Enterprise Nationals at Looe Sailing Club Overall

by Editor 4 Aug 2001 09:07 BST

There was an international feel to the Purple Sails and Marine Enterprise 2001 National Championship held recently at Looe SC, when boats from India, wanting to get some practice in for the worlds in Goa next year and Ireland turned up to join in the fun. In all eighty-five teams competed this year.

From the word go conditions were changeable throughout the week. The Enterprise sailors saw flat calm and sun on Sunday, increasing to shifty moderate winds on Monday and Tuesday. Superb wind and sailing conditions prevailed for the Lay day on Wednesday and when racing resumed on Thursday, the Enterprises saw storms, thunder and lightning with lightning striking so close to the boats, racing had to be abandoned. Friday's one scheduled race turned into three, so all in all the week produced a real mixed bag of conditions.

Trophies were awarded throughout the fleet and this year saw the introduction of three new trophies. Two beautiful mahogany wood trophies made by Glen Cole for winners of race prizes. These were needed as the Enterprise fleet now has eight races instead of six at their Nationals. The other new award was for best improver overall. The trophy was awarded to Shane McCarthy and Steve Chadwick, who improved by a staggering thirty places to finish in third place this year. The trophy will be presented every year to the best 'year on year' improvers.

Because Sunday's race was cancelled, the schedule for the first day's racing on Monday was pretty tough with three races taking place instead of the two scheduled.

In race one, India 52 crewed by Aashim Mongia and R Mahesh led the fleet to the windward mark, closely followed by Ian Fisher and Simon Cook. On the second beat Richard Estaugh and Pete Rowley fought their way through the first group of boats, to eventually win the race. Ian Pinnell was eighth around the windward mark and decided to go high on the reaches. This meant he finished fourth, leaving O'Brien in fifth position. Fisher managed to overhaul the Indian boat taking second with the Indian boat finishing third.

The second race saw Richard Estaugh and Pete Rowley lead the second race from start to finish. The race took the form of a procession with the beat favouring the starboard side of the course and few opportunities to pass on the reaches. Ian Pinnell with Ben Field finished second, followed by the Irish boat of Shane McCarthy and Steve Chadwick in third.

Ian Pinnell led the third race until the final short beat to the finish. He tacked to cover his position over Richard Estaugh, but a small error meant he was unable to lay the finishing line. Pinnell ended the race in second behind Estaugh who passed to win his third race of the day. Roger Gilbert and James Stewart sailed well to finish third, followed by the increasingly consistent Shane McCarthy and Steve Chadwick who finished fourth.

The second days racing was held in bright and sunny conditions with light winds. The fleet launched on time but had a short wait for the wind to steady in the race area. A trapezium course was set for the day.

During the fourth race, Euan Dunn and Angela Murphy were pathfinders in changing conditions. Whilst the pathfinder was sailing his course the wind steadily backed by up to 30 degrees, leaving the late starters at a massive disadvantage. Taking full advantage of the situation Richard Hadfield with Jess Mappleback led the race from start to finish. McMcarthy and Chadwick were second around the windward mark closely followed by Estaugh and Fisher. The first four boats were able to hold onto their initial positions to the finish.

The winds continued to be fickle during race five and a shift of up to 45 degrees was recorded on the committee boat! Taking full advantage of this were McCarthy and Chadwick and Redmond with Craig who held their positions until the line. They finished in first and second place respectively. Following in third place was a delighted Jeremy Stephens with Katie Haighton and a beaming Phil and Catrina Bevan in fourth place.

The sailors of the day were Paul Young with Simon Daniels who took advantage of one of the wind shifts on the second beat and blasted their way through from forty-seventh to seventeenth, winning the improvers award for the day.

On Wednesday's lay-day several boats with assorted arrangements of helms and crews decided to have a bit of fun and enjoyed racing in the marginal planing conditions of the force three in the bay. Ben Field and Kate Havill led the fun race from the start to eventually win. Neil Piper and Sarah Green finished second having passed Andy Helme with Catherine Hayfield on the second beat. Geoffrey and Nick Bush were looking good until they went hard left and were passed by Martin Bradley with John MacDonald. Bottles were awarded for their efforts.

