Winder Boats Solo & Mirror Northern Championships at Bassenthwaite Sailing Club

Combined Solo and Mirror Northern Championship © William Carruthers

Combined Solo and Mirror Northern Championship © William Carruthers

The combined Solo and Mirror Northern Championship, sponsored by Winder Boats, was blessed with sunshine and better than forecast winds.

Saturday’s force 3 westerly made full use of the bay, with the windward mark near the clubhouse offering spectators a decent view of the full race course. With 23 Solos all vying for positions, the end result was a general recall in race one and the U flag being used to limit the excitement. The breeze was shifty enough to offer some good tactical racing, particularly on the long windward legs with either side offered gains and the middle was less favourable. Consistency was key and the over night leader was Martin Honnor from Ogston SC, counting three 2nds, a point ahead of Innes Armstrong from Burwain, with a 1st and two 3rds.

The 17 Mirrors consisted of a mixed fleet of juniors and parent and child teams. Two new Winder Mirrors were launched on Saturday morning, powered by Impact Sails. Over night it was a Bass and family Smith battle, Phil and Oliver Smith leading with two 1sts and a 2nd, with Andy and Lily Smith 5 points behind. Down in the fleet, there were some good junior performances, with Matthew Summerville and Henry Bullen mixing it with the adults in their first Mirror event. The club BBQ was alight on Saturday evening, with the FA Cup final and later the Eurovision song contest keeping the crowd in the bar varied and confused all at the same time.

Sunday morning started with a short postponement, but soon after the second cup of tea was served the forecast south easterly, Bassenthwaite’s best wind direction, bedded in and increased in strength to a full on force 4-5. Race officer John Denwood made the most of the favourable wind direction with a long windward leg. In the Solos, Ian Hopwood from Nantwich revelled in the strong winds, winning race four. In race five the breeze dropped a little, with fewer white horses and was won by Alex Alcock from Leigh & Lowton. Overall it was Innes Armstrong from Burwain Sailing Club who sailed consistently to claim the win, counting ten points from four races. Just one point behind, Martin Honnor from Ogston SC was 2nd with Alex Alcock from Leigh & Lowton 3rd, counting fourteen points including two 1st places. Of the eight Bass boats sailing, John Reekie’s impudently named ‘Red Shed’ was best, finishing 4th overall.

In the Mirrors, Sunday was a challenge, with some of the younger sailors finding the wind and the waves a bit scary. In race 1, Alex Taylor and Rory Newstead Taylor revelled in the conditions, finishing ahead of the overnight leaders Phil & Oliver Smith, who by counting a 2nd had done enough for the overall win and headed to shore for some well-earned shelter. The fleet was a little depleted in the final race, won by Andy and Lily Smith finished followed by Alex and Rory in 2nd. Overall Phil & Oliver Smith made it back to back wins, winning the Inlands on home waters and now the Northern Championship. Andy and Lily Smith claimed 2nd, finishing on equal points with Alex Taylor and Rory Newstead Taylor in 3rd. There was some notable performances in the Mirror fleet, some young sailors helming their first races whilst others showed good levels of endeavour, nursing older boats through Sundays challenging conditions. Full results can be found here.

Overall Results:

Mirrors

Solos

The next open meeting is the Laser, Streaker and RS Tera open meeting on May 28th. Following shortly after it’s Big Mark's Big Race on Friday 3rd June, a memorial event for our friend and fellow Bass member who sadly passed away last year. Details can be found here.

Winners in the combined Solo and Mirror Northern Championship - photo © William Carruthers