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GP14 Venetian Trophy at Welsh Harp Sailing Club

by David Innes 30 Apr 13:29 BST 26 April 2025

GP14 Southern Travellers kick off in style at Welsh Harp with help from P&B

There is a huge breadth of sailing offered in the GP14 Southern Travellers Series with events run in sea, river and reservoir locations, across Southern England and Wales. The series is bookended by the two open meetings in central London, under Wembley Stadium's arch, at Welsh Harp Sailing Club. The first of these, The Venetian, kicked off the season on Saturday 26th April.

With a forecast of light to medium Easterly winds mutterings at the briefing were about expected variability on the one kilometre beat along the reservoir and so it was to prove. There were nineteen entries to the event with the normal Harp welcome of friendly banter, breakfast rolls and cups of tea! There were visitors from Frensham Pond, Papercourt, Paignton and Hunts and former GP14 sailor and legend Roger Walton delivered a short and brutally concise briefing.

With patches of blue sky opening up and catching out those dressed for winter sailing the first race got away with Maurice Cleal and Romek Kowalewski leading from the pin end as the first of the shifts became apparent. Old rivals Steve Cooper and Liz Guest chased hard as the fleet slalomed up the full length of the pond with the wind. Also in the mix were Sue Tomkins and Roger Jeffs, Paul Trubridge and Matt Hall from Frensham and new GP14 sailors John Curran and Mark Greenstreet. The downwind legs were challenging with a constant danger of blanketing close to the edges, but Maurice and Romek extended away to win by some distance from Steve and Liz.

Race two followed immediately and with the wind veering slightly starters at the committee boat end had the advantage up the first beat with Ricardo Chacon and Guy Harden leading for a short while before Maurice and Romek came through for a tight win from Steve and Liz and a battling Keith Street and Hannah Liptrott.

Lunch was to the normal high Welsh Harp standard with a choice of curry and casserole with extra sausages for those who wanted them! Before getting back on the water David Innes from the GP14 Association presented the prizes from the 2024 Travellers series with the Travellers Trophy going to Maurice and Romek and the Jaldi Cup for new travellers going to Tony Perkins and John McGuinness from Frensham.

Races 3 and 4 followed back-to-back with more Walton slalom courses leading to some very exciting mark roundings. The beats became more variable, and it seemed to favour teams staying in the middle of the water in race 3 Maurice and Romek again led from Keith and Hannah and Steve and Liz with David Innes and John McGuinness coming through the fleet to take fourth from Richard Lord and Hannah Rose. With the cup won Maurice and Romek were given a fright in race 4 by popular local duo Jamie Isles and Caro Mitchell sailing 12659, a mark 1 and the oldest boat in the fleet. A fantastic prize-giving was held by Commodore Liz Guest with customary Welsh Harp mugs and a wide range of prizes from sponsor P&B.

The next event in the GP14 Southern Travellers series is at the stunning Llandeggfedd Reservoir on weekend 17th / 18th May. Bookings and further details of the GP14 Southern Travellers Series can be found on gp14.org.

Overall Results:

PosFleetSail NoHelmCrewClubR1R2R3R4Pts
1stgold14253Maurice ClealRomek KowalewskiWelsh Harp SC‑11113
2ndgold14110Steve CooperLiz GuestWelsh Harp SC22‑337
3rdgold13787Keith StreetHannah LiptrottWelsh Harp SC‑63249
4thsilver14300John CurranMark GreenstreetWelsh Harp545‑714
5thgold14234David InnesJohn McGuinnessFrensham Ponds SC‑754615
6thsilver14157Paul TrubridgeMatt HallFrensham Ponds SC476‑817
7thsilver13811Sue TomkinsRoger JeffsWelsh Harp SC38‑9920
8thsilver12659Jamie IslesCaro MitchellWelsh Harp SC‑131013225
9thgold13558Richard LordHannah RoseWelsh Harp SC129‑15526
10thsilver13316James WardRichard WhitehillPapercourt SC9117‑1527
11thsilver13681Joel SchrireKana ButkovicWelsh Harp SC8‑1281127
12thsilver13603Sophie BlanchardSimon HazellWelsh Harp SC10‑17101030
13thsilver13532Ricardo ChaconGuy HardenWelsh Harp SC146‑171232
14thgold4Andy WadsworthCathy HowardPaignton SC / WHSC11‑14121336
15thsilver14044Richard ConnettSerena CounsellWelsh Harp SC15‑16111440
16thbronze13941Dennis AdamsSarah LohanWelsh Harp SC161314‑1743
17thbronze13887John O'SullivanAdeel KhanWelsh Harp SC‑1715161647
18thbronze14019Ian ConwayNat SpurlingWelsh Harp SC1818(DNS)DNS56
19thbronze13532Charlie CotterLucy BarrieWelsh Harp SC(DNS)DNSDNSDNS60

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