Competitors woke to a change in conditions on Thursday morning. The sea was quite rough from an overnight storm and the fleet had to launch through some tricky waves on the beach in the lighter morning wind. As the fleet gathered black clouds and poor visibility began to close in from the west. Bolt and sheet lightening closed in as the fleet waited. In torrential rain and a dying wind the racing was abandoned for the sake of safety and the fleet returned to shore. After a two-hour postponement, racing was abandoned for the day as the storm continued to rumble around in the distance leaving poor visibility and really light winds.

Racing on Friday was brought forward to a half past ten start to try and complete the last three races of the series. The racers welcomed the early wind on Friday and everybody was on the beach raring to race in the new off shore wind.

The freshening wind produced some significant shifts during race six and the early starters were the first to take advantage of this. The bunch that crossed the fleet early on port were first to the windward mark and held their positions until the end. These boats included Pinnell and Field in first place, Estaugh and Rowley second, Gilbert and Stewart third and Fisher and Cook in fourth. In fifth position was India 7 crewed by Naresh Yadav and G L Yadav.

Following their success in race six, the main contenders for the championship all decided to start early again in race seven, but Ian Pinnell and his crew misjudged slightly and went over the line too early. They were disqualified after a jury decision, loosing their second place in the race and the Championship title.

The ever-shifting winds meant it paid to start late. The pathfinders of Redmond and Craig chose this route when they led from the windward mark and went onto win the race. Other late starters included Jane and Nick Scutt who finished second, and Gilbert and Stewart third. Other new-faces included Francis and Lisa Marshall in fourth and the Cummings in fifth. As a potential winner of the championships Richard Estaugh had a disappointing race, finishing twenty-eighth. Richard had chosen to start early instead of late. This didn't stop him from winning the championships overall. Winds shifted a full 65 degrees in direction during the race.

Sarah Green and Lorry Young were the pathfinders for the final race eight after finishing in an excellent tenth position in Race seven. As they sailed down the shifting line it appeared that the early starters had the advantage, but as the pathfinder got half way down the line they were severely headed and the late starters could sail straight to the windward mark.

O'Brien with Dolling was first around the windward mark but had to fight off a challenge from Jim Hunt with Michelle Rowley, who went on to win the race. Alan and Thomas Gillard finished second. The rest of the fleet was left behind in the dying wind. Pinnell and Field finished fourth and Mark Lunn and Chris Parker finished fifth. Nick and Sam Jackson had a good race and finished sixth.

The Enterprise Association would like to thank Purple Sails and Marine for sponsoring the event and Looe Sailing Club for the excellent job done by the Race Officer Roger Hocking and his assistants, especially in setting the gate starts in such shifty conditions for the last three races. The evening social events included a buffet, BBQ, karaoke, disco and a live band after the final prize giving.

Results after 8 Races: (1 discard)

