Laser Radial Inlands at Grafham Water Sailing Club

by Jon Emmett 15 Nov 2010 07:13 GMT 13-14 November 2010

Laser Inlands at Grafham © Mike Shaw / www.fotoboat.com

Despite a poor forecast and the ever real threat of the Killer Shrimp, 122 Radial sailors made the trip to Grafham Water Sailing Club where PRO Peter Saxton and CRO Simon Dabson and their teams put on four great races in extremely trying conditions.

For the first race the teams were certainly not hanging around with several sailors who were late launching struggling to make the start. With well over a 100 boats the Radials were sailed in split fleets. In start one there was some confusion as to which course was to be sailed, with the leaders not having seen the committee boat. Initially the race was led by Tobias Harner followed by Lorenzo Chiavarini, but up the second beat Jon Emmett played the shifts to take the lead which he extended to the finish.

In the second fleet John Booth was the initial leader but going too far left down the first run was a big mistake which Ben Robinson and Peter Newbury capitalised on to snatch first and second, meaning Booth had to be content with third.

Race two and in the first fleet Tom Britz was first to tack off from the port end and lead the race from start to finish. The breeze then built and held for the race allowing the top three boats to pull away from the fleet. Chiavarini took second with Robinson third.

Race two and the second start was won by Robinson but at the top mark it was Levi Slap from Belgium followed by Emmett and Chiavarini. Emmett made the mistake of going too far left down the run and lost out with Slap pulling away. Chiavarini stayed in second with Robinson a close third.

Race three and the first fleet start was won by Abigail Hewitt who was first to tack and cross the fleet. National Champion Elliot Hanson hung on further to the left but it was Slap fresh with confidence from his previous win who led the fleet home. Hanson took second with the ever consistent Chiavarini in third.

Race three and for the second fleet the wind was looking lighter. Ralph Bonfield led around the top mark but by the bottom Emmett was in the lead. Bonfield remained in second for most of the race before being passed by Reuben Murphy, and Jim McMillian had by far his best result of the regatta with a third.

Going into the finals on the second day Chiavarini was the only person to have finished in the top three in every race, but it was Emmett and Slap who were tied for first place with two bullets a piece.

The fleet launched on time in bright sunshine and light wind. The light wind remained but the sunshine didn’t, making things decidedly chilly for sailors and officials alike. After a couple of hours on the water it did not look as if things were going to happen, but then wind finally arrived. So with the final start time allowed not later than 1:30pm it was going to be a one race final.

Tom Britz again nailed the port end being first to tack and lead the race from start to finish. With the wind hard left he covered the left hand side although he was pressured by Andrew Stott who unfortunately went too far left. Up the final beat Britz pulled away with Stott hanging onto second. However down the final run he was passed by both Hanson and Emmett

So the results could not have been tighter. Emmett with a third place in the final race took the regatta with two firsts and a third but behind him Britz, Hanson and Chiavarini were tied on eight points with Britz , the split being decided on the results of the last race. Slap who went into the final day joint leader took fifth from Robinson on tie breaker.

Georgina Povall won the Silver fleet with a third place in the final race from Alex Jardine who won the final race. Toby Ayre (who was second in the final race) finished third overall.

Overall Results:

Gold Fleet

Pos	Sail No	Helm	Cat	R1A	R1B	R2A	R2B	R3A	R3B	R4	Pts
1	193011	Jon Emmett		1			5		1	3	5
2	193725	Tom Britz	Y	6		1		12		1	8
3	195302	Elliot Hanson	Y	4		6		2		2	8
4	197686	Lorenzo Chiavarini	Y	3			2		3	7	8
5	191165	Levi Slap	Y		13		1	1		8	10
6	196306	Ben Robinson	Y		1		3	6		NYF	10
7	195051	Tobias Hamer	Y	2			6		6	28	14
8	196581	Andrew McGowan	Y	5		5		5		23	15
9	182287	Peter Newbury	Y		2	8			20	11	21
10	198892	Felicity Foulds			16		4	4		18	24
11	183176	Henry Wetherell	J	8		10		8		16	26
12	195114	Olly Porter	Y	7			10		16	12	29
13	180368	Ian Gregory	M		6		26	9		15	30
14	177957	Julien Shawyer			32	7			21	5	33
15	183113	Harry Hill	J		5		17	11		33	33
16	197924	Edward Jones	J		11	19			9	13	33
17	198904	Andrew Green	J		14	35			14	6	34
18	176831	Vincent Christan			10		9	16		NYF	35
19	198883	Alice Burford	Y	9		20		7		24	36
20	191794	Tom Piggott	Y		9		12	15		40	36
21	193455	John Booth			3		11	23		NYF	37
22	197306	David Pain	J		15	17			13	9	37
23	159460	Tom Sully	Y	13			15		10	NYF	38
24	194371	Will Hackney	Y		8	3			38	29	40
25	191795	Jack Preece	Y		17	4			19	25	40
26	144915	Ralph Bonfield			29	9			4	NYF	42
27	193786	Ben Crystall	Y		4		16	22		43	42
28	191297	Hector Simpson	J		30		20	13		10	43
29	168846	Andrew Stott	J	10		34		32		4	46
30	192718	Abigail Hewitt	Y	11		53		14		22	47
31	198896	Reuben Murphy	J		34	14			2	32	48
32	197308	Hannah Tilley	Y	19		13		29		17	49
33	198929	Jordan Black	Y	22		12		18		30	52
34	198434	Aaron White	J		21		8	24		46	53
35	197630	Alex Benbow	Y		27	24			5	44	56
36	195247	Andrew Bridgman	Y		7	37			28	21	56
37	194872	Ellie Meopham	J	12		26		35		19	57
38	169089	Alexander Alcock	Y		19	2			37	50	58
39	195847	Rheanna Pavey	Y	15		18		25		31	58
40	198907	Tom Goodey	Y		20		28	31		14	62
41	120476	Sam Barker	J		23		7	33		41	63
42	144740	Karen Thomas	Y	36			13		15	NYF	64
43	192842	Jonty Freeman	Y	18		21		26		26	65
44	196650	James Hazlewood	J	16		16		38		34	66
45	197369	Ross Williams	Y	17			18		32	36	67
46	172768	Andy Baker	M	43			14		34	20	68
47	173742	Miichael Calvert	J	28			32		12	37	72
48	165524	Ellie Cumpsty	J		18		34	20		NYF	72
49	196559	Kerry Morgan			22	25			25	48	72
50	166980	Tom Hole	Y	46			27		11	35	73
51	178720	Jon Evans	Y	21		44		10		49	75
52	197694	Paul Williamson	M		24	29			24	27	75
53	188633	Nick Adams	Y		38	11			30	NYF	79
54	190803	Jamie Noyes	Y	20		31		28		45	79
55	184204	Iain Symon	J	45			25		17	38	80
56	176851	Steven Clayton	Y		12	41			29	NYF	82
57	178751	Tom Cornthwaite	J	14		30		49		39	83
58	189140	Rachael Rhodes		NYF		23		19		42	84
59	192539	Ben Dancer	Y	23		45		17		NYF	85
60	198310	Alex Hutchings	J	42			24		22	47	88
61	190910	James Dugdale		24			19		52	51	94

