Bristol Brew and Loughborough Lemming Team Racing
by Nigel Vick 6 Dec 2022 06:56 GMT
3-4 December 2022
Cambridge 1 win the Bristol Brew © Nigel Vick
Traditionally, the first weekend in December is the last for University Team Racing before the Christmas Break, and just as well, given the way the temperature dropped.
At Chew Valley Lake SC the Bristol Brew was fought out amongst 18 teams, with 80 races on the Saturday, going up to 126 on the Sunday before the knock-out stages. The semis saw Exeter beat Southampton 2:0 while Cambridge needed an extra race to finish 2:1 ahead of DDM.
The final between Exeter and Cambridge was extremely close. In the second race Exeter appeared to be leading with a 1,2 going into the final beat but somehow Cambridge pulled it back and forced a deciding third race. In this the Cambridge team of Tom Hebbert, Claudia Byzyk, Adam Rathmell, Charlotte McConnell, Ewan Gribbin & Hannah Cox managed a 1,2,5 to emerge as winners of the Bristol Brew.
Meanwhile further East at Burton Sailing Club the Loughborough Lemming was under way. They managed 60 races for the 15 teams involved on Saturday, and Titans were joint leaders with Edinburgh overnight. Gold, silver and bronze leagues on the Sunday provided competitive racing with a decent wind but cold. The Semis saw Sheffield Gold against Edinburgh Blue and Notts Green against Tartan Titans and both were decided on two nil.
Edinburgh were gifted third place in the sudden death peti competition after Nottingham collided with each other from a leading position. In the final the Tartan Titans (An Alumni team) were against Sheffield. It went two nil to the Titans, and they thought it was all over but it was first to three wins. (Read the SIs!) The third race gave us a comeback by Sheffield with a 1/2, but Titans, who had been pretty convincing all weekend, made it all over in race four. Experience showed with better tactics at those mark type things. So Loughborough Lemming winners were the Tartan Titans sailors - Hamish Taylor, Brendan Lynch, Gabe Wren, Ellen Clark, Maisie Russell & Iona Smith.