Pos	Sail No	Helm	Crew	Club	R1	R2	R3	R4	R5	R6	R7	R8	Pts
1	22947	Richard Estaugh	Pete Rowley	Chase SC	1	1	1	3	12	2	28d	10	18
2	22946	Ian Pinnell	Ben Field	Northampton SC	4	2	2	8	8	1	86d	4	21
3	22932	Shane MacCarthy	Steve Chadwick	Greystones SC	7	3	4	2	1	6	44	32	23
4	22941	Ian Fisher	Simon Cook	Hallamshire SC	2	4	5	4	86r	4	12	86r	31
5	22945	Tim Redmond	Heather Craig	Royal St George YC	6	5	7	27	2	11	1	24	32
6	20900	Alan Gillard	Thomas Gillard	Sheffield Viking SC	9	9	22	16	5	14	9	2	48
7	22703	Roger Gilbert	James Stewart	Frensham Pond SC	20	13	3	14	20	3	3	12	48
8	22456	Greg O'Brien	Katie Dolling	Sutton SC	5	32	15	9	9	9	20	3	50
9	22944	Jim Hunt	Michelle Rowley	Shustoke SC	13	19	11	5	6	86d	24	1	55
10	22439	Phil Bevan	Catrina Bevan	Grafham Water SC	16	8	12	35	4	16	48	7	63
11	22851	Pete Bennett	Alicia Bennett	British Airways SC	17	28	9	24	10	7	7	86r	74
12	22096	Jeremy Williams	Ryan Crawford	Penzance SC	10	14	28	55	7	20	16	9	76
13	Ind7	Naresh Yadav	G L Yadav	Naval SC Mumbai	14	7	39	22	27	5	14	16	78
14	22948	Mark Lunn	Chris Parker	West Lancs YC	19	10	13	7	86r	39	26	5	80
15	Ind52	Aashim Mongia	R Mahesh	Naval SC Mumbai	3	22	86r	6	11	8	38	54	88
16	22906	Nick Jackson	Sam Jackson	Burghfield SC	18	30	17	43	13	28	6	6	88
17	22652	Jeremy Stephens	Katie Haighton	Penzance SC	8	12	26	41	3	21	86d	20	90
18	22891	Andrew Hadfield	Jess Mappleback	Ogston SC	29	15	6	1	31	17	30	40	98
19	22918	Tim Sadler	Gary Wolfenden	Hallamshire SC	22	11	8	11	86r	19	35	86r	106
20	21482	Jane Scutt	Nick Scutt	Middle Nene SC	21	17	23	32	38	12	2	45	107
21	22933	Ann Jackson	Alan Skeens	Burghfield SC	15	16	35	34	14	24	17	28	114
22	22525	Euan Dunn	Angela Murphy	Loch Lomond SC	11	45	10	40	43	30	11	13	115
23	22829	Barry Moss	Julie Moore	Shustoke SC	23	21	16	15	34	27	19	25	119
24	22949	Ges Brown	Craig Wheatley	Hallamshire SC	27	20	21	33	21	22	13	86r	124
25	22272	Nick Miller	Peter Heaton	Winsford Flash SC	31	23	20	20	28	25	18	22	128
26	22905	Paul Plested	Sharon Plested	Winsford Flash SC	24	39	27	10	19	10	43	86r	129
27	22822	Brian Cumming	Linda Cumming	Stewartby Water Sports Club	33	6	36	42	46	47	5	8	130
28	22810	Jon Woodward	Richard Adams	Redditch SC	25	29	18	30	17	13	45	86r	132
29	22930	Richard Havill	Kate Havill	Parkstone YC	12	36	14	36	25	86r	27	29	143
30	22900	Roy Van Maanen	Neil Van Maanen	Greystones SC	34	25	19	52	29	23	39	23	153
31	22859	Neal Piper	Andy Thomson	Tynemouth SC	36	31	30	12	35	31	15	36	154
32	22347	Tony Prior	Julia Prior	Draycote Water SC	26	18	37	21	26	61	42	30	158
33	22942	Francis Marshall	Lisa Marshall	Looe SC	38	34	50	48	33	40	4	15	164
34	22114	Lawrence Young	Gillian Taylor	Tynemouth SC	30	40	48	70	39	26	8	26	169
35	22885	Malcolm Lunn	Alex Halliwell	Leigh & Lowton SC	32	24	31	29	22	34	47	34	172
36	22911	Martin Bradley	Rachel Bradley	Ogston SC	39	37	25	51	15	29	51	33	178
37	20264	Jack Banks	Joe Banks	Sheffield Viking SC	50	63	51	25	24	41	29	18	187
38	20565	Jonathan Lye	Karl Lye	Notts County SC	40	26	33	28	44	18	62	51	189
39	22827	Phil Franklin	Jackie Franklin	Bristol Corinthian YC	45	27	86d	38	45	56	31	14	200
40	22914	Martyn Bromley	Suzzanne McKeown	Penarth YC	37	70	38	44	16	53	58	19	207
41	22536	Phil Snewin	Ros Coleman	Chester Sailing & CC	51	38	47	23	23	48	46	37	214
42	21501	Stevie Sargent	Sandy Turner	Looe SC	28	33	44	18	50	60	53	49	222
43	22322	Graham Kirkup	Linda Mitchell	Grafham Water SC	57	48	34	26	41	86d	21	59	227
