Hadron H2 National Championship at Brixham Yacht Club - Day 2

by Keith Callaghan 8 Sep 2024 07:29 BST 6-8 September 2024

Day two at Brixham turned out to be even damper than day one and with a similar wind strength (5 knots) we may have expected similar results. But no - a new helm won race 3 and race 4. This was Tom Moore (Stokes Bay SC), a young chap who normally sails an RS300 and who borrowed an H2 to compete.

Yesterday I alluded to the fact that it took time to learn how to sail an H2 in light weather: Tom was 13th and 14th in yesterday's races but he learns fast! Whatever he did to his H2 overnight, it was supercharged today. It obviously helped that Tom is at the lighter end of the H2 weight range but he made two good starts and led from start to finish in both races.

But while the front runners from Day 1 had to concede victory to Tom in both races, Josh Hamer (Leigh & Lowton SC) scored two impressive second places, putting himself in pole position for the championship. Overnight leader Ian Dawson (Warsash) could only manage a sixth and an eleventh place, enabling third placed and very consistent Steven Hendon (Blithfield SC), with a 4th and a third place today, to come level with him on points.

Three races were scheduled for the day but the second race was abandoned after a course change was missed by the fleet - very disappointing for the two leaders, Barry Wolfenden (Bough Beech SC) and Ian Little (Thorpe Bay YC), who had gone left at the start into a backing wind to arrive at the weather mark with a 100 metre lead. The voiding of this race is quite significant as with a maximum of seven races only one discard is allowed, whereas two were allowed if the scheduled eight races were sailed.

So, with 3 races to be sailed on the final day, nobody can afford to make more than one mistake. With light winds again forecast, albeit from the west rather than north, and therefore likely to be even more shifty, the H2 National Championship may not be decided until the last race. And there are trophies for various age and weight ranges too, so read the final report tomorrow to see who are the winners.

Results after Day 2:

Pos	Bow No	Sail No	Boat Name	Helm	Club	R1	R2	R3	R5	Pts
1st	51	159	Dirty Martini	Josh Hamer	Leigh and Lowton SC	1	‑2	2	2	5
2nd	35	152	A Whiter Shade of Pale	lan Dawson	Warsash SC	2	1	6	‑11	9
3rd	38	166	H2	Steve Hendon	Blithfield SC	3	3	‑4	3	9
4th	37	142	H2	Barry Wolfenden	Bough Beach SC	5	4	‑10	4	13
5th	56	120	Dave's Boat	Thomas Owen Moore	Stokes Bay SC	13	‑14	1	1	15
6th	33	135	Scaramouche	Robin Parsons	Deben YC	4	5	‑7	7	16
7th	36	129	H2	Tim Garvin	Queen Mary SC	6	‑10	5	10	21
8th	53	177	Hadron H2	Chris Brown	Mill Creek SC	9	6	‑20	8	23
9th	55	148	Raspberry Ripple	Dave Barker	Draycotewater SC	11	‑13	8	5	24
10th	44	145	145	Richard Leftley	Bowmoor SC	7	11	‑12	6	24
11th	48	122	H2	lan Brooks	Chichester YC	8	7	13	(DNC)	28
12th	52	156	Alice	Richard Le Mare	Warsash SC	‑18	12	9	9	30
13th	47	188	A Few Shades of Grey	Robert Coyle	Royal Corinthian YC	10	8	18	(DNF)	36
14th	39	150	H2	Stephen Oliver	Warsash SC	‑15	9	14	13	36
15th	32	162	Here's Tae Us!	Nick Wapshot	RSWSC	‑20	20	3	15	38
16th	49	184	Lucky for some	Michael Alexander	Rutland SC	12	16	11	‑24	39
17th	31	172	Sneaky	Simon Hipkin	Walton & Frinton YC	14	15	16	‑21	45
18th	45	171	Thunderthrust	James Oxley	Walton & Frinton YC	16	‑19	19	14	49
19th	41	146	Hadron H2	Andrew McGaw	Graham Water SC	‑17	17	17	16	50
20th	50	169	Hadron H2	Alasdair Hood	Royal Tay YC	‑23	23	15	17	55
21st	30	103	Ghost Ship	Geoff Parker	Walton & Frinton YC	19	18	‑21	19	56
22nd	34	102	TPO	lan Little	Thorpe Bay YC	24	‑25	22	12	58
23rd	54	117	Rhino	Paul Tuttle	Brixham YC	‑26	21	25	18	64
24th	46	181	Death and Gravity	Tim Brooke	Walton & Frinton YC	22	‑24	23	20	65
25th	43	105	Venturer	Domonic Jacobs	Walton & Frinton YC	21	22	‑24	22	65
26th	42	113	113	Neil Smythe	Paignton SC	‑27	26	26	23	75
27th	40	190	H2	William McTurk	Royal Findhom YC	25	‑27	27	25	77