Santiago Sesto-Cosby (Royal Lymington, South) provisionally leads.
Alongside the Eric Twiname Championship the Laser 4.7 class are running their selection series, Alex Schonrock won the first race but Arthur Fry's consistency, winning the other two races of the day, put him at the front of the series.
Sailors ended their day with a full human table football tournament, won by team 'Seast' a mix of South East and East Topper sailors.
Racing commences Sunday at 10.25 for all classes.
Full results online here.
More about the Eric Twiname Trust at http://www.erictwinametrust.org/
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