44	22904	Roy Barker	Minnie Lucey	Penarth YC	42	46	43	86f	18	46	40	50	235
45	22866	Geoffrey Bush	Nick Bush	Weir Wood SC	49	35	57	49	36	52	22	48	239
46	22166	Graham Sargent	Marion Cole	Looe SC	46	43	46	79	40	32	33	61	240
47	22870	Simon Herriott	Bernadette Fox	Greystones SC	35	53	42	46	37	62	50	31	241
48	21940	Sarah Green	Lorry Young	Tynemouth SC	59	57	52	68	67	49	10	17	244
49	22506	Jonathan Briggs	Amy Holland	Winsford Flash SC	48	47	29	31	54	42	49	57	246
50	22901	Paul Young	Simon Daniels	Birmingham Brookvale SC	47	61	70	17	58	59	61	11	253
51	22857	Bruce Moyes	Adrian Atkins	Parkstone YC	70	69	41	66	30	43	37	42	259
52	22150	Peter Dolling	Elaine Dolling	Hunts SC	43	51	86f	54	86d	35	56	21	260
53	22983	Louis Moulden	Andy Helme	Delph SC	52	41	32	86n	86n	36	63	41	265
54	22935	Ian Sargeant	Patrick Simion	Parkstone YC	65	49	53	58	42	33	34	72	269
55	22706	Karen Taylor	Andrew Hayfield	Delph SC	54	60	60	53	52	44	36	39	278
56	21506	Mark George	Alison Culverwell	Winsford Flash SC	63	55	63	73	62	51	23	27	281
57	21821	Richard Leach	Claudia Haynes	Penarth YC	58	52	64	59	49	37	41	46	283
58	22938	Roger Storey	Nicky Ckase	Parkstone YC	56	62	69	60	32	45	32	71	287
59	20094	Matthew Robinson	Joe Darlington	Shustoke SC	44	56	40	65	55	50	57	43	288
60	22621	Robin Gumbrell	Dyce Hopkins	Hunts SC	62	58	54	19	51	57	55	86n	294
61	22560	Keith Tyler	Rachel Singleton	Grafham Water SC	61	44	49	61	60	38	54	56	301
62	22936	Chris Fry	Al Fry	Hallamshire SC	53	42	24	13	86r	86n	86n	86n	304
63	21365	Ron Dungey	Jane Pickford	Penarth YC	64	54	62	39	53	58	52	58	314
64	22927	Martin Bottomley	Ray Ball	Northampton SC	41	64	65	37	65	55	66	62	324
65	22875	Richard Denny	Maureen Denny	Ely SC	55	50	45	71	86r	86d	69	44	334
66	22710	Grahame Yates	Emma Louise Yates	Northampton SC	60	72	86r	57	86y	15	71	68	343
67	22368	Tony Paul	Simon Paul	Parkstone YC	69	71	55	64	47	64	65	52	347
68	22112	Charles Morrish	Ross McKerchar	St Mary's Loch SC	86n	86n	86n	81	57	69	25	35	353
69	22127	Nick Penn	James Penn	Penarth YC	74	77	72	47	56	54	74	53	356
70	22715	Andrew Taylor	Kathryn Hayfield	Blackpool & Fleetwood YC	66	65	56	50	61	66	68	74	364
71	22559	Phil Chambers	Jane Chambers	Hampton SC	73	80	86n	45	66	71	59	67	381
72	19186	David Moody	Chris Hughes	Hamble River SC	71	59	71	62	64	73	72	55	382
73	21944	Stephen Lucey	Alison Weekes	Penarth YC	77	68	66	76	77	63	64	47	384
74	21566	Philip Kirk	Helen Sharp	Frampton-on-Severn SC	68	66	67	56	48	86n	86n	86n	391
75	20816	Chris Morrish	Martin Fox	St Mary's Loch SC	86n	86n	86n	63	70	67	70	38	394
76	20924	John Hollands	Alison Hollands	Hampton SC	67	79	74	78	59	75	60	64	399
77	22666	Dave Michell	John Gove	Royal Plymouth Corinthian YC	72	73	73	69	74	65	67	63	409
78	17592	Chris Palmer	Pippa Landsdown	Penarth YC	76	76	59	72	69	68	76	70	414
79	20378	Glen Cole	Lorna Dixon	Island Barn Reservoir SC	80	75	58	75	72	72	73	66	416
80	21513	David Collins	Gary Oswald	Looe SC	81	81	61	80	63	86n	86n	60	426
81	22865	Tony Newcombe	Wyane Ryan	St Catherines SC	82	74	77	74	71	70	86n	69	435
82	21091	Vernon Harrod	Richard Harrod	Ely SC	75	67	75	67	68	86n	86n	86n	438
83	10	Simon Blackburn	Christopher Coghlan	Beccles Amateur SC	78	82	68	82	75	76	75	75	447
84	21558	Nigel Cooper	Ellen Cooper	Hampton SC	79	83	78	83	76	74	78	65	450
85	20045	Hugh Phillips	Pauline Hansen	Penarth YC	83	78	76	77	73	77	77	73	453