Welsh Open Challenger Championship 2024 at Llyn Brenig Sailing Club

Welsh Open Challenger Championship at Llyn Brenig © Marion Edwards

Five Challengers travelled to Llyn Brenig for the Welsh Open Challenger Championship. Most had rather trying journeys, especially the two sailors coming from the north. For the first time in some years, the visitors were joined by the two local boats, but unfortunately they both had sail number 132. Thankfully one boat was white and the other yellow so there was limited scope for confusion.

Saturday morning started fine but the forecast was for it to be wet and at times very wet. As it turned out, there was no more than intermittent drizzle. The wind ranged from F2 to F4 and was predominantly WSW but, as usual for Llyn Brenig, it was very shifty, which led to big wins and losses.

The wind direction necessitated a committee boat start and the race officer had to use considerable ingenuity to fly the flags from the RIB. He set a substantial triangular course.

Val Millward (312) led Race 1 from the start. She rounded the first windward mark first and was still leading round the final leeward mark. Graham Hall (270) had a bad start and was fourth round the windward mark. He picked off Alex Hovden (304) during the second lap and managed to do the same to Duncan Greenhalgh (280) in lap 3. Coming into the final leeward mark he was not going to catch Val until he had a windshift which Val didn't get. He was lifted on the approach to the line giving him the win by the narrowest of margins, Val maintained she was robbed.

At the start of race 2 Duncan came under Val and shut her out at the start, he was in turn shut out by Graham who was then away and gone. On the down wind leg, Val was unwise enough to try to overtake Duncan to windward so he luffed her and continued to luff her, until they were almost heading back to the windward mark. The primary beneficiaries of this manoeuvre were Graham (who was able to extend), Alex who moved into second place and Lynn Steward (300) who made substantial gains. Duncan and Val eventually reached the leeward mark in that order with Val eventually overhauling Duncan to take third.

The fleet then came in for lunch. Graham had the overall lead and Peter Davies (132W) led the Silver fleet. Pete Wilcox (132Y) was competing in his first Challenger event and had only just completed the RYA level 2 course. He showed a substantial improvement between Races 1 and 2 and was clearly getting the hang of things.

The outcome of Race 3 was largely determined on the first beat. Val went left, Graham up the middle and Duncan and Alex right. Right was not the way to go. Val continued to lead but it was close at the finish. Graham tacked early for the line but Val came over the top of him and to take the win. Duncan and Alex frequently changed position. Going for the line Duncan went right and Alex left with Duncan taking third by a very narrow margin. There was also close racing between Lynn and Pete.

During Race 3 Alex spotted a bobble down his centreboard and wanted it out! How it got there remains a mystery as it was not his! The aim was for a quick, on the water, pitstop, and the race officer was asked to delay Race 4. Unfortunately the slip was in wind shadow and Alex ground to a halt out of reach. The hero of the hour was George (Lynn's shorecrew) who showed enthusiasm for open water swimming and was tall enough to retrieve the offending bobble (and elastic) from the centreboard slot using a spanner!

Race 4 saw another close finish between Graham and Val, who split tacks as they approached the line and Graham just managed to take the win.

Welsh Open Challenger Championship at Llyn Brenig - photo © Marion Edwards

After four races the discard had kicked in. Graham had a two point lead over Val, and Duncan had a one point lead over Alex. Only three points separated the three sailors in the Silver fleet with Lynn leading.

Shortly after leaving the club the heavens opened for a torrential down pour. There was much relief that this hadn't occurred an hour earlier.

In the evening most of the fleet congregated at a local pub where they were joined by the race officer. As usual there were was much discussion of the day's events with at least two versions of many of the incidents. Lynn was also keen to emphasise that she had been second at the most recent Scottish Challenger event and made light of the fact she was sailing with a broken ankle.

By Sunday morning the rain had passed and there was blue sky. The wind had shifted round to almost WNW so it would be another committee boat start. It was also more variable in speed from bottom of F2 to gusts at the top of F5. Three races were scheduled and, barring a disaster for Graham, Val needed to win all three of them to take the event.

A large triangular course was set. The start of Race 5 was a little shambolic. Duncan was (again) in the prime spot to shut everyone out but he failed to pull the trigger. It later transpired that he had got confused and was trying to use his (new) compass as a countdown timer. It did not work! Both he and Graham were a good 10 seconds late for the start. Val had the lead by the first windward mark and held it to the finish. Graham managed to pull through to second. In another close finish Alex got the better of Duncan. In the Silver fleet Peter was forced to retire with steering failure. Unfortunately that was the end of his event.

Welsh Open Challenger Championship at Llyn Brenig - photo © Marion Edwards

Race 6 was the deciding race of the event. On the first beat Duncan and Graham went left and Val and Alex right. Left paid, with Duncan rounding the windward mark first followed by Graham. On reaching the windward mark, and in catch-up mode, Val most unfortunately touched the mark and while doing her penalty turn allowed Alex through. Try as she might she could not get passed Alex (never an easy ask). A satisfying win for Duncan and a second for Graham was sufficient to give him the event win.

Duncan decided not to sail the last race. Following recent shoulder surgery it is debatable whether he should have sailed the previous six!

Race 7 saw Graham make a good start and chose the best way up the beat to lead for most of the first lap. However on the reach to the leeward mark the wind died and filled in from behind allowing Val to catch up and overtake. The racing between these two was close for the rest of the race but ultimately Val prevailed. In Duncan's absence, Lynn and Pete scored their best results.

The Race Officer went off to finalise the results. He came back to confirm the discard profile. One discard over the seven races - had there been two the results would have been rather different!

So Graham is the 2024 Welsh Challenger Champion winning by just a single point from Val. Thanks to his race win, Duncan was third, again by a single point from Alex. Lynn won the Silver fleet, followed by Pete and Peter.

Welsh Open Challenger Championship at Llyn Brenig - photo © Marion Edwards

At the prize-giving Graham paid particular thanks to Paul Oliver, the lead boat helm, who stayed sufficiently far ahead of the fleet not to give them any problems with his wash, while clearly directing them to the next mark.

Thanks are also due to the Race Officer, Alex Watson, who did an excellent job of organising his first Challenger event and to the volunteers from the club, who manned the safety boats and helped onshore.

Overall Results:

Welsh Open Challenger Championship at Llyn Brenig - photo © Marion Edwards