76th Aspire Merlin Rocket National Championships at Mount's Bay Sailing Club

76th Aspire Merlin Rocket National Championships at Mount's Bay Sailing Club - Day 4

by Mary Henderson 3 Aug 22:22 BST 31 July - 4 August 2022

Day 4 of the 2022 Merlin Rocket Nationals was a long one. Light and shifting breeze in the morning caused a 2 hour postponement ashore. To test the waters, it was decided that the Crews' Race would be sailed during the postponement.

Rallied by a record turnout for the Crews' Union on Sunday, a large fleet launched early to compete for the coveted trophy. Their keenness prevailed and the first start was a general recall. As the breeze settled into a nice 10knts, the fleet got away under a black flag.

Aspire Merlin Rocket National Championships at Mount's Bay - Day 4 - photo © Lee Whitehead / www.photolounge.co.uk

Pete Gray, crewed well at times by Jon Gorringe, slotted first around the windward following a successful "leftward" strategy. Fran Gifford had carefully found all the shifts up the middle of the beat although some slippery footwork by Tim Fells threatened to jeopardise her podium position as they tacked onto the starboard lay line. Chris White continued his Team's Wednesday thirding streak to take the final podium position.

It was tightly packed in the mid-fleet with a multitude of family, friend and National 12 rivalries.

Aspire Merlin Rocket National Championships at Mount's Bay - Day 4 - photo © Lee Whitehead / www.photolounge.co.uk

For the first championship race of the day (Race 7) James Goss & Chris White made another appearance at front at mark one, joined by Jon Turner & Richard "Animal" Parslow and Taxi & Jack Holden. However Tom Gillard & Rachel Gray stormed up the left of the second beat to lead, with Christian Birrell & Sam Brearey also making gains to sneak into second.

Goss & White held third, and the top three extended and finished in that order.

Aspire Merlin Rocket National Championships at Mount's Bay - Day 4 - photo © Lee Whitehead / www.photolounge.co.uk

In the final race of the day (actually Race 4) Will Warren & Megan Pascoe led at mark one. On the first run pressure down the right of the run allowed Mark Stockbridge & James Gifford and Tim Saxton & Mary Henderson to gain significantly at the expense of those who gybed early (including Birrell & Brearey).

Stockbridge & Gifford and Saxton & Henderson then chose the right leeward mark, and gained left early on the beat, with Goss & White again going well leading the pack from the right. On the final beat Gillard & Gray showed their pace to close in and pull up to third.

Unfortunately for Goss & White an early gybe allowed Saxton & Henderson and Gillard & Gray to sneak past on the final run to take first and second, with Goss & White holding on for a third, third place of the day.

Aspire Merlin Rocket National Championships at Mount's Bay - Day 4 - photo © Lee Whitehead / www.photolounge.co.uk

Thank you to our sponsors Aspire Financial Advisers, HD Sails, Mounts Bay Distillery, Fernhurst Books, West Systems, Triggernaut Sports Glasses, Robline/DinghyTec and GK Engineering.

Racing concludes on Thursday 4th August 2022.

Videos courtesty of Lee Whitehead are on Youtube.

Aspire Merlin Rocket National Championships at Mount's Bay - Day 4 - photo © Lee Whitehead / www.photolounge.co.uk

Results after day 4: (races shown in numerical order, not chronological)

