18ft Skiff UK and European Grand Prix Round 4 at Sandbanks
by Tom Hill 27 Sep 2017 09:07 BST
21-24 September 2017
This weekend was the final weekend of the UK and European Skiff calendar, and what a setting and conditions for it! A German and Hungarian team joined the U.K. fleet on Sandbanks beach for four days packed with racing.
Day 1
The first day was a pretty miserable rig in lashing rain, but this was more than made up for by the exciting conditions on the water. The first race was held in some fresh breeze and bumpy waves which caught some of the sailors off guard for the first race. The next two races were in lighter breeze with sunshine and sailors made their way ashore, deriving in conditions that felt a million miles away from the morning.
Pica were on top after day one, but not by much. Be Light and ChameleonI both took a first place and Kaltenberger were consistent to stay not far behind
Day 2
The second day was a glamour day that saw the big rigs taken out the bag! The rig call wasn't obvious but the fleet all followed themselves and launched for a day of racing that eventually ending up in some gusts of up to 18 knots - a few might say the No2 rig was a better choice.
The fleet all launched on their big rigs, and managed to handle the extra sail area round the course with some powered up bearaways. Pica took another two bullets but let the final one away to Kaltenberger. Be-Light were also in the mix with podium finishes. ChameleonI slipped back in the pack to fall off the podium and let the Germans jump up to second overnight.
Day 3
The third day was a much more comfortable day racing on the big rigs in the bay. A 12 knot breeze stayed on the course all day for another 3 races. The breeze was much more settled than previous days so there was little waiting around between races.
Pica and Be-Light exchanged first and second places and Kaltenberger and ChameleonI traded places to firm up third and fourth place.
Day 4
The final day was again lighter than the previous so the big rigs were rigged all round. The lighter wind made for some much tighter starts with Rutland and ChameleonI going round the ends in the last race. The whole fleet finished within 2 minutes of first to last in all races with place changes happening throughout. Special mention to the new team on Sail 4 Cancer who took advantage of the lighter breeze to finish their first races of the weekend - hopefully many more to come next year for this team!
Pica had to hold off Be Light all day to secure the overall win and, despite the close racing tactics from the Hungarians, Pica finished the day on top to take the title. Kaltenberger also sailed a consistent last 3 races to finish third overall.
The fleet have had an awesome time this weekend and the Sandbanks Bay put on a great show of conditions. A huge thank you to; Parkstone Yacht Club for getting in 12 superb races, The Watersports Academy for accommodating us so well off the water and Phil Jackson/Harbour View Photography for capturing the action. Also, a massive thanks to the German and Hungarian teams travelling to join us for some very tight racing!
Overall Results:
| Pos | Boat | R1 | R2 | R3 | R4 | R5 | R6 | R7 | R8 | R9 | R10 | R11 | R12 | Pts |
|---|
| 1 | PICA | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 | ‑4 | ‑3 | 1 | 14 |
| 2 | Belight HUN 18 | ‑5 | 1 | ‑4 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 18 |
| 3 | GER 5 | ‑4 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 4 | ‑5 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 27 |
| 4 | Chameleon 1 | 1 | 3 | 2 | (DNF) | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | ‑6 | 6 | 4 | 5 | 36 |
| 5 | Rutland | 6 | 5 | 5 | 4 | (DNF) | (DNS) | 5 | 5 | 3 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 49 |
| 6 | LED | 3 | (DNF) | (DNS) | DNF | DNS | DNS | DNS | DNS | 4 | 3 | 6 | 4 | 60 |
| 7 | Sail 4 Cancer | (DNS) | (DNS) | DNS | DNS | DNS | DNS | DNS | DNS | DNS | DNS | 7 | DNF | 79 |