D-Zero Northern Championship at Yorkshire Dales Sailing Club

D-Zero Northern Championship at Yorkshire Dales © Paul Hargreaves Photography

A mixed forecast greeted the sailors, who mostly arrived on the Friday evening and several met up for a welcome meal in the Clarendon with a great Game Pie, hoping it was windy on Saturday...

Having heard of the news re Storky, a couple of beers were had with some cheers and thanks for the memories. Sail on Storky...

Breakfast baps were available for all sailors and the usual great welcome from our Yorkshire Dales hosts, however they had seemed to forget to turn the fans on as light winds seemed to be available, other than the underfloor heating in the changing rooms and comfortable sofas with a great view. Lunches were available for those wishing to fill themselves for the 3 back to back races delayed to the afternoon as wind was due to fill.

D-Zero Northern Championship at Yorkshire Dales - photo © Paul Hargreaves Photography

10 visitors & 1 home D-Zeros launched and followed the committee boat for a while as the wind started to steady from a reasonable direction though light and fluctuating up and down and round and round.

R1 under way with a little puff, Valentine, Daniels, Baillie and Southwell got up to the 1st mark with others closing behind, and then a long reach as we'd asked the RO for some but not that long, 2nd mark a few swops, back to another reach, and Valentine and Bassett seemingly going backwards as Potter and Jefferies glided past in the lessening breeze. Another downhill and a reach and a procession was formed. Baillie had worked his magic in the light stuff, with Potter taking second and Daniels had held onto 3rd. Despite the procession, most D-Zero's finishing closely with Stewart just passing Valentine, and new boy Kitchen finishing in 9th with Geen and then local with his local awareness of shifts not working their magic.

D-Zero Northern Championship at Yorkshire Dales - photo © Paul Hargreaves Photography

R2 and Valentine had another good start, with Daniels close by with Southwell for company, Valentine suffered again in the reaches and downhills, unable to work out the shifts and little puffs of wind, though others worked them well with Daniles taking the bullet, close behind was Bassett followed by Southwell. Potter and Baillie fought it out to the end with similar results through the fleet for the others.

R3 with Bassett and Baillie heading off for the 1st mark, with Liz gaining followed by Jefferies. Valentine had some breeze from behind (careful...) and tried to squeeze into the gathered group at the downwind mark, and instead of shoving all to windward, used all the speed to try and wind his way through into the bundle at the mark, with several inside of others already inside. Valentine, Daniels and Jefferies had a tight squeeze with Valentine and Daniels doing turns as everyone unsure where 3 boats lengths were as no one could see the mark. Bassett and Baillie used it to their benefit and finished clear with Potter following in at 3rd.Kitchen overcame those spinning and took 5th.

With a dying breeze, the sailors headed for home slowly contemplating on what may have been, however Bassett and Baillie joined on points for the 1,2 overall with Potter taking 3rd. Headed for welcome showers, a drying of clothes and a great lasagne, and either sticky toffee pud or brownie and a few beers, all had plenty of stories of what happened or didn't happen, along with a few discussions on a couple using the leech to their benefit - no space for it in the D-Zero fleet so all was sorted by the morning with local boy making a comment at the brief...

D-Zero Northern Championship at Yorkshire Dales - photo © Paul Hargreaves Photography

R4 and Valentine had clearly benefited from the pasta loading or was it the glucose hit, and shot to the 1st mark, with Daniels and Southwell for company. As they rounded, a loud shout of protest and Daniels did some spins, those cheeky leech flicks had been noted ! Valentine and Southwell reached nicely for the 2nd mark in a hugely different breeze to the previous day and relished the speed. Bassett and Baillie weren't that far away so concentration was fully on, and at the 2nd mark, Jefferies went high and then low and managed to squeeze past Valentine on the next reach who'd gone low then high, Southwell took a swim at the mark as feet and ropes apparently don't always mix as something had given way and he shot for a quick repair on the shore. Valentine pushed Jefferies to the finish with a rapidly closing Bassett and Baillie. Daniels recovered well and took 5th with El Presidente Stewart for company. The close end pack of Potter, Green, Kitchen and Everitt not relishing the conditions clearly as much as others.

R5 with a good breeze holding with little shifts coming over the dam wall, and Valentine shot off again not to be caught until the last downwind mark where 5 others suddenly caught him on the reach. Valentine just got inside enough at the turn with Bassett, Southwell, Baillie, Daniels and Stewart fighting tack for tack on the last 100m upwind to the finish, who was going to take the gun and then who would be next. Valentine held on just, followed by Bassett and Southwell. That got everyone's hear rates up especially Valentine who'd held the lead for so long and certainly wasn't being complacent with his speed. 6 D-Zero finished within less than 10 seconds between them all, who doesn't like close racing?!

R6 and all to play for as things had now been fully mixed up, with probably only one or two points between the top 5 or 6. Valentine got away again, a light drinking night maybe had paid, or was it the great lasagne, for sure something was firing though Baillie wasn't having any of this nonsense and pushed hard all the way round, went a little high on the mid-reach, though came back under on the Z reach towards the finish managing to pull away from Valentine at the final mark and despite trying to use every bit of sail power couldn't gain enough on Baillie who took the win with Valentine in 2nd. Southwell followed up who had been trying to gain all the way round, with Daniels following in. Jefferies, Potter, Stewart and Everitt had bailed half way through as the conditions were pushing fitness throughout the race. Bassett unusually behind took 5th, with Kitchen and Green finishing the group.

Certainly the weekend had tested all sailors, some benefiting in certain conditions more than others, though all the racing was close, and one mistake allowed others to come through, you were never safe in the lead!

Ian Baillie wins the D-Zero Northern Championship at Yorkshire Dales - photo © Paul Hargreaves Photography

Baillie took it overall, with 1 point between 1st and Bassett in 2nd; and then the positions 3rd through 6th separated by 3 points, Daniels beating Southwell on countback from Valentine and Jefferies. Potter the first female and Grand Master.

Great thanks to YDSC for the event, with prizes from Noble Marine, dzero.co.uk and YDSC. This event never disappoints, so when's next year?

Overall Results: