Allen National 12 Burton Week 2023 at Brixham Yacht Club - Overall

For day 4, the final day of Allen Sailing N12 Buton Week 2023 at Brixham Yacht Club, the forecast had promised different conditions to the previous three with lighter breezes from the (even more) shifty South Westerly quarter. This had potential to really mix up the results!

Race 6

The race team set Course C (a trapezoid) and just before the start the fleet were greeted to a lovely downpour of rain and increased breeze. It began to stop raining and the start sequence began. After a general recall the fleet got away (under U-flag for the 2nd start) in enough breeze for hiking up wind. At the pointy end of the fleet to keep their championship hopes alive Ollie Meadowcroft and Cally Terkelsen (N3543) needed to take points off Tom and Isobel Stewart (N3544) and put some boats between them.

Antony and Jo Gifford (N3529) went hard left and held their nerve to reach the convergence wind band which saw them blasting to first place at mark one followed by Graham and Anya Camm (N3530). For most teams the reach was marginal planing, but for the Camms it was a flat-out screamer and they blasted off into a serious lead which was never threatened.

Tom and Isobel Stewart (N3544) rounded in a solid third. There was a good gap to the boats who had put a bit too much right on the beat with Ollie and Cally (N3543) in the middle of a five-way battle for fourth spot.

On the third lap Tom and Isobel found a right shift on the beat and gained a place and Olly and Cally finally made the best of their off-wind speed and broke clear into fourth, but with Tom and Isobel finishing second the championship was sewn up with a race to spare. Further down the fleet there was constant place changing, with finishing positions being decided just yards from the finish line.

Race 7

Despite it being the last race of the week, the fleet were keen to stay out on the bay and forced the race team into a couple of general recalls before Race 7 got under way. The fleet decided to behave when the black flag arrived. The course was Course D, (Sausage / Triangle).

The pin end was the popular place to start but as the fleet approached the windward,ark it was John Meadowcroft and Lyla Jacobs who, sporting a borrowed T foil on the back of the beautiful Max Factor (N3473) looked like they were bucking the trend and making the right pay, but the left hand pressure came in just in time and it was his son Ollie with Cally Terkelsen sailing John Meadowcroft's best boat (N3543) who found the left hand shift to lead and race off to victory, leaving them wondering what could have been had they found that form the day before!

The next boats arrived in a bunch and at the end of the run fleet newcomers Mark and Jonathan Addison (N3449) were up to second, but the increasing wind speed made hanging on upwind hard work. For those boats between 5th and 19th, the racing had never been more competitive, especially on the 1st downwind. Some went high, some went low and some went down the middle. On the whole, down the middle paid off with Zoe Meadowcroft & Zoe Ballantyne (N3471) cutting through the fleet, like a knife through butter (whilst carrying out a running repair which saw them both facing backwards for longer than most N12 helms would like on a run!). George Finch & Toby Hunt (N3551) also played the middle and took a few places. During the 2nd beat the whole N12 fleet compressed, with multiple "how did they get there?" moments! The 1st reach was quite low with occasional gusts that only increased the competitiveness of the "mid-fleet", with 10th to 19th converging on the gybe mark at the same time. With some noise but no collisions, the mid-fleet group then sped off on a fantastic reach, it was set at the perfect angle for the N12.

After 3 laps, it was Ollie Meadowcroft & Cally Terkelsen (N3543) to take their 2nd win of the event. Tom and Isobel Stewart (N3544) eventually found their form and forced their way up to second with Jon Ibbotson and Tre Jacobs (N3540) finishing their week on a high by making the left pay to finish third.

Overall Subsidiary Prizes:

First U21 Helm - Ollie Meadowcroft & Cally Terkelsen (N3543)
First Canter Helm (Over 21, Under 40) - Rupert & Mary Henderson-White (N3431)
First Grandmaster - Steve & Jo Sallis (N3531)
Tubs Trophy (Heavyweights) - James & Rory Gifford (N3484)
First New Helm at Burton Week - Rupert Henderson-White (N3431)
First New Crew at Burton Week - Cally Terkelsen (N3543)
Joe Yorke Trophy (Attended previous 2 Burton Weeks and not won a trophy) - Pete Miatt & Victoria Hurst (N3528)

Overall Results:
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