Team 15 North-East Windurfing at Kielder Water Sailing Club

Ethan Weeks, winner of the 3.5 fleet in the T15 windsurfing at Kielder Water © John Scullion

William Russell, winner of the 6.8 fleet in the T15 windsurfing at Kielder Water © John Scullion

Sarah Selim, winner of the 5.8 fleet in the T15 windsurfing at Kielder Water © John Scullion

The final event for 2017 in Team 15's North-East regional racing calendar took place at Kielder Water Sailing Club on Sunday 20th August 2017.

Four teams competed: the North Lincs Invaders and Pugneys Pirates travelled north, while the Coquet Crushers came south, and of course the Kielder Kestrels were on home waters.

The wind was a steady (for Kielder) 10 to 15 knots south-to-south-westerly, with only a slight shift during the day. This of course meant that the more experienced sailors wanted more wind, while the less experienced were occasionally caught out... so a fairly happy medium then.

Race officer Geoff Brown set a course in the middle of the lake for the 4.5, 5.8 and 6.8 fleets; a square course with the 6.8s doing an extra lap of the 2nd and 3rd marks. Meanwhile Gabby Littler oversaw the 3.5 fleet, who had to reach out from the shore, round a mark and get back to shore, without getting entangled on the rocks to leeward.

The 3.5 fleet, with 11 sailors, suffered some general chaos at the start of each race as each competitor attempted – not always successfully - to raise their sail without dropping it on their neighbour. However Ethan Weeks of North Lincs managed to gain clear air and establish a convincing lead over all the competitions, finishing 6 out of 9 races in first place. Second was Rhys James of the Coquet Crushers, and third Fay Tomlin of Kielder.

The 4.5, 5.8 and 6.8 fleets managed seven races. In the 4.5 fleet, Annabelle Scullion of Kielder swept the board with six firsts and a second, including on one occasion beating not only the other 4.5s but all the 5.8s as well! Second was Tom Russell, also of Kielder, while Agi Cornellissen and Sophie Dryden of Coquet put up a brave performance and earned merit awards for their perseverance. The 5.8 fleet was led by Sarah Selim of Pugneys, winning all seven of her races, while James Carragher of Coquet just beat Ellie Bedford of Pugneys to take second place.

Annabelle Scullion, winner of the 4.5 fleet in the T15 windsurfing at Kielder Water - photo © John Scullion

In the 6.8 fleet, William Russell of North Lincs won very convincingly, with five first places and two seconds to discard. Pip Heywood of the Coquet Crushers was second, and Tom Hunter of Pugneys third.

The Super X event involved, for the 3.5s, a jump on the way out and a kneel on the way back, while the larger rigs had to perform a beach start, and then a kneel on the way back. The winners were: 3.5 Ethan Weeks of North Lincs, 4.5 Tom Russell of Kielder, 5.8 James Carragher of Coquet, and 6.8 Pip Heywood of Coquet.

Overall, the Coquet Crushers won the day, while the North Lincs Invaders won the series to become the North-East T15 champions.

A great time was had by all. Thanks to all those who helped to make the day a success, including the organisers, race officers, rescue boats and providers of delicious and abundant food, and most especially thanks to the competitors and those who took the time to come and watch.

Team Ranking Table:

Overall Results: