Miracle Southern Area Championship at Whitefriars Sailing Club

Miracle Southern Area Championship at Whitefriars © Simon Clark

A strong fleet of 14 boats contested to be crowned the Miracle Southern Area Champions, with 10 visiting boats making the trip to Whitefriars Sailing Club for highly competitive sailing in variable conditions.

Saturday's racing started in dry conditions with winds up to 12kts. In the first race David and Zara Turtle led at the first mark followed by Andrew and Nathan Robinson and Tracy Amos and Gemma Gibson. During the race the wind built before heavy rain saw the wind die off completely and left the boats drifting around the course in a heavy rain storm. Andrew and Nathan struggled to hold their position and ended up finishing in fifth. David and Zara won the first race of the event followed by Tracy and Gemma with Ian and Katie Fryett finishing third.

Race 2 started in the rain with gustier winds. David and Zara continued their winning ways to win again with Tracy and Gemma finishing second again and Graham Watts and Helen Jacks completing the top 3. Elsewhere down the fleet, Hannah Smith and Tom Metcalfe beat Carolynn and Nick Smith in the Smith family battle for the second race in a row.

Miracle Southern Area Championship at Whitefriars - photo © Simon Clark

Jago Wightman (8 years) was awarded the prize for youngest crew on Saturday.

Chef Adam cooked a fantastic curry which everyone thoroughly enjoyed on Saturday evening before an evening quiz.

Sunday's racing started in 10kts of wind but built throughout the day with some large gusts and wind shifts for the racers to contend with.

David and Zara won race 3 to wrap up the Miracle Southern Area Championships. In Race 3 Ian and Katie finished second with Tracy and Gemma in third. Simon Reddcliffe and Mark Atherton finished fourth, their second fourth of the weekend. There was tight racing down the fleet with positions changing up to and including on the last legs between Andrew and Nathan and John Tippett and Kathy Boulten.

Miracle Southern Area Championship at Whitefriars - photo © Simon Clark

After a general recall in race 4, it was again won by David and Zara with Gemma and Tracy in second and Ian and Katie in third. Wayne Atherton and Angela Sweeney finished in fourth, which meant whilst the winner was already decided, places second to fifth were very close heading in to the final race of the event.

After a ploughman's lunch, race 5 started with Tracy and Gemma knowing anything but a win for Ian and Katie would ensure they finished in second place overall. They ensured this happened by winning the final race, preventing David and Zara completing a clean sweep. Wayne and Angela finished the race in third to secure fourth spot in the overall standings. Paul Robinson and Matthew Dyson provided some drama of another kind for the fleet when Paul fell out the back of the boat on the reach! Else where James Robinson and Dave Dyson, who had been improving all event, finished the race in seventh place.

Miracle Southern Area Championship at Whitefriars - photo © Simon Clark

Congratulations to David and Zara Turtle on winning the event and a thank you to all the competitors who travelled to compete. Matthew Dyson (10 years) was awarded a prize for youngest crew on Sunday.

A huge thank you to the WSC duty teams who volunteered to run the event at Whitefriars and ensure its success, a special thanks to the OOD Steve Ashford.

Overall Results:

David and Zara Turtle win the Miracle Southern Area Championship at Whitefriars - photo © Gemma Gibson