Pos	Fleet	Sail No	Helm	Crew	Club	R1	R2	R3	R4	R5	R6	R7	Pts
1st	Platinum	3759	Thomas Gillard	Rachel Gray	Staunton Harold	1	2	3	2	5	14	1	14
2nd	Platinum	3788	Christian Birrell	Sam Brearey	Parkstone	6	1	15	4	4	6	2	23
3rd	Platinum	3691	Mike Calvert	Jane Calvert	Axe	5	5	7	19	3	3	9	32
4th	Platinum	3802	Simon Potts	Charlotte Fildes	Burghfield	10	3	1	9	8	19	6	37
5th	Platinum	2137	James Goss	Chris White	South Staffs	13	7	2	3	15	29	3	43
6th	Platinum	3719	Ian Martin	Chris Martin	Burghfield	UFD	6	5	7	2	4	20	44
7th	Platinum	3764	Tim Fells	Frances Gifford	Salcombe	4	4	16	8	11	8	12	47
8th	Platinum	3807	Tim Saxton	Mary Henderson	Itchenor	20	9	8	1	1	10	23	49
9th	Platinum	3778	David Lenz	Vicky Lenz	Lymington Town	12	25	9	20	9	1	7	58
10th	Platinum	3803	Caroline Croft	Faye Chatterton	Lymington Town	9	10	6	25	12	9	15	61
11th	Platinum	3735	Andy Davis	Jack Holden	South Staffs	8	24	17	26	10	5	5	69
12th	Platinum	3758	David Hayes	Jonny Ratcliffe	Lymington Town	14	14	32	13	24	11	11	87
13th	Platinum	3791	Jon Gorringe	Pete Grey	Parkstone	2	31	13	17	34	23	4	90
14th	Gold	3782	Ed Chapman	Chris Kilsby	Lymington Town	3	13	19	28	33	21	8	92
15th	Gold	3780	Sarah Richards	Nigel Wakefield	Lymington Town	17	11	36	10	27	2	28	95
16th	Gold	3796	William Warren	Megan Pascoe	Shoreham	18	16	21	6	25	16	19	96
17th	Platinum	3801	Matthew Biggs	Beka Jones	Bartley	28	15	25	22	7	15	14	98
18th	Platinum	3775	Chris Jennings	Pete Nicholson	Burghfield	19	30	31	12	14	13	13	101
19th	Gold	3746	James Wells	Anna Aylward	RYA	16	23	11	16	23	20	26	109
20th	Platinum	3811	Stu Bithell	Tom Pygall	Parkstone	DNS	DNS	4	24	6	7	10	117
21st	Platinum	3726	Will Henderson	Rupert White	Salcombe	30	12	28	23	16	25	16	120
22nd	Platinum	3676	Antony Gifford	Jo Gifford	Royal Tay	21	17	12	38	22	17	32	121
23rd	Gold	3683	Arthur Handerson	Livvy Bell	Salcombe	15	33	20	18	29	27	17	126
24th	Gold	3696	Alexander Warren	Jonty Freemansh	Shoreham	22	28	14	15	26	34	22	127
25th	Silver	3727	Mark Stockbridge	James Gifford	Upper Thames	61	32	24	5	31	12	30	134
26th	Gold	3787	Chris Martin	John Tailby	Midland	7	40	35	11	18	39	31	141
27th	Gold	3757	Tim Parsons	Andrew Service	Lyme Regis	24	29	10	29	21	33	34	146
28th	Gold	3716	Steven Leney	Gill Leney	Blithfield	26	21	18	32	20	DNF	38	155
29th	Silver	3815	Mark Barwell	Louise Johnson	Lymington Town	37	18	23	35	46	18	25	156
30th	Gold	3799	Paul Rayson	Christian Hill	Fishers Green	11	20	33	33	39	41	29	165
31st	Gold	3756	Sophie Mackley	James Ward	Shoreham	35	34	29	21	35	22	24	165
32nd	Silver	3806	Ben Jones	Helen Hilditch	Shoreham	47	19	26	40	19	28	35	167
33rd	Platinum	3809	John Turner	Richard Parslow	Lyme Regis	31	8	22	31	17	DNF	BFD	175
34th	Silver	3816	Phil Emery	Phoebe Paine	Whitstable	25	43	27	47	13	37	36	181
35th	Platinum	3666	John Meadowcroft	Dan Meadowcroft	Upper Thames	33	22	39	37	28	35	27	182
36th	Platinum	3793	James Goodfellow	Rick Cornes	Burghfield	27	45	34	14	42	BFD	21	183
37th	Silver	3690	Tim Harridge	Rory Gifford	Hampton	32	27	57	39	38	50	18	204
38th	Gold	3740	Pat Blake	Jilly Blake	Lymington Town	34	26	30	DNF	32	44	46	212
39th	Silver	3749	Colin Anderson	Sean Anderson	Blithfield	23	38	40	27	DNC	DNC	33	227
40th	Silver	3772	Dan Heaton	Tom Gurney	Mountbatten	41	39	41	44	43	26	37	227
41st	Silver	3732	Ben Hollis	George Bender	Blithfield	40	36	42	41	41	32	39	229
42nd	Silver	3790	Colin Brockbank	Sue Brough	Wembley	39	47	44	36	30	36	49	232
43rd	Silver	3684	Tom Low	Hannah Burt	Queen Mary	29	41	45	34	48	48	43	240
44th	Bronze	3813	Steve Harling	Eleanor Thomas	Starcross	48	37	43	30	36	49	50	243
45th	Silver	3779	David Lee	Kirsten Glen	Starcross	46	44	38	43	DNS	30	42	243
46th	Gold	3656	Charlotte Gough	Dave Gough	Starcross	36	42	46	45	40	38	48	247
47th	Bronze	3770	Jon Steward	Annabel Steward	Fishers Green	52	54	51	42	45	24	45	259
48th	Gold	3766	Andy Dalby	Aimee Dalby/Sean Anderson	Burghfield	50	46	37	49	37	42	56	261
49th	Bronze	3794	Julian Harms	Timothy Harms	Midlands	38	50	48	53	54	43	40	272
50th	Bronze	3817	Geoff Kimber	Helen Kimber	Stone	42	48	52	52	44	40	47	273
51st	Silver	3767	Ben Archer	Olivia Bellini	Parkstone	44	53	47	55	DNF	31	53	283
52nd	Bronze	3695	Peter Slack	Immy Brown	RYA	43	35	50	DNC	50	47	DNC	291
53rd	Silver	3682	Ross Borne	John Burn	Salcombe	45	52	49	50	53	46	51	293
54th	Bronze	3662	Nigel Hudson	Freya Hudson	Bartley	49	49	54	51	52	DNF	41	296
55th	Bronze	3785	Robin Charles	Oscar Simmons	Starcross	51	51	53	48	49	45	52	296
56th	Bronze	3742	Howard Eeles	Bradley Eeles	Bartley	53	57	DNF	46	51	52	44	303
57th	Bronze	3561	Joe Shaw	Julie Cronshaw	Wembley	57	58	58	58	47	51	57	328
58th	Bronze	3619	Guy Browne	Andy Hunter	Trent Valley	54	56	60	54	56	53	55	328
59th	Bronze	3800	Richard Bramley	Calum Tait	Shoreham	56	55	63	56	57	55	59	338
60th	Bronze	3567	Martin Smith	Karen Beston	Blithfield	55	DNS	62	59	55	54	58	343
61st	Bronze	3574	Marc Candelas	John Donoghue	Upper Thames	59	61	64	57	58	56	54	345
62nd	Silver	3750	Neal Lillywhite	Freya Lillywhite	Burghfield	58	62	55	DNC	DNC	DNC	DNF	373
63rd	Bronze	3586	Kieron Mason	Belinda Mason	Blithfield	60	60	59	DNC	DNC	DNC	DNC	377
64th	Bronze	3449	Carl Whitehill	Dani Whitehill	RYA	DNS	59	56	DNC	DNC	DNC	DNF	379
65th	Bronze	3792	Alistair McDonald	Lydia Bourne	Berwick	DNS	DNS	61	DNC	DNC	DNC	DNC	391