Laser 3000 Nationals at Rutland Sailing Club

Laser 3000 Nationals winners Alice Brochie & Jamie Mayhew closely followed by second place boat Matthew & Anthony Greenfield © Rob Leigh

Laser 3000 open series winners, Harry Sharpe & Billy Butler, who also took third place and best under-16 crew at the 2004 Nationals © Rob Leigh

Rutland SC was the host for this year’s Laser 3000 Nationals, as part of a combined championships for the Laser asymmetric classes, on 16th and 17th October. The entry of 19 was up on 2003: a large contingent made an 8-hour treck from Devon Schools Sailing Association, whilst Royal Hospital School (RHS) and Sedbergh School also fielded strong teams. The private entries came from Weir Wood (2), Portishead, Pennine, Wilsonian, Grafham and Thames Sailing Clubs.

Races were held back-to back, two on Saturday in a fading Force 2, and four on Sunday in a variable 3 to 5. The four fleets shared the start line and first beat, with the Laser 2000s leading off, followed by the 3000s, 4000s and 5000s at 3-minute intervals. This made for a fairly congested start area, and the black flag was soon taking its toll in the larger fleets. The concertina effect at the windward mark made for some nerve jangling first roundings, but from there the 2000s and 3000s peeled off to a parallel windward/leeward course and race patterns became established. The advantage of the start order showed between races, when hanging around in the chilling Autumnal conditions was minimised.

Alice Brotchie and Jamie Mayhew of RHS staked their claim to the title early on with two wins in the light Saturday airs. To prove that they are no mere light-wind specialist, Alice and Jamie went on to notch up a further two firsts and two thirds on the Sunday, discarding a third place to take the championship. Matthew and Anthony Greenfield of Weir Wood SC and Bath University finished in a close second place overall, just two points behind. In third place were the second RHS crew, Harry Sharpe and Billy Butler, who also took the under-16 National title to add to their travellers series win.

Thanks go to Noble Marine Insurance and Laser UK, who contributed towards trophies and prizes, and to Rutland SC for their race organisation, bunks, hearty meals, and a banging bar and karaoke on the Saturday night. Special thanks go to the Laser 2000 CA for their continuing support.

Overall Results
1st 3538 Alice Brotchie & Jamie Mayhew, RHS,
2nd 3474 Matthew Greenfield & Anthony Greenfield, Weir Wood SC,
3rd 3539 Harry Sharpe & Billy Butler, RHS,
4th 3448 Tony Hunt & Suzanne Hall, Wilsonian SC,
5th 3142 David Matthews & Grey Newman, DSSA,
6th 3146 Jon Parlby & Christopher Reynolds, DSSA,
7th 3417 Ben Arscott & Darran Roach, DSSA,
8th 3252 Jon Sedgwick & Aj Johnson, Sedbergh School,
9th 3144 Jim Hill-Jones & David Roberts, DSSA,
10th 3468 Jeremy Hodgson & David Duncan, Portishead.