Tacktick J/109 UK Nationals at the WPNSA - Overall

J-Dream crowned Tacktick J/109 UK National Champion 2011

The final day of racing at the Tacktick J/109 UK National Championship took place on Sunday 29 May 2011. The fleet arrived on the dock to find gusts of mid 20s in the marina. The PRO took the sensible decision to postpone for one hour to see if the wind would settle as there were gusts of 30+ out in the bay. For some this was a welcome rest as three races the day before had been tough on everyone.

The Committee Boat left the pontoon and as has happened everyday Levante (Glynn Williams) was first to leave the dock, closely followed by Velvet Elvis (Adam & Helen Wright) and Stalker (Steven Tapper). With three races scheduled the PRO announced that his intention was to do two, with an option for the third.

The first start saw the J/109 fleet underestimate the tide taking them across the line and they were too keen to get going! The restart was a black flag and again some of the fleet had to be called back. Velvet Elvis and J-Dream (David & Kirsty Apthorp) arrived at the windward mark so close that J-Dream could not pull her pole out to hoist the spinnaker. The run of 1.2nm saw these two boats battle for the lead as the wind built to 28knots and it was time to gybe for the leeward gate. Both boats gybed simultaneously, a luffing match ensued before J-Dream got a perfectly timed puff and wave, and moved ahead.

BlueJay (Greg Burgess) was in 3rd on the run before Shiva (Matt Boyle) regained the position on the beat.

The final run saw the majority of the fleet choose not to fly spinnakers as the wind was now 32 knots and the J/109 is faster white sailing down the rhumb line in those conditions. The waves gave the fleet enough excitement although for some including Velvet Elvis, BlueJay and Stalker they added the dimension of the spinnaker but it was not enough to beat those who had sailed dead downwind. J-Dream led from Levante who held off Velvet Elvis. This gave J-Dream a 5 point lead over Velvet Elvis overall and with Stalker finishing fourth, they were clear of 3rd place by 6 points.

Jynnan Tonnyx (Owain Franks) had their fourth top ten position of the regatta which gave them equal points with J2EAU (Steve & Jodie Maine) and moved them into 11th overall. Jeez Louise (Jamie Arnell) had her best race of the series (6th) but it was not enough to make up for their visit to the protest room and black flag start, but it did give them equal overall points with Jazzy Jellyfish (David Richards).

As the fleet finished gusts of mid 30s were seen and the PRO decided that there would be no more racing. This was a sensible call as many boats got caught out dropping their sails as the mid/high 30knot gusts swept across Weymouth Bay.

Pre-dinner drinks saw the fleet exchanging their excited tales and the pros and cons of hoisting spinnakers for a straight run, before they enjoyed an excellent dinner and the prizegiving. In addition to the Perpetual Trophy there were keeper trophies made by Tide Designs which attracted much admiration together with three Suunto watches. For the prizegiving, Sebago had kindly donated pairs of Wave Extreme shoes and these were awarded to Designstar 2 (Roger Phillips), Audajious (David Jobson), Outrajeous (Richard & Valerie Griffiths) and High Tension (Andrew Given) for their support and dedication to the Class.

J-Dream was crowned Tacktick UK National Champion 2011. Her helm, David Apthorp said, “We are exhausted but absolutely delighted to have achieved this for the second time. The entire fleet has enjoyed close and competitive racing and the hospitality of WPNSA has been second to none. Now it is time to party!” Party the J/109 fleet did to the early hours of the morning, dancing to the fantastic band ‘Midnight Blu’.

The J/109 UK Class Association would like to thank their sponsors ‘Tacktick Wireless powered by Suunto’ and Sebago for their support and generosity, and to WPNSA staff and volunteers who ensured that the J/109 fleet had one of their best regattas ever.

Overall Results:

1st J-Dream (David & Kirsty Apthorp) 10pts
2nd Velvet Elvis (Adam & Helen Wright) 15pts
3rd Stalker (Steven Tapper) 21pts
4th Shiva (Matt Boyle) 28pts
5th Jahmali (Mike & Sarah Wallis) 30pts
6th Levante (Glynn Williams) 35pts
7th BlueJay (Greg Burgess) 42pts
8th Outrajeous (Richard & Valerie Griffiths) 56pts
9th Jagerbomb (Paul Griffiths) 59pts
10th J2EAU (Steve & Jodie Maine) 63pts

Full overall results can be found here.