Silver Fleet

Pos	Sail No	Helm	Cat	R1A	R1B	R2A	R2B	R3A	R3B	R4	Pts
1	198164	Gerogina Povall	Y		33		21	30		3	54
2	197309	Alex Jardine	J		46	28			27	1	56
3	182481	Toby Ayre			35		29	47		2	66
4	188816	Hobie Wright	J15		36	33			18	15	66
5	180986	Alex Still	J		43	32			31	9	72
6	195034	Agnes Gray-Stephens	J	31			31		39	10	72
7	197782	Chris Jones	M	NYF			OCS		7	4	73
8	195779	Ross Stanley-White	J15		48	42			8	23	73
9	179100	Jonathon Morris	J15	34			22		56	21	77
10	198992	Jana Brabusa	Y	40			37		26	19	82
11	183525	Rhiannon Massey	J15	29			41		53	13	83
12	198549	Jasmine Hanson	J		44		39	34		11	84
13	192992	Callum Tait	J		50		45	27		12	84
14	184155	Helen Armstrong	Y		28		43	39		17	84
15	183445	Andrew Rawson			39		30	43		16	85
16	181910	Joe Simmonds	Y		45	22			50	18	85
17	198838	David Paul	Y	38		56		41		7	86
18	197716	Alice Woodings	Y	NYF		46		21		20	87
19	146481	Samatha Foster	Y		26	38			23	38	87
20	195064	Matthew Aldous-Horne	J	NYF			44		36	8	88
21	198993	Nikola Grojic	Y	33		36		48		22	91
22	198602	Ben Brown	J15	NYF		39		40		14	93
23	198905	Josh Stone	Y	27			OCS		OCS	5	94
24	191709	Megan Adams	Y	26			46		48	24	96
25	197705	Megan O'Brien	J	25			36		35	NYF	96
26	194125	Lee Goodey	M	NYF			48		43	6	97
27	191694	Hannah Golton	Y		31		35	46		31	97
28	136077	Piers Hugh-Smith	J	39		RDG		37		37	101
29	195110	Daniel Wigmore	J		41		33	36		35	104
30	166639	Kyle Maxwell-Cox	J	32			42		40	33	105
31	186435	Ross Blackledge	Y		51		40	42		26	108
32	195186	Charly Capon	Y	44		15		50		NYF	109
33	185712	Jennifer Botterill			25	51			33	NYF	109
34	187514	Jim McMillan			52		OCS	3		NYF	117
35	195038	John Peterson	J15	30			OCS		NYF	25	117
36	171989	Alex Geal	J	NYF		49		44		29	122
37	195297	Jamie Diamond	J15		42	40			41	NYF	123
38	190912	Liam Cure	Y		49		49	51		28	126
39	136617	Joseph Smith	Y	35			38		54	NYF	127
40	167917	Edward Smith	Y	47			55		59	27	129
41	186698	Sarah Alexander	Y	NYF			52		47	30	129
42	199442	Iain McLaughton	J		59	50			44	36	130
43	167598	James Head	J		47	55			46	39	132
44	175729	Sam Devitt	J	NYF		54		45		34	133
45	174829	Jamie Crook	J15		55	43			49	42	134
46	184324	Katie Milford	Y	NYF			50		45	40	135
47	19511	Martin Joesbury	M		56		23	OCS		NYF	141
48	195817	David Kennedy			40	47			55	NYF	142
49	195862	Jonny Hoy	J	37		52		55		BFD	144
50	175902	Joe Hunt			37	48			60	NYF	145
51	191855	Joe Constable	M		57	57			58	32	146
52	156178	Jessie Wellbourn-Hesp	J		53		54	53		41	147
53	194123	Dominic Mortimer	J		58		51	54		43	148
54	177558	Francesca Smith	J	41			57		51	NYF	149
55	72628	David New	M	NYF			47		42	NYF	151
56	130162	Alan Boulton	J		54		53	52		NYF	159
57	139362	Pauline Woodings	M	NYF			56		57	NYF	175