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UKLA Noble Marine / Rooster Spring ILCA 7 Qualifier at Stokes Bay Sailing Club

by James Foster & UKLA 7 Mar 2023 19:59 GMT 4-5 March 2023

Saturday, 4th March, was the first day of the Noble Marine & Rooster Qualifier at Stokes Bay Sailing Club. Being the first big event of the 2023 season it was great to see Rooster back as a main sponsor.

The first day of racing presented challenging conditions as the wind was light and shifty, with a north-east direction. This made the fetch to the windward mark very short, making racing incredibly tricky.

It was great to see new talent emerging in the sport, with some new sailors to the ILCA 7 class showing outstanding performances. Noteworthy was Freddie Howarth's tremendous lead in the first race, which was particularly impressive. Oliver Wilcox also performed well and pieced together a terrific series. It's always good to see the youth progressing in the sport and I am excited to see what they will achieve in the future.

On the second day, the wind direction shifted more northerly, resulting in much colder weather. However, this also meant the fetch was longer, making for more consistent racing. These conditions were more favourable for myself and I was determined to improve on my performances from the previous day. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to achieve the result I had hoped for and finished in fourth place. It was great to have Sam Whaley back from Australia, who managed to make it to the course just in time for the first race.

The conditions over the weekend taught me a lot about the importance of being adaptable and flexible in my approach to racing. It was not all about the tide! Being able to read the wind shifts and position my boat effectively was crucial to gaining any advantage over the competition. Consistency was key this weekend, and maintaining focus and concentration through the blistering cold and the lightest moments of the race was crucial.

I must congratulate Sam Whaley for finishing in 1st place, Jake Farren-Price for finishing in 2nd, and Luke Anstey for finishing in 3rd, who sailed a very good weekend indeed. Throughout the last year, Luke has attended all of the major international events and it was great to see all of his hard work paying off. There were notable performances from several Masters, Mark Lyttle, David Surkov, Michael Clark and Andy Le Grice who achieved at least one top ten finish.

Overall, it was a great weekend of racing, although I didn't finish as well as I would have liked. I had a great time and learned a lot. The conditions were challenging, but they taught me important lessons that will carry me into the qualifiers coming up and into the Princess Sofia Regatta in Palma, where I will use what I have learned from this weekend.

Thanks to the on the water teams who managed to get all six races off, the beach team and the club for putting on a great weekend. Thanks also to our sponsors who help make these events such a success:

Overall Results:

PosSail NoHelmClubR1R2R3R4R5R6Pts
1221813Sam WhaleySwanage SC62111(RET)11
2217303Jacob Farren‑PriceWarsash SC79‑1522121
3213544Luke AnsteyFrensham Pond SC / Stokes Bay SC‑105455322
4212907James FosterPoole YC‑1878103432
5216646Alastair BrownStokes Bay SC Great Moor SC131‑2097535
6219665James CurtisBosham Sailing Club1142711‑2335
7214637Ewan McAnally 583‑21101137
8217871Mark LyttleQueen Mary SC31211‑144838
9213658Oliver Allen‑WilcoxChew Valley SC / Parkstone Yacht Club‑16137361241
10219812Tom MitchellRoyal Tay Yacht Club13‑191614943
11218433Kai WolgramLlyn Brenig SC8(UFD)101213245
12219655Edward BakerChew Valley Lake SC126‑21139646
13193444Michael ClarkBough Beech Sailing Club‑251691581058
14222540George ColquittWest Kirby SC171112415‑2159
15213640Andy Le GriceWarsash SC19206‑2312764
1621290Freddie HowarthParkstone YC21418‑22171667
17220821Archie WrightStokes Bay SC9‑22518211972
18215421Willam SunderlandDraycote Water151016‑19181372
19216239Jamie BlakeGreat Moor SC‑2115178191473
20221580Josh MorganWeymouth and Portland National Sailing A1417‑2211221781
21218279David SurkovQueen Mary SC4211325‑262083
22218435Charlie SouthEmsworth Sailing Club / Stokes Bay Saili20(UFD)266161583
2321148Athanasios TrigkonisStokes Bay Sailing Club2219‑2417231899
24219660Rhys Powell 2318‑25202022103
25216767Llion MorrisLlandudno SC / Rydal Penrhos School242514(DNC)2525113
26216611Adrian LynhamStokes Bay SC2623232427(DNC)123
27216378Matthew StubbinsLlandudno SC‑272427262424125

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