NeilPryde Sailing UK 29er Nationals at the Plas Heli Welsh National Sailing Academy - Overall

NeilPryde Sailing UK 29er Nationals at Pwllheli © Wavelength Image

The 29er National Championships and Eurocup got off to a great start in Pwllheli - 15-20 knots and a lumpy sea-state.

With an onshore wind, the first day was pretty much a pace race, with the added challenge of trying to keep the mast in the sky. Coming off the line, the right seemed to be the way to go, with the tide more favourable closer into shore. The boats that could hold off the line, then tack into a lane on port usually came out well, before the rest of the race turned into a drag race. GBR 2235 (Will Pank/Seb Gotto) had some good upwind pace to round the first mark in front, before GBR 2787 (Ollie Evans/Fin Armstrong) managed to roll them after the hoist. 2787 held their lead taking the win, 2235 in second and two of the Welsh representatives GBR 2898 (Aled Llewellyn-Jones and Ben Willett) coming third.

For the remainder of the day the conditions stayed pretty stable, although avoiding UFD's was key. 2787 managed to continue at the front and took 4 bullets from 4 races, 2235 finished the day in second after an impressive 2, 2, 2, 17 (after presumably a quick swim in the 4th race).

Day two brought a bit of change to Pwhelli, from 20knts the day before to sub 4knts. The breeze didn't allow the fleet to get any races in. Instead the fleet made do with beach games and the first 29er beach clean.

Fancy dress champions during the NeilPryde Sailing UK 29er Nationals at Pwllheli - photo © Wavelength Image

An intimidating forecast bore itself for the third race day. An earlier start time allowed a small window of race-able conditions. The race committee successfully managed to get three races away before a large squall came through whilst the fleet was in sequence for the fourth race. This sent the fleet running to the shore before the worst of the weather hit.

For the three races that got away, the sea state was larger and the wind stronger than the first day. Thrills and spills made for some exiting racing, with most boats taking a swim at some point in the day. 2787 led around the first mark and held to continue their winning streak, 2898 came in 2nd again with 2924 (Sam Cooper/Simon Hall) in 3rd. In the Second race 2787 stuck it in during the hoist on the first lap, letting 2926 (Ewan Luke/Zac Blomeley) take the win by some margin, USA 2 (Stephan Baker/Ripley Shelley) came in behind 2787 to take 3rd. More of the same in the last race, with some big puffs coming through, led to 2787 going for a swim on the final gybe, just letting 2828 (Tom Storey/Pierce Harris) through for the win.

At about 1 minute to go until the 4th race, a large squall came through causing many capsizes on the line and an AP over H for the fleet. It's fair to say the beach was carnage as the wind picked up and the fleet tried to land... Suzie Sturrock of GBR 134 won a spot prize for largest number of boat rescues in the surf. The 29er fleet prides itself on leaving no boat behind!

NeilPryde Sailing UK 29er Nationals at Pwllheli - photo © Wavelength Image

Saturday was a no go, due to gale force winds, so the sailors held the Sailors' Forum before heading off from the yacht club, with many choosing to go swimming/surfing at the local beaches instead.

The gala dinner was held on the Saturday evening and the Nick Simes Trophy was presented to 2787 as the best performing GBR 29er in the Eurocup Series. Nick Simes helped many of our sailors with transport to far flung events and the trophy is presented each year in his memory.

The final day of racing saw 5 races in light airs (a bit of a change from the usual windy and wavy). A chance for the lighter wind specialists to come to the fore. USA 2 had a fantastic day with two bullets, two seconds and a third. 2828 also came to the fore with two bullets and a third.

So Open and British National Champions are 2787 (Ollie Evans/Fin Armstrong), 2826 (Ewan Luke/Zac Blomeley) were second overall with 2924 (Sam Cooper/Simon Hall) in third. British Ladies Champions are 2507 (Athena Vogiatzi/Maddie Wylie), with 2344 (Annie Hammett/Jess Jobson) in second and 2882 (Hannah Roberts-Straw/Jess Nelson) in third. First Mixed was 2514 (Ben Batchelor/Lucy Hewitson) with 2695 (Flo Peters/Freddy Wood) and 2879 (Ishbel Zurmond/Archie Stokes) in third. Our First Juniors were 2229 (Ben Mueller/Freddie Lonsdale) with 2219 (Daniel Scott/Tom Irving) in second and 2046 (Gruff Green/George Sellwood) in third. USA 2 (Stephen Baker/Ripley Shelley) placed third in the Eurocup and were the highest placed non-British team with 2787 in first overall and 2826 in second.

Overall Results: