420 Nationals at Hayling Island Sailing Club - Day 1
by Gerald New 30 Jul 2002 09:56 BST
Asher and Willis dominate first day of 420 Championship
Photo © Gerald New
 Event leaders Nic Asher & Elliot Willis |
In a light wind and hazy sunshine, the British International 420 Class Open and National Championships began racing out of Hayling Island Sailing Club Monday. Difficult sailing conditions made for challenging racing in which the leading competitors established themselves firmly at the front of the fleet. Expectations were high for Britain's leading 420 pair, Nic Asher and Elliot Willis, who recently took an excellent second place at the World Championships in Tavira, but with many other experienced and Worlds Team sailors also competing, if Asher hopes to retain his National title then he will have to continue his excellent form.
In perfect sailing conditions, the first race of the day started cleanly with Asher and
Willis beginning the race in the wake of Matt Burge and Simon Wheeler, who managed to
retain their advantage for nearly a lap before losing the lead to Asher and Willis who
subsequently controlled throughout. Worlds teammates Sam Carter and Paul Davies, who
proved equally keen to retain the title he won with Asher last year, also gave an
excellent and spirited performance, pursuing the leaders into third place. Local sailors
Alison Martin and Bethan Carden, also recently returned from the Worlds, squeezed into
fifth place to finish as first girls.
After a recall, Asher and Willis led the second race from the start, pursued by a group
including promising Scottish sailors Callum Macdonald and Andrew Greer who finished
second, consolidating their first race performance. Despite a wind shift on the second
beat which disorganised the fleet, the skill of the leaders kept them ahead. In third,
Irish twins Lisa and Geoff Tait displayed their experience, whilst Martin and Carden,
again the first female pair in 6th, recovered from a confusing start. Finding themselves
at the front, they returned unnecessarily to restart, but quickly recovered to reach the
first mark tenth. Last year's runners-up Eamonn and Athol King showed a return of their
previous form to take fourth.
With the wind dropping, the third race tested the competitors' patience and skill. With a
comfortable lead at the first mark, Asher and Willis showed their class to win by a
substantial margin and give them an overnight lead in the Championship. Youth National
Champions Laurie Fitzjohn-Sykes and Tom Mapplebeck held off the lighter Malaysian crew of
Jeremy Koo Wui Ken and Loo Sing Yew to take second. The King brothers finished fifth, to
secure third place overall behind Macdonald and Greer, who again produced a strong race.
Martin and Carden finished seventh, to lead the Women's Championship by a substantial 25
points from local Itchenor crews Joanna Brigg and Micky Boughton and Rachel Wigmore and
Sophie Anderson. In demanding conditions, other local crews also performed well, with
Hayling Island sailors and recent Flanders Youth Regatta Champions, Oliver Dix and Philip
Lasko lying eleventh overnight. With three good races sailed and brilliant weather, both
competitors and spectators can look forward to an exciting week of racing.
Results after Day 1: (3 races)
Pos | Nat | Helm | Crew | R1 | R2 | R3 | Pts |
---|
1 | GBR | Nic Asher | Elliot Willis | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
2 | GBR | Callum Macdonald | Andrew Greer | 4 | 2 | 4 | 10 |
3 | GBR | Athol King | Eamonn King | 8 | 4 | 5 | 17 |
4 | GBR | Alison Martin | Bethan Carden | 5 | 6 | 7 | 18 |
5 | GBR | Sam Carter | Paul Davies | 3 | 11 | 6 | 20 |
6 | GBR | Laurie Fitzjohn-Sykes | Tom Mapplebeck | 6 | 18 | 2 | 26 |
7 | IRL | Lisa Tait | Geoff Tait | 14 | 3 | 11 | 28 |
8 | MAS | Jeremy Koo Wui Ken | Loo Sing Yew | 19 | 13 | 3 | 35 |
9 | GBR | Luke Patience | Adam Wagner | 7 | 23 | 8 | 38 |
10 | IRL | John Downie | Nicholas O'Leary | 12 | 5 | 23 | 40 |
