North Sails Solo End of Season Championship at Grafham Water Sailing Club

Ewan Birkin-Walls leads the third race during the North Sails Solo End of Seasons at Grafham Water © Tim Olin / www.olinphoto.co.uk

Honorary Secretary Graham Cranford-Smith during the North Sails Solo End of Seasons at Grafham Water © Tim Olin / www.olinphoto.co.uk

54 Solo sailors descended on Grafham Water Sailing Club for the 2019 End of Season Championships, this year as in previous years sponsored by North Sails.

On arrival we were greeted with grey skies, a fine drizzle and 6-10 knots of breeze. The race officer, Peter Saxton, and his very capable team had set had set a windward-leeward course for all three races due to low wind speed, this resulted in very tactical racing.

Race 1: The winner, Tom Gillard (5675), using a North Sails P-2 and a Winder MK-1A hull with a Selden D+ mast combination was first round the windward mark and held first all the way to the finish. There was a challenge for first on the second beat by Martin Honnor (5658), by heading out left after the leeward mark, but Tom managed to hold him off. Essex YC sailor Jonny Wells who had been absent for much of the season hadn't forgotten much and finished third in the race.

Race 2: The drizzle had given way to intermittent sunshine, however the wind remained light to medium. In race 2, local sailor Simon Charles (5158) popped around the windward mark ahead of Gillard, but was soon passed by Gillard gybing straight after the spacer mark. Gillard then continued to extend his lead until the finish line, Charles holding 2nd and Nigel Davies showing consistency to finish 3rd adding to his first race 4th.

1st Lady Sue Taylor during the North Sails Solo End of Seasons at Grafham Water - photo © Tim Olin / www.olinphoto.co.uk

Race 3: Ewan Birkin-Walls (5827) and Ian Walters (5586) tacked immediately on the starting gun from a somewhat port biased line crossing the fleet on a port tack, this resulted in them being so far ahead of the rest of the fleet the race was a two way feud to the finish on a dying breeze with Birkin-Walls taking the bullet. Gillard nonetheless threaded his way back through the fleet to catch the leading pair but finished with his discard of 3rd once again demonstrating his mastery of the Class having had a very successful season, winning all events he competed in and with that the Super Series overall.

John Steels leads Mark Lee and Steve Dennison during the North Sails Solo End of Seasons at Grafham Water - photo © Tim Olin / www.olinphoto.co.uk

During the prize-giving a draw was held for those qualifying in the Series for the North P-2 Sail which was generously donated by the Class' most widely used sailmaker. A delighted Mark Lee's number was picked by use of random number generator, and the sail was presented by North's Solo Expert Tom Gillard.

Prize Winners, including the North Sails draw, during the North Sails Solo End of Seasons at Grafham Water - photo © Tim Olin / www.olinphoto.co.uk

With a few more events still to run the regional results were not all complete so the full prize-giving for the Super Series was postponed until the RYA Dinghy Show.

The fleet were immensely grateful to Grafham Water Sailing Club for an excellent event and Peter Saxton and his team for a very professionally run set of races.

Overall Results: