K1 Southern Championship at Castle Cove Sailing Club

by Ian Duke 14 May 07:30 BST 10-11 May 2025

The picturesque waters of Castle Cove Sailing Club played host to a captivating K1 Southern Championship over the weekend of May 10th and 11th, preceded by a valuable training day on Friday.

Sharing the stage with the youthful Musto Skiff fleet, an arrangement that proved successful at the Ovington Multi Class regatta, the event delivered a blend of challenging conditions and tight racing.

The trapezoid courses, with the Musto Skiffs navigating the inner loop and the K1s on the outer, provided ample opportunity for tactical sailing. Friday afternoon's training session focused sharply on starts and leeward mark roundings, with the insightful video debrief from the renowned Adam Bowers proving as invaluable as ever. A fish and chip supper rounded off a productive day.

Saturday dawned with deceptive tranquillity, blue skies gracing a fading breeze. However, the Race Officer, perhaps still haunted by pre-regatta visions of chaotic starts, promptly hoisted the U flag for all subsequent starts. This unfamiliar sight for some of the K1 fleet led to a few furrowed brows and, ultimately, some costly early discards.

Class Chair Jeremy Hudson's earlier promise of champagne sailing conditions, featuring force 3-4 breezes, was at the bottom end of up-to-date predictions. The south-easterly wind filled in steadily throughout Saturday, building to a punchy maximum gust of 26 knots, testing the sailors' mettle and boat handling skills.

The opening race saw Simon Hawkes, Jeremy Hudson, and Ian Duke establish an early lead. Paul Birbeck's navigational detour to the wrong mark and Richard Sims's unfortunate entanglement with his jib sheet at the leeward mark further shaped the results. The unforgiving U flag claimed three victims at the start, instantly becoming their discard. Notably, newcomers to the class, Dave Gorringe and Richard Frost, demonstrated promising pace, securing 4th and 6th respectively. A familiar face, the venerable K1 "Herbie," a veteran of countless National Championships, made its first appearance of the season, albeit providing its skipper with an unexpected swimming opportunity - a temporary setback, no doubt!

Race two witnessed Jeremy Hudson's consistently strong starts put him in an early advantage. However, the chasing pack of Simon Hawkes, a now course-aware Paul Birbeck, and Richard Sims gradually reeled him in. Despite close racing throughout the fleet, Simon Hawkes once again demonstrated his superior speed, leading across the finish line. Martyn Emberson, a relative newcomer to the class, showcased his improved upwind technique, securing a commendable 5th place in both of the day's opening races.

By the third race, the wind had reached its peak intensity, leaving muscles aching. The Race Officer added an extra loop to the course, further testing the sailors' endurance. Jeremy Hudson and Richard Sims again showed good early speed, engaging in a tight battle for the lead, with frequent place changes. In the stronger breeze, lighter helms skilfully navigated their boats, often relying primarily on the jib with minimal mainsheet assistance.

Sunday morning's boat park roll call echoed with the usual tales of aches and pains, compounded by a mysterious injury to Mark Savage's little finger, sadly forcing his retirement from the remainder of the event.

Race four saw a slight southerly wind veer shortly after the start, benefiting Jeremy Hudson and Ian Duke, who had opted for the starboard side of the course and led at the first mark. Jeremy fort tooth and nail to cross the finish line ahead of Simon the only time this happened all weekend. However, Hudson's hopes of a first place result were dashed when he, along with two others, were deemed to be over the start line once again.

The penultimate race saw the wind average just over 15 knots, gusting to around 23 knots. Familiar faces battled at the front, while Martyn Emberson continued his consistent performance, engaging in a tight contest with a resurgent Mark Stones throughout the remainder of the weekend.

The sixth and final race saw the breeze begin to ease. Simon Hawkes, Martyn Emberson, and Ian Duke made the most of a backing wind, favouring the pin end of the start line. Mercifully, the Race Officer opted for the same course with just two beats, allowing the fleet to conclude a thoroughly enjoyable two days of sailing.

In addition to the standard prizes for the top three finishers, the K1 Class also awards the prestigious BYPP (Beat Your Predicted Place) prizes. This unique award recognises the competitors who most significantly outperform their predicted finishing position, calculated based on their results in open meetings over the previous two seasons. This year, the BYPP prize was deservedly claimed by Martyn Emberson, with Paul Birbeck taking second place.

The K1 Class now looks forward to a busy season ahead, with their next event being the Inland Championships at Carsington Sailing Club next weekend, where a strong fleet of 24 boats have already entered, vying for the top prize.

BYPP Prize Winners:

1. Martyn Emberson
2. Paul Birbeck

Overall Results:

Pos	Sail No	Boat Name	Helm	R1	R2	R3	R4	R5	R6	Pts
1	198		Simon Hawkes	‑1	1	1	1	1	1	5
2	175	Brutus	Paul Birbeck	(DNS)	2	4	2	3	2	13
3	180	Eva	Richard Sims	(OCS)	3	2	3	4	3	15
4	120	K1SS	Jeremy Hudson	2	4	3	(OCS)	2	7	18
5	170	Maybe Twomorrow	Ian Duke	3	‑6	6	4	5	4	22
6	189	Quicksilver	Martyn Emberson	5	5	5	5	‑6	5	25
7	195		Richard Frost	6	8	8	6	8	‑9	36
8	20		Dave Gorringe	4	‑12	7	OCS	9	8	40
9	130	Polaris	Mark Stones	(OCS)	7	9	OCS	7	6	41
10	181	Rogue	Chris Swallow	7	9	‑10	7	10	10	43
11	78		Philip Norris	8	10	‑11	8	11	11	48
12	118	Billy No Mates	Mark Savage	(OCS)	11	12	DNC	DNC	DNC	65
13	53	Herbie	Liz Austin	(DNF)	DNS	DNS	DNC	DNC	DNC	70