Vaikobi British International 420 Class National Championship at Plas Heli

The Vaikobi 420 British nationals took place at Plas Heli (Pwllheli) with 48 boats entered and was held for three days with 10 races scheduled.

The first day of the nationals began and dark ominous clouds loomed over the racecourse as we headed towards it, the winds were much lighter than forecast but swiftly the clouds cleared and the 12-15 knot forecasted breeze filled in from the northwest which provided shifty and gusty conditions as the wind was coming off the land. The first race started and the winning tactic of the race was to go left out the start because the breeze was stronger as it funnels between the mountains on the shore and to then take it back across to the right side late where the wind was stronger and lifted you up to the port lay line and whoever could execute that the best would come out on top.

Startline during the Vaikobi British International 420 Class Nationals at Plas Heli - photo © Jon Cawthorne

It was often the pin boats that would get the better of the fleet which George Creasy and David Bromilow executed perfectly with a port hand flyer and went on to win the first race of the nationals, with Alice David and Oliver Rayner in 2nd and Henry Heathcote and Oscar Cawthorne in 3rd. The next race was similar but with slightly more wind 14-15 knots in which Oscar flag was displayed (pumping flag). The left again was dominant up both upwind legs because of the more consistent stronger wind and the lifts on the port lay line which led to Joe Jones and Hennie Burlton taking the win, Arwen Fflur and Mathew Rayner took 2nd and George and David took 3rd.

Alice Davis and Oliver Rayner during the Vaikobi British International 420 Class Nationals at Plas Heli - photo © Jon Cawthorne

The final race of the day was slightly different as the far left no longer worked as well and the middle left became dominant as the wind bend going towards the shore line became stronger meaning you are sailing on a bigger header to get out to the left, whereas the boats in the middle left didn't get this wind bend but instead held a much more lifted angle out to the left which led to those boats to come out on top and the boats far left to lose out and the boats which picked up this change would come out on top, this led to the gate mark choice to be the deciding factor of who would win the race as the boats who took the left gate mark looking upwind would be affected by the wind bend and the boats who took the right mark were able to take lifted pressure into the wind bend on the left this led to us (Joseph Warwicker and Hugo Valentine) to climb from 4th to 1st at the top mark with Arwen and Mathew close behind and after a tense fight around the top reach Arwen and Mathew had edged passed on the final down wind however on the final reach to the finish we retook the lead with Arwen and Mathew close behind in second and Henry and Oscar in 3rd.

Joe Warwicker and Hugo Valentine during the Vaikobi British International 420 Class Nationals at Plas Heli - photo © Jon Cawthorne

Day 2 of the national championships promised a 10-16 knot breeze from the north west but was forecasted to drop to 8 knots and shift west as the cold front passed over which turned out to be very accurate.

The 4th race was similar to yesterday's racing with the left side paying due to more wind and the lift which was again by the shore on the port lay line which Alice and Oliver executed leading to them taking the win with George and David taking 2nd and Joseph Warwicker and Hugo Valentine taking 3rd.

The second race of the day however, was different the wind was not as consistent as day 1 and the previous race making choosing a side very risky with a big shift range and very unpredictable patches of breeze coming down the race course however there was pressure coming from the middle right which made the committee boat favourable because you would stay in this pressure for longest and in race 5 of the regatta was won by Ellie Creighton and Bea greenfield and so far there has been 5 different race winners which shows how tough the competition is.

Noa Moskovitch and Gabs Burlton during the Vaikobi British International 420 Class Nationals at Plas Heli - photo © Jon Cawthorne

Race 6 the wind had dropped off further to 8 knots and the shifts became more frequent making it even harder to get it right, the downwind became increasingly tricky but getting clean air seemed to be working, this race was won by Neil Marsden and Olivia Creasy yet another race winner but this was the start of domination from the 420 legend of the class Neil Marsden. The last race of the day the sky had become dark on the left side of the course as rain approached so getting towards the cloud as quick as possible is what most of the fleet did which worked to some extent but the leaders came from the right as there was big lifts on starboard coming into the mark, on the downwind the beginning of a change because the dark clouds had gotten closer and wind started to fill in from the left which brought a 40 degree left shift with it making the downwind a drag race to the bottom marks the wind then settled further left for the final upwind so playing the shifts was the most important factor, this led to William Fletcher and Ethan Sparks to win (A seventh race winner), Noa Moskovitch and Gabs Burlton to take second and Neil and Olivia to take 3rd.

The racing followed with a great social with a black tie dinner, karaoke and the famous crews union.

Neil Marsden and Olivia Creasy during the Vaikobi British International 420 Class Nationals at Plas Heli - photo © Jon Cawthorne

The last day of the Nationals the wind was 10-15 knots from the north west the same as the first day, once again in the first two races the same tactic of pin and left worked and it worked very well for Neil and Olivia who got back to back race wins in race 8 and 9 who was chasing down Alice and Oliver who got 2nd and 13th and due to them having a UFD, this meant they had to carry the 13th with only one discard so going into the last race of the regatta Neil and Olivia match raced each other across the course which made for an interesting watch and Neil and Olivia, the grand master helm and hotshot crew, had done enough to win the national championships with Alice and Oliver in second and Joseph Warwicker and Hugo Valentine came 3rd overall who also won 1st under 19 and 1st male boat. The female national champion was Noa and Gabs and the 1st under 17 boat was Harry George and Ralph Cawthorne, well done to everyone competed in what turned out to be a tough but great event.

Prize winners in the Vaikobi British International 420 Class Nationals at Plas Heli - photo © Jon Cawthorne

Overall Results:
If you finished in the top ten at the 420 nationals then enter your Gear Guide information here