Supernova Inland Championship at Northampton Sailing Club - Preview
by Chris Hawley 28 Aug 2017 12:35 BST
2-3 September 2017
Cliff Milliner during the 2016 Supernova Nationals at Llandudno © Richard Craig /
www.SailPics.co.uk
The first weekend of September sees the Supernova Inland Championship return to the ever-popular venue of Northampton Sailing Club. This inclusive and friendly event is open to all Supernova Class Association members and features a good social following the Class' AGM.
Once again we expect a good turnout and this year we have arranged for Bright Sky Videos to attend to film using their amazing Carbon "hexcopter" drone.
With so many talented sailors in our Class at the moment you could say there are dozens who could win the event. However, we've said that for years and have yet to be proved right.
This event really comes down to "Pistols at Dawn" for two of our members, where their dominance of the Inlands Trophy predates Game of Thrones starting on TV: No-one else has touched the trophy since 2007!
- Mike "Gibbo" Gibson - The master of calling the right shift at the right time. In the right place too much of the time to call it luck, this guy seems to have powers over the wind direction.
- Cliff Milliner - King of tweaking stuff to make it that bit better. All of those 1%s add up and Cliff is known for finding that extra gear when he needs to and always getting to the front. His work ethic in the boat is phenomenal as he is never one to be outdone on or off the water.
So here is the head to head "facts" before the shoot-out:
| | Mike | Cliff |
|---|
| Sail Number | 1127 | 1190 |
| Club | Bartley | Cotswold |
| Accent | Brummy | Gloucester |
| Age | Master 50 ‑59 | Not yet a Master! 21 – 49 |
| Height (Est) | 5ft 10in | 5ft 11in |
| Weight (Est) | ~80Kgs | ~80Kgs |
| Time in the Supernova Class | 10+ years | 5+ years |
| Supernova Nationals Wins | 2 | 3 |
| Last Nationals Win | 2008 | 2015 |
| Supernova Inlands Wins | 4 | 5 |
| Last Inlands Win | 2015 | 2016 |
| Supernova Committee Role | None (former Chairman) | Technical Adviser |
| Rig Setup | Max rake – boom scraping the deck | Mid rake – although depends what feels quick |
| Hiking Position | Extreme – no guts no glory approach | Hikes Hard (when a camera is around) |
| Favourite Wind | F1‑6, shifty | F3‑4 |
| Sailing Clothing | No Gloves | Shades, shades, shades (even if it is raining) |
Will anyone be able to take the crown from these two?
We hope to see you there.