Cadet National Championships at Stone Sailing Club

Cadet nationals at Stone © Hugh Speirs

Cadet nationals at Stone © Hugh Speirs

Cadet nationals at Stone © Hugh Speirs

Close finishes have become a characteristic of this year’s Cadet Class events. Three weeks ago saw both the World Championships and Promotional Regatta decided on countback and last week a margin of one point determined the outcome of the Nationals!

With a further discard kicking-in with the second of the final day’s two races, numerous teams had a mathematical chance of overhauling event leaders Ben Hazeldine & George Bridge from Frensham Pond sailing 9047 Touchwood. After eight races, Ben & George were counting 24 points and carrying a worst placed 10th. Pencils were at the ready and the backs of envelopes were in short supply! Of the main challengers, the Corinthian Otters/Frensham Pond pairing of Nick Sutton & Hattie Sexton sailing 8844 Nasty Tern performed best on the day recording a second, then a first. Jack Wilson & Ryan Wilkinson from Frensham Pond in 735 Pintail kept up the pressure until a capsize early in the last race ended their chances. South Cerney’s Amir & Aliya Jannaty in 9319 came close, with a first and a third. Alex & Lucy Corby from Fishers Green/King George in 9000 White Stuff scored a fourth, then followed it up with a second while Matthew Currell & Theo Smith from Parkstone in 8997 Executrix saw their hopes dashed with an 18th in the first of the day’s races. Meanwhile, Ben & George quietly and efficiently went about their business and their eighth place in Race 9 was enough to secure them the title of National Champions with 32 points including three victories. Nick & Hattie scored 33 points including two firsts and two second places. Third place went to Jack & Ryan, with Amir & Aliya fourth, Alex & Lucy fifth and Matt & Theo sixth.

Hosted by Stone Sailing Club from 13th to 18th August 2011 at St. Lawrence Bay on the River Blackwater, this year’s Cadet Nationals attracted eighty entries, divided into Gold, Silver and Bronze Fleets. Sailing a triangle followed by two windward-leeward loops, Gold and Silver started together with Bronze off five minutes later and with one less loop. Gold and Silver sailed their ten scheduled races, with Bronze completing nine.

The tide influenced races sailed early in the week. Sunday saw only one of the two scheduled races completed, which was won by Mary Henderson & Lulu Knott from Salcombe/Waldringfield sailing 8561 Bad Influence. Second place went to Jack & Ryan, with Alex & Lucy third. The day’s other race was abandoned after six legs had been completed with the Gold and Silver fleets struggling to overcome the ebbing tide.

Three races followed on Monday, with podium honours shared amongst eight teams. Frensham Pond brothers Matthew & Ben Shorrock in 8352 Master Mariner took the gun in the first race of the day, from Parkstone’s Will Reid and Daniel Stacey sailing 9875 In Too Deep and Waldringfield’s Maddie Harris & Ellie Wootton in 8514 Mostly Harmless. Abigail Croft & William Palierakis from Frensham Pond/Fishers Green sailing 7274 Wave Rider led the fleet home in the next race, with Nick & Hattie second and Mary & Lulu third. The day’s final race saw Ben & George secure their first victory of the event, with Will & Daniel taking another second place and Alex & Lucy third.

Ben & George tightened their grip on the leaderboard on Tuesday, with back-to-back victories in Race 7 and the resailed Race 2, supported by a fourth place in Race 6. Nick & Hattie took the gun in that race, followed home by Jack & Ryan. Matt & Theo finished third; a position which they repeated in both the day’s other races. Alex Philpott & Megan Ferguson from Frensham Pond scored their best finish of the week with second place in Race 7, with Matthew & Ben runners-up in the resailed Race 2.

It was fortunate only one race was scheduled for Wednesday. The fleet launched into light winds, bobbed about for an hour or so and came ashore. By mid-afternoon, a steady 8-10 knots was blowing across the course and Race 8 went to Oliver Palierakis & Robert Keen from Fishers Green/Alton Water sailing 7495 Salt Air. Silver Fleet sailors Ross & Johnny Thompson from Frensham Pond/Royal Lymington in 9046 Get A Grip, finished second with Matt & Theo demonstrating consistency with their fourth consecutive third-place. Thus the stage was set for the final day and Ben & George’s victory. Mary & Lulu took the trophy for top-placed girls.

The Silver fleet had raced with Gold, but had their own trophy categories. Max Crowe & Henry Collings sailing 7630 Pulling Power took first place. The Royal Lymington pairing completed most of their races in the mid-to-high teens and this consistency produced a 23 point margin over host club sisters Lucy & Lainey Terkelsen in 8571 Blu Calula, whose best result was a seventh place in Race 6. One point behind them and also from the host club were Hattie Ayre and Jonathan Van Ingen sailing 8420 Tantrum. In addition to Ross & Johnny and Lucy & Lainey, a number of Silver Fleet sailors achieved creditable finishes. Charlie Whyte & Laura Hardie from Frensham Pond/Tamesis in 8333 Sizzerin’ Hot finished sixth in Race 8, while Charlie Linsell & Lisa Rose from Waldringfield in 8421 State Of The Art notched up an eighth place in Race 3 and a twelfth in Race 1. Parkstone’s Ole Alcock & William Wilkes sailing 9031 C’est La Vie finished eleventh in Race 7 and 13th in Race 1, while Jack Shorter & Shaun Scarsbrook from Corinthian Otters in 8435 Blue Moon recorded an eleventh place in Race 9.

Of the thirteen teams comprising the Bronze Fleet, seven won a race, with only Alastair & Catriona Wallace from South Cerney in 7231 Sullom Voe leading the fleet across the line more than once. However, their three victories were not enough to secure the title, which went to Joe Barr & Angus Sadler sailing 8370 Attitude. The Corinthian Otters pairing showed tremendous consistency in counting nothing more than fourth place for a total of 21 points. Ten behind were Alastair & Catriona, with Waldringfield’s Angus Stone and Alex Eaton in 9156 Great White third on 40 points. One point behind and fourth on countback were Frensham Pond’s Jim Brooker & Beatrice Sexton in 9076 Flash Bang, with Freya Cooney & Susie Gosling from Waldingfield in 8536 Gnasher, fifth and Pip Dearlove & Jamie Goodhead, also from Waldringfield in 7431 Muscadet sixth with 45 points. Other race winners included Fishers Green’s Francesca Ingall & Eve Turnpenny sailing 8855 Chase The Ace and Harry Wilkes & George Kennedy from Parkstone in 9600 Bite The Bullet.

Our thanks to the following sponsors for supporting this event; Isca Poolcare, One Stop Dinghy Chandlery, MarineStore, First Cadet.com, McNamara Sails, Tesco, Seabrook Developments, Empowered Systems Ltd. Peter Newton Photography, Morrisons, Brand Identity and Holt.

Overall Results:

Gold/Silver Fleet

Bronze Fleet