Musto Lark National Championship at Rock - Day 2
by James Goss 31 May 2021 21:44 BST
30 May - 2 June 2021
Another glorious day at the Lark nationals in Rock with warm weather, bright blue skies and clear turquoise water.
The day started with a gentle breeze filling in from the SE and after two general recalls, a black flag and an adjustment to the line got the fleet away cleanly. Stuart and Nick Hydon made a great start at the starboard end and sailed out into pressure on the left of the first beat to establish a solid lead which they held till the finish. Also getting the first beat tactics correct were Chris & Nic White, Ed Bradburn & Sarah Norbury and Chris and Kate Holliman. At the finish Chris and Nic took 2nd, Ed and Sarah 3rd with James Goss and Rach Rhodes managing to overhaul the Hollimans to take 4th.
Race officer Martin Hough switched to a gate start for the 2nd race and a shifty and patchy breeze created a tricky first beat. James Stewart and Jeremy Stephens made the best of it and lead the race until they went to the finish line early, misled by the shortened course flag for the Cornish Shrimper fleet which was sharing the course. A number of boats followed, but Harry and Gemma Pynn spotted that there no was Lark class flag flying and carried on back upwind. At the finish it was Harry and Gemma with the win, Chris and Nic in 2nd and Simon and son, George in 3rd (an amazing result as George is only 10 years old).
The final race of the day got under way with another gate start and the breeze building slightly throughout the race. Harry and Gemma made a great start and led around the first mark. With the tide now ebbing out of the estuary it was tricky to judge the lay line correctly for the windward mark and quite a few spins were seen at the top of the course. By the finish James and Jeremy took the win with Harry and Gemma in 2nd and Nigel Hufton and Pete Nicholson in 3rd.
With 4 races remaining the championship is all to play for with the top 6 boats separated by a few points. The Top 2 boats are also front runners for the Marrieds Trophy! With slightly more breeze forecast for tomorrow and Wednesday as well as a continuation of the incredible sunshine, we're anticipating some champagne sailing conditions and an epic battle for the title!
Results after Day 2: (top six, 4 races, 1 discard)
1st Chris & Nic White, 9pts
2nd Harry & Gemma Pynn, 11pts
3rd James Goss & Sarah Norbury, 14pts
4th Stuart & Nick Hydon, 15 pts
5th James Stewart & Jeremy Stephens, 17pts
6th Ed Bradburn & Sarah Norbury, 19pts