UKLA ILCA6 Qualifier at the Weymouth & Portland National Sailing Academy

After the weather cancellation of the second UKLA Autumn Qualifier, the sailors were raring to go afloat this time! There were 78 sailors registered to race at WPNSA which meant the Race Committee were given a difficult dilemma of whether to split the fleet into flights or keep together on one start-line. We were all delighted that they kept us sailing as one fleet; it's a lot more fun for all involved when it's only a two-day event.

The weekend had forecasted some powerful breeze and we were not to be disappointed. Hiking power was going to be key for the racing ahead! Sailing in a SW breeze in Portland Harbour would also bring us some shifty and gusty conditions keeping the racing close and exciting.

Day 1 brought us a tricky day of racing as the usual 'Portland Bill effect' did not seem to be the winning strategy. Race 1 was the perfect example with plenty of snakes and ladders throughout the race. Being on the correct shift and in the pressure allowed Matilda Nicholls to take the 1st race win closely followed by training partners Ebru Bolat in second, from Romania, and Daisy Collingridge, ILCA 6 National Champion, in third. Race 2 saw Youth sailor Sam Dickinson up at the front challenging the ILCA 6 women. His good pace upwind helped him finish second in the race with Ebru (first) and Daisy (third) claiming podium finishes again!

UKLA ILCA6 Qualifier 3 at Weymouth - photo © Georgie Altham / www.facebook.com/galthamphotography

After two very physical and intense races, the ILCA 6 fleet was clearly eager to get race 3 under way and get back ashore. Unfortunately, our eagerness led to two general recall starts and a couple Black Flag penalties before we could start race 3. Once the race was under way it ultimately came down to a hike-off to the 1st Windward Mark due to a big right shift! Ebru nailed it with another race win with Youth sailor Ed Baker and Master sailor Jon Emmett climbing towards the front of the fleet and providing another good challenge for the ILCA 6 women.

With day 1 done and dusted, the overall points were very close and would become even closer when Black Flag penalties could be discarded on Day 2. The ILCA 6 sailors put in a good shift for day 1 and headed home for plenty of food and sleep ahead of another windy day of racing!

Day 2 of racing highlighted the importance of starting at the biased end of the start-line. Youth sailors Tom Mitchell and Luke Anstey demonstrated this perfectly with a fabulous pin-end start allowing them to grab third and fourth place in race 1 of day 2. Jon and Ebru also used their great experience to nail the start-line and come away with first and second in that race.

UKLA ILCA6 Qualifier 3 at Weymouth - photo © Georgie Altham / www.facebook.com/galthamphotography

The pin proved to be a strong place to start again in race 2 with British Sailing Team sailors Matilda and Daisy finishing first and third after leading the fleet from the pin-end. Chloe Elvin managed to utilise the shifty and gusty aspects of a Portland Harbour south-westerly to her advantage. She came storming past sailors in a great gust of wind all the way to second place on the final downwind of race 2.

In the final race of the weekend there was lots of play for with the top four all in close contention for an overall podium position. Similarly, there was a host of opportunities for sailors to grab a place in the top ten before the last race was up. With a big rain cloud at the top of the racecourse, sailors knew some big breeze was incoming and that you were going to have to give it all you had left in the tank to nail the final race.

Youth sailor Oliver Allen-Wilcox showed his great level of hiking endurance to snatch up 5th place and get him his best result of the weekend! Ben Elvin also reminded us of his ability to hike hard in the final race and keep it consistent with a sixth place. Daisy and Ebru had a great final battle in the final race with Daisy coming out on top and Jon close behind them in third.

UKLA ILCA6 Qualifier 3 at Weymouth - photo © Georgie Altham / www.facebook.com/galthamphotography

After a long sail back home and some nice warm showers the sailors were ashore and eagerly waiting for the final overall results. A female podium lockout was nailed by Ebru Bolat in first, Daisy Collingridge in second and Matilda Nicholls in third (1st Under 21).

Jon Emmett won the Men's overall with Tom Mitchell finishing first Under 19 and Sam Dickinson first Under 17. Coco Barrett snatched up first Under 19 Female with Carys Atwell as first Under 17 female.

Full results are below

Ebru Bolat said, "I found that we had great sailing conditions with medium to strong wind which made it difficult to juggle both speed racing and decision making, but choosing the right time during the race when to switch the focus from one to the other was very important and provided big gains in the race. It was the perfect event to practice maintaining a consistency in racing and to find weak points to strengthen in the future. All in all, it was a super intensive but really fun event! I'm looking forward to the next Qualifier!"

Thank you to the brilliant Race Team who set good start-lines and marks were laid and re-positioned promptly and accurately - A truly high-quality event with a high-level of sailing throughout the fleet. Thank you also to the sponsors who support our Qualifiers. Congratulations to Ebru Bolat, who has been training with us at WPNSA now she is a student in Bournemouth, she is a strong sailor and also makes delicious cake!

The next event for the ILCA 6 women is the ILCA World Championships in Oman which we hope should be a fair bit warmer than the UK!

Overall:
1st Ebru Bolat, Sportul Studentesc Bucuresti, ROU
2nd Daisy Collingridge, Waldringfield SC
3rd Matilda Nicholls, Aldeburgh YC

Women Overall:

1st Ebru Bolat ROU
2nd Daisy Collingridge
3rd Matilda Nicholls

Men Overall:

1st Jon Emmett
2nd Tom Mitchell
3rd Sam Dickinson

Girls:

U21 Matilda Nicholls
U19 Coco Barrett
U17 Carys Attwell

Boys:

U19 Tom Mitchell
U17 Sam Dickinson

UKLA ILCA6 Qualifier 3 at Weymouth - photo © Georgie Altham / www.facebook.com/galthamphotography

Sponsors

Sailingfast - Duncan brings his battle bus down from Scotland for most the big events, which is so ridiculously well equipped, you could replace everything on your boat. Although based in Scotland they will get anything to you super fast. He also supplied many of the prizes for the draw on Saturday evening.

Noble Marine - Ian MacManus (the man behind the name) has crafted a very competitive and excellent insurance product for all Laser/ILCA sailors. A very personal service and a extremely useful website help make this the 'go to' company.

Ovington Boats - Chris Turner lives dinghies and has been a significance presence in the boat building world for decades. OB are now the official UK builders of ILCAs. A very smart new Ovington ILCA Dinghy was on display at the Masters event.

Vaikobi - a brand born on the waters of Sydney Harbour, out of a passion for all ocean sports. Across the team, we paddle, Surfski, SUP, Wing Foil and Sail. Sailing has been a passion within the business right from the start. The senior management team at Vaikobi comprise more than fifty years of marine industry and sailing experience between them.

Overall Results:

UKLA ILCA6 Qualifier 3 at Weymouth - photo © Georgie Altham / www.facebook.com/galthamphotography