11 | GBR | Oliver Dix | Philip Lasko | 10 | 12 | 18 | 40 |
12 | GBR | Joanna Brigg | Micky Boughton | 9 | 19 | 15 | 43 |
13 | GBR | Rachel Wigmore | Sophie Anderson | 25 | 9 | 10 | 44 |
14 | GBR | Iain Watson | David Putt | 18 | 10 | 22 | 50 |
15 | GBR | Nick Cherry | Chris Evans | 34 | 8 | 9 | 51 |
16 | GBR | Gemma Farrell | Joanna Allen | 13 | 25 | 14 | 52 |
17 | GBR | Neil Crossouard | Sam Pascoe | 22 | 16 | 19 | 57 |
18 | HKG | Cheung Ka Ho | Tong Ping Shun | 20 | 7 | 34 | 61 |
19 | GBR | Matt Burge | Simon Wheeler | 2 | 41 | 20 | 63 |
20 | GBR | Charlotte Savage | Maia Walsh | 11 | 24 | 30 | 65 |
21 | MAS | Winnie Anthony Abah | Patricia Kelly Yin Li Len | 28 | 26 | 13 | 67 |
22 | GBR | James Goss | Daniel Schieber | 23 | 14 | 35 | 72 |
23 | IRL | Jonathan O'Dowd | Philip Reily | 16 | 28 | 31 | 75 |
24 | GBR | Laura Wade | Jessica Makey | 26 | 32 | 17 | 75 |
25 | GBR | Lucy Macgregor | Nicola Macgregor | 27 | 38 | 12 | 77 |
26 | GBR | Sophie Harrison | Sophie Dyer | 21 | 43 | 16 | 80 |
27 | GBR | Tome Hebbert | Susie Short | 39 | 15 | 28 | 82 |
28 | GBR | Ben Ainsworth | Thomas Heywood | 15 | 42 | 27 | 84 |
29 | AUS | Luc Tasker | Brett Sharpe | 32 | 29 | 24 | 85 |
30 | GBR | Andrew Cornah | Julia Cornah | 37 | 22 | 32 | 91 |
31 | GBR | Joanne Macdonald | Faye Govan | 35 | 17 | 43 | 95 |
32 | GBR | Edward Males | James Roche | 24 | 44 | 29 | 97 |
33 | IRL | Philip O'Reilly | James McCarter | 17 | 39 | 42 | 98 |
34 | AUS | Mathieu Higgins | Tim Lynch | 41 | 21 | 39 | 101 |
35 | GBR | Thomas Mallindine | Benjamin Cripps | 57 | 20 | 26 | 103 |
36 | GBR | Sam Maxfield | Ed Wilkinson | 36 | 27 | 40 | 103 |
37 | GBR | Mary Rook | Hannah Burke | 38 | 37 | 37 | 112 |
38 | GBR | Neil Baker | Chris Dodds | 44 | 31 | 38 | 113 |
39 | GBR | Susanne Bennell | Jill Shorrocks | 29 | 36 | 52 | 117 |
40 | GBR | Jonathan Battye | Thomas Wright | 46 | 40 | 33 | 119 |
41 | NED | Jessica Mapplebeck | Carly Burge | 40 | 47 | 36 | 123 |
42 | GBR | Simon Lambert | Michael McWilliams | 50 | 54 | 21 | 125 |
43 | GBR | Karen Smalley | Claire Paramore | 47 | 30 | 50 | 127 |
44 | GBR | Laura Farrell | Alison Bennett | 31 | 50 | 46 | 127 |
45 | HKG | Tse Sui Kit | Cheng Sze Kei Elsie | 30 | 73 | 25 | 128 |
46 | GBR | Samantha Green | Kate Sudell | 42 | 33 | 53 | 128 |
47 | GBR | Robert Carter | Ian Robertson | 52 | 35 | 41 | 128 |
48 | GBR | Laurie Marsden | Nikki Stewart | 33 | 52 | 44 | 129 |
49 | GBR | Sophie Ainsworth | Lucy Cripps | 49 | 34 | 57 | 140 |
50 | GBR | Rory Sharvill | James Cooke | 43 | 49 | 51 | 143 |
51 | IRL | Kevin Stallard | Andrew Murphy | 48 | 53 | 45 | 146 |
52 | IRL | Lorraine Stallard | Avril Ormond | 45 | 59 | 49 | 153 |
53 | GBR | Gemma Green | Toby Harris | 55 | 51 | 48 | 154 |
54 | NED | Alex Beddoes | Thomas Hurst | 53 | 46 | 61 | 160 |
55 | GBR | Giles Rolls | William Boyle | 60 | 55 | 47 | 162 |
56 | GBR | Lucy Wordley | Alice Wordley | 51 | 62 | 55 | 168 |
57 | GBR | Oliver Woods | Peter Halswell | 68 | 45 | 59 | 172 |
58 | AUS | Alesandra Maskell | Sarah-Jane Yorke | 59 | 56 | 58 | 173 |
59 | GBR | Hodaka Hashi | Robert Whiddett | 56 | 58 | 60 | 174 |
60 | GBR | Andrew Burke | William Roper | 54 | 57 | 64 | 175 |
61 | GBR | Laura-Anne Downie | Jennifer McClean | 61 | 60 | 56 | 177 |
62 | GBR | Alfie Rowson | Jamie Rupar | 58 | 61 | 63 | 182 |
63 | GBR | Chris Witty | Richard Mills | 65 | 64 | 54 | 183 |
64 | GBR | Don Houghton | Alex Knight | 70 | 48 | 71 | 189 |
65 | GBR | Lawrence Cavill | William Mayes | 62 | 70 | 65 | 197 |
66 | GBR | Lottie Johns | Tom Brooks | 63 | 66 | 69 | 198 |
67 | GBR | Elaenor Fowles | Martin van Niewenhuyzer | 66 | 65 | 68 | 199 |
68 | GBR | Richard Goddard | Alice Walton | 69 | 69 | 62 | 200 |
69 | GBR | Alice Brotchie | Billy Butler | 67 | 63 | 70 | 200 |
70 | GBR | Cavan Fynes | Henry Maples | 64 | 71 | 67 | 202 |
71 | GBR | Kirsten Claiden-Yardley | Natasha Lister | 72 | 67 | 66 | 205 |
72 | GBR | James Boadle | Ashley Rudd | 71 | 68 | 73 | 212 |

