Please select your home edition
Edition
Feb-Nov23 Leaderboard Lasdrop2

Gul National 12 Series finale and Inland Championships at Northampton SC

by Zoe Ballantyne 14 Nov 2018 21:41 GMT 3 November 2018

19 National 12s travelled to Northampton SC for the final event in the National 12 GUL Series 2018 and the Inland Championships. On the Saturday the weather lived up to the forecast, with gusts of up to 30 knots but bright sunshine.

With the wind coming over the south-west side of the lake and the direction shifting through as much as 30 degrees, it was challenging to know which way to go up the beat. Tight racing on a square course and plenty of capsizes meant that success was defined by making as few mistakes as possible.

In the first race, former locals Tom & Robbie Stewart won convincingly, chased by Graham Camm & Zoe Ballantyne and John & Dan Meadowcroft. Following an unfortunate capsize by Tom & Robbie in the second race, Graham and Zoe won the second race from John & Dan Meadowcroft. Tom & Robbie caught up back to third place by the finish and Chris Day & Char Stewart came fourth. The third race, which turned out to be the deciding factor for the overall winner of the GUL series 2018, was won by Graham & Zoe, with Tom, & Robbie in second place and Nick Copsey & Rosie White putting in a strong performance to finish third.

After the GUL series prizegiving, a bonfire, fireworks and disco on Saturday night, Sunday morning dawned damp and chilly. The breeze was lighter and coming in bands across the lake, but still just as shifty as Saturday. A sudden starboard header at the start of the fourth race sent half the fleet off in what looked like the wrong direction, but a later shift up the first beat brought the fleet back together again. Ian & Alex Gore benefited from hitting the right hand corner up the first beat and got to the windward mark in first place, but Tom & Robbie pulled through to take second place and Graham & Zoe took first.

In the fifth race, a lucky shift allowed Zoe & Graham to take a big lead up the first beat, followed by Jon Ibbotson & Rachel Smith and Tom & Robbie. In the third race, John Meadowcroft swapped his Hijack design with son Ollie's Design 8. Ollie showed the whole fleet the way to the windward mark, showing impressive helming skills in the shifty conditions, and maintained his lead until the third lap. He was eventually overtaken by Graham & Zoe at the wing mark and by Ian & Alex Gore and Kevin Iles & Charlotte Stewart on the last two legs to finish fourth.

GUL series results (Saturday only):

1st Graham Camm & Zoe Ballantyne, Burghfield SC, Very Hungry Caterpillar
2nd Tom & Robert Stewart, Waldringfield SC, Whitebait
3rd John & Dan Meadowcroft, Upper Thames, D B Cooper

Inland Championship results (both days):

PosSail NoBoatHelmCrewClubR1R2R3R4R5R6Pts
1st3530Very Hungry CaterpillarGraham CammZoe BallantyneBurghfield‑2111115
2nd3544WhitebaitTom StewartRobert StewartWaldringfield13223‑611
3rd3525MogIan GoreAlex GoreUp River‑55534219
4th3527SnagglepussKevin IlesAndrea DownhamRYA47(RET)45323
5th3543DB CooperJohn MeadowcroftDan MeadowcroftUpper Thames326‑1211426
6th3526Catch the SunChris DayChar StewartSalcombe744‑106930
7th3445CapriccioNigel WhiteChris WhiteBurghfield118(DNC)58537
8th3548All Tide UpNick CopseyRosie WhiteStokes Bay663(DNC)141140
9th3532F'in BoatGavin WillisClara DawkinsBristol Corinthian12(RET)877842
10th3540Atomic KittenJon IbbotsonRachel SmithBurghfield812(DNC)62DNC48
11th3545A Wood and a SheepTom LeeJennifer BuggeBurghfield1011(DNC)913750
12th3502CarbonaraPatrick HamiltonJenny WilsonBurwain997‑15151252
13th3320QuasimodoOllie MeadowcroftKaty MeadowcroftUpper Thames(RET)101013121055
14th3271IndescisionNeal LillywhiteFreya LillywhiteBurghfield1413911‑171663
15th3513Silver LiningGeorge FinchLucy HomerRoyal Harwich13(RET)DNC8101364
16th3330BalouTim HampshireEmma HampshireRipon15(RET)RET1491472
17th3546Shades of GreyStuart WalshTheo Covi‑WalshArdleigh(DNC)DNCDNC16161587
18th3521 Alan BeetonElla FordBurghfield16(RET)RETDNCDNCDNC96
19th3231Mr BillAngus BeytsGerald CopseyNewburgh(RET)DNCDNCDNCDNCDNC100

Related Articles

National 12 Scottish Championship
Excellent sea sailing at East Lothian Yacht Club The Scottish & Northern 12 fleet travelled to East Lothian Yacht Club for the third year in a row to enjoy the excellent sea sailing this venue has to offer as part of their annual regatta. Posted on 11 Jun
Trent Valley National 12 Open
Very few barges and gin-palaces on the river The Met Office were spot on with their wind forecast, 7 gusting 25, and we had lovely sunshine and very few barges and gin-palaces on the river at Trent Lock. Posted on 14 May
Salcombe National 12 Open
It's always sunny in Salcombe The National 12 fleet were promised glorious conditions in Salcombe for the 2025 May Day Open Meeting. The country had been basking in a heatwave in the days leading up. Posted on 8 May
National 12 class innovation in 2025
2 more series races to be built into the program for Burton Week The National 12 class continues to innovate and grasp the challenges of the day. This is the mentality the class was founded on and this year, the class' 89th year. Posted on 1 Apr
National 12s at Burghfield
Calm start to the day, yet 8 races are completed Eight National 12s lined up on the Burghfield beach and gazed out at the mirror finish of the lake. Not a promising start to the 2025 Craftinsure National Series, particularly for an event that planned to run eight short sprint races in one day. Posted on 27 Mar
National 12 Dinghy Shack National Series overall
44 boats take part in seven events A grand total of 44 N12s took part in the Dinghy Shack 2024 Series which consisted of seven events. The competitors came from clubs spanning the country from Salcombe in the West to Royal Tay and Loch Tummel in Scotland and Harwich in the East. Posted on 17 Nov 2024
Craftinsure National 12 Inlands at Northampton
Drizzly forecast fails to dampen enthusiasm in the National 12 fleet What a great event at Northampton Sailing Club. Despite the light and drizzly forecast, 24 boats travelled from as far as Loch Tummel in the North, Salcombe in the South and Ipswich in the East - no dampening of enthusiasm in the National 12 fleet. Posted on 5 Nov 2024
Yeadon National 12 Open
Short Beats and Wind Shadows The forecast for National 12 Open Meeting on 6th October at Yeadon Sailing Club didn't offer much SE winds - 8 to 23mph, 10 deg C and overcast/grey. Posted on 9 Oct 2024
Yorkshire Dales National 12 Open
Cloudy in the hills, but visibility was actually better at 'sea level' The cloud was down as I drove over the tops to Yorkshire Dales Sailing Club for the National 12 Open but as we have found before the reservoir sits in a bit of a hollow so visibility was actually better at 'sea level'. Posted on 17 Sep 2024
Ripon National 12 and Singlehander Open preview
All welcome, plus it's a Vintage and Northern Series event for the N12s Ripon Sailing Club will be hosting its annual open meeting for National 12s and Single Handers on Saturday 5th October. Posted on 14 Sep 2024