Kestrel Nationals at Sunderland Yacht Club

by Rod Brown-Lee 11 Aug 2002 12:19 BST

Photo © Dave Addison

The Kestrel Nationals took place over 28th July to the 1st August and was attended by 24 boats. Glorious sunshine and a flat sea welcomed the fleet out into the bay for the first day, accompanied by a Force 3-4 that kept everyone active and happy. An added bonus was the entertainment from the Sunderland Airshow whilst afloat.

Paul Jarvey and Simon Fay signaled their intent by winning the first race, with Dusty Miller and John Ellingham lifting second and Dave Hearsum and Gareth Fay third. Miller had driven to Sunderland through the night from Best Man duties and did well to keep himself in the boat.

The second race was held whilst the air display was in full flow. Jarvey and Fay consolidated their lead with a second bullet, chased in by class builders, Richard and Mark Hartley. Gordon Miller and Liam Pike filled third slot in a 35 year old boat. Gordon having returned for his first foray in a dinghy for eight years after a prolonged exile, windsurfing in Gran Canaria. Dusty Miller subsequently paid the price for his partying and night drive and dropped to fifth.

Due to lack of wind, day two was cancelled early enough for the fleet to treat it as the lay day and discover the many local sights. The fleet was blanketed by fog on the following day, although the wind had freshened. The third race was run after the fog had lifted enough to see the harbour. Racing was kept inside the harbour in order to get more races into the tightening programme. Miller and Ellingham and the Hartleys had a tight tactical battle, but with twenty-four boats fighting for positions in the fog within the harbour, Miller had the edge and took the bullet from the Hartleys with Gordon Miller and Liam Pike taking third.

The fog lifted a little for Race four, again held in the harbour. Paul Jarvey and Simon Fay were chased hard by Dave Hearsum and Gareth Fay, with Gordon Miller and Liam Pike in close attendance in third. The placings remained unchanged to the finish, with a notable and probably historic result of the three Miller boats finishing third, fourth and fifth, covering all three generations of the Kestrel, the Mk1, Mk2 and Kestrel 2000.

The fog descended again on the last day. Race five was taken by Gordon Miller and Liam Pike who pushed Dusty Miller and John Ellingham into second place with Jarvey and Fay taking third.

After two attempts at starting the final race in the bay, the championship ended with the fleet running for harbour as the fog dropped again. Paul Jarvey and Simon Fay were crowned National Champions with Dusty Miller and John Ellingham taking second and Gordon Miller and Liam Pike securing third overall. Great credit goes to the race officer, Dave Addison and his team, who worked tirelessly under difficult conditions to give the Kestrel fleet an excellent National Championship.

Pos	Helm	Crew	Sail No	Club	Pts
1st	Paul Jarvey	Simon Fay	1548	Hickling Broad S.C.	6
2nd	Dusty Miller	John Ellingham	1558	Lakeside S.C.	9
3rd	Gordon Miller	Liam Pike	668	Lakeside S.C.	10
4th	Dave Hearsum	Gareth Fay	1574	Hickling Broad S.C.	14
5th	Tom Chadfield	Steve Chadfield	1546	Blithfield S.C.	25
6th	Ernie Miller	Steve McGill	1501	Lakeside S.C.	28