Tideway Nationals at Llangorse Sailing Club

Tideway nationals at Llangorse © Danny Lindsey

Tideway nationals at Llangorse © Danny Lindsey

Tideway nationals at Llangorse © Danny Lindsey

The 2011 Tideway Challenge was held last weekend on Llangorse Lake, which is situated in the Brecon Beacons between Abergavenny and Brecon. The fleet started to assemble on Friday afternoon ready for a full day of racing on Saturday the 21st.

Our thanks to Llangorse S.C. (L.S.C) who provided very sociable and competent hosting of the event, thanks also to the club officers and safety boat crews who looked after us so well.

Saturday dawned windy but bright and sunny. 11 Boats, both wooden and GRP Tideway’s had travelled from all over the UK to compete for the 46 year old Walker Challenge Trophy for which class rules require a crew of two, and for the Rose Bowl which is awarded to the highest placed single handed boat. The schedule was for three races and all boats were on the slip for a 12.00 launch.

Briefing was very ably carried out by the friendly L.S.C race officer, who did express some concern about the strength of the wind, which he had recorded from the committee/start boat as force 4/5 occasionally gusting 6 from the WSW. This was probably the point where retiring to the cafe would have been the preferred option for most crews. However, with L.S.C. racing scheduled for Sunday the TOA racing had to take place and apart from 3 boats, the fleet were fully reefed down and launched on schedule for the first race which was to be sailed on an abbreviated ‘sausage’ course over 3 laps.

TW299 Mary Davies had enlisted Stephen Berrisford as crew and he was about to learn from the sharp (wet) end how these boats perform in a blow. Stephen Berrisford is the owner of the Good Wood Boat Co who are the recently appointed sole builders of wooden Tideway’s.

Race 1 proved to be a little less demanding than expected with gusts being reasonably kind at least initially, at the end of the first lap TW1 (David Phillips & Richard Phillips) led from TW299 (Mary Davies & Stephen Berrisford), then TW466 (Bob Neill & Hugh Neil) in the first GRP boat followed by TW461 (David Coldwell & Bob Moon). The fleet became quite spread out with crews finding conditions quite busy enough to hold their attention. Lap 2 saw the order of the first 4 boats unchanged but TW459 (George Helyer) who was sailing single handed was finding things a bit busy and was dropping down the fleet from his original 5th to 8th with TW520 (Pat Thomson & Muriel Widnall) taking over his 5th spot. The result at the end of the race on Lap 3 saw these positions unchanged with TW1 leading TW299, TW466, TW461 and TW520 over the line.

Race 2 was sailed over a modified 5-mark course and started in a steady F4/5 with much stronger gusts. The fleet got away all together and at the end of Lap 1 the order was TW1 followed by TW461, TW299, TW520, TW466 and TW432. TW299 (Mary Davies & Stephen Berrisford) were surviving well despite a very good impression of a submarine diving or surfacing, fortunately the latter was the better impression. With a race time of some 40 minutes the gun was given after 2 laps to TW1 (David Phillips & Richard Phillips) followed by TW299 (Mary Davies & Stephen Berrisford), TW461 (David Coldwell & Bob Moon), TW520 (Pat Thomson & Muriel Widnall) and TW466 (Bob Neill & Hugh Neil).

There was a slight delay whilst the fleet gathered for the 3rd race that was to be sailed over the same course. The L.S.C Race Officer got them away well into slightly worsening conditions and probably unsurprisingly the usual boats featured at the front again, at the end of the first lap it was TW1 followed by TW299, TW461, TW432 and TW520 with TW466, TW05, TW464 and TW409 being the only boats to complete the first lap. The result at the end of the race and 2nd Lap gave TW1 (David Phillips & Richard Phillips) their 3rd first place making them outright Tideway Challenge winners and enabling the Phillips family to retain the Trophy. 2nd place in the third race and in the Challenge went to TW299 (Mary Davies & Stephen Berrisford) with 3rd place in the third race and also in the Challenge going to TW461 (David Coldwell & Bob Moon).

The promised worsening weather had now arrived so prize giving was held inside the L.S.C club house, the Walker Challenge Trophy was awarded to David and Richard Phillips with engraved tankards and commerative mugs from L.S.C awarded to the first three crews. The Walker Rose Bowl was awarded to TW 459 George Helyer as the leading single hander. Arthur Davey for his TW520 won the Campbell Quaich awarded for best maintained wooden boat. The John White trophy for under 18 helms was not contested this year.

Overall Results: