Contender Nationals at Porthpean Sailing Club

by Stuart Jones 25 May 2005 17:32 BST 21-24 May 2005

Action from the Contender nationals at Porthpean © Lee Whitehead / www.photolounge.co.uk

Action from the Contender nationals at Porthpean © Mike Rice / www.fotoboat.com

The 2005 Contender Nationals were held over 4 days, from 21st to the 24th of May at the superb setting of Porthpean S.C., near St Austell, Cornwall. An entry of 56 boats was attracted showing that numbers are slightly on the increase for the last few years. The forecast for the period was for wet and windy weather and so it largely proved to be, however, due to the launching being in a sheltered bay it was sometimes deceptive when leaving the beach.

The first race started in fine wave jumping conditions, blowing up to 30 knots, and saw Tim Holden soon take the lead followed by a gaggle of fast moving surfers. The trills and spills of the conditions soon caused the chasing pack to thin out leaving Holden followed by Neil Wilson and John Browett as the leaders. The positions stayed this way until a mis-understanding with the finishing procedure let in Wilson with Browett a metre behind. A confused Holden followed up, just holding out Graham Scott. A protest for redress was to no avail for Holden and things stayed as they were.

The race was even more notable for Simon (many nicknames) Mussell falling off the side of his boat into the sail and somewhere in the process breaking his leg and ankle in 5 places. Not surprisingly he spent the rest of the regatta in Truro hospital and now has a fine set of metal wear holding it all together. He did, mind you, allegedly, get the nurses phone number. Hopefully not a male nurse! Get well soon.

Sunday morning was a race officers nightmare with squally showers bringing strong gusts followed by long flat patches with the left over wave system. Each passing weather feature causing up to a 30 degree windshift. After 3 hours and 2 aborted starts the fleet went ashore without any result. By mid afternoon the breeze had settled and 2 short races were held again in sparkling, surfs up, conditions. In the first Holden once more speeded his way to the front followed by Scott and Wilson. These 3 pulled out a large lead to finish in that order but not after Holden swam on the last reach, getting up quick to find Scott a touch slow on the last tack letting him in by a whisker. The chasers were lead home by Stuart Jones.

The second race of the day again saw Holden hold off the opposition to win both of the days races with some comfort and style. Jones followed closely for some time, almost getting past on the run, but was batted off on the next beat and also over taken by Wilson. Once again it was sparkling and dangerous reaching legs where pushing it too far could cause a swim. Extreme stuff really.

The wind was also up for Monday as the fleet headed off to the favoured right corner, but this time in solid sunshine. There was a familiar pattern to the positions with Holden, Wilson and Scott all thereabouts. The next beat, where the right really was favoured, whereas the middle and left saw a touch of the doldrums, greatly shuffled the fleet order, but it was still Holden and Wilson leading now with Matt Aston and Gary Langdown following up in the now light shifted breeze, having altered after a brief rain squall.

The second Monday race was the most spectacular sail, now that the wind had returned, with many coming ashore with big grins saying they had never been so fast downwind on a Contender surfboard. The by now familiar look at the front of the fleets with Holden then a closely placed Wilson prevailed for half the race until Scott rudely passed them on the run, coming from some way behind to just creep past by the bottom mark. Scott held this lead to the end with the other two staying as they were. Again Jones held off the rest to finish fourth someway back.

Tuesdays forecast was grim with force 8s and they were not wrong, so the fleet headed off for an early prize giving. Tim Holden, having threatened in other years, gladly took the Nationals with 3 wins out of the 5 races and won with a degree of comfort. It really was one of the most exciting and extreme sails in a stunning venue and proved that at least the boats can take it even if leaving the helms quivering jellies.

Overall Results:

1st Tim Holden (Halifax SC) 5pts
2nd Neil Wilson (Holy Loch SC) 8pts
3rd Graham Scott (RYA) 11pts
4th Stuart Jones (Datchet SC) 18pts
5th John Browett (Datchet SC) 19pts
6th Dave Davies (RYA) 28pts
7th Nick Grace (Castle Cove) 29pts

Silver Fleet winner
8th Paul Ross (Shotley SC) 33pts

Bronze Fleet winner and 1st newcomer
15th Nick Noble (Portishead SC) 64pts

Full Results:

Pos	Fleet	Sail No	Helm	Club	R1	R3	R4	R5	R6	Pts
1	Gold	2318	Tim Holden	Halifax SC	3	1	1	1	2	5
2	Gold	673	Neil Wilson	Holy Loch SC	1	3	2	2	3	8
3	Gold	691	Graham Scott	RYA	4	2	4	5	1	11
4	Gold	701	Stuart Jones	Datchet Water SC	8	4	3	7	4	18
5	Gold	689	John Browett	Datchet Water SC	2	5	5	16	7	19
6	Gold	693	David Davies	RYA	7	8	7	57	6	28
7	Gold	700	Nick Grace	Castle Cove	9	6	9	6	8	29
8	Silver	649	Paul Ross	Shotley SC	6	20	8	14	5	33
9	Gold	674	Richard Gimmler	Whitefriars	17	7	10	8	9	34
10	Gold	2324	Gary Langdown	Highcliffe SC	12	9	12	4	57	37
11	Gold	702	Matt Aston	Datchet Water SC	5	57	19	3	20	47
12	Gold	707	Peter Dives	Eastbourne Sovereign	13	21	6	18	14	51
13	Silver	683	Geoff Bettle	Highcliffe SC	10	13	16	24	12	51
14	Gold	589	Keith Paul	Weston SC	18	17	15	13	11	56
15	Gold	694	Stacey Bray	Porthpean SC	23	10	11	21	22	64
16	Bronze	711	Nick Noble	Portishead SC	25	19	17	10	18	64
17	Gold	671	Jamie Lea	Exe SC	15	16	13	57	21	65
18	Silver	7!!	Paul Walker	Highcliffe SC	24	15	24	17	10	66
19	Gold	613	Tony Burton	King George SC	19	14	23	11	26	67
20	Silver	647	Mark Robinson	Gurnard SC	11	12	22	34	24	69
21	Gold	659	Martin Metcalfe	Killington SA	22	18	21	19	16	74
22	Silver	622	Richard Buttner	RCPYC	28	11	25	12	35	76
23	Silver	675	David Gautier	Datchet Water SC	14	25	57	28	17	84
24	Silver	652	Neil Ferguson	Yorkshire Dales SC	21	27	14	22	29	84
25	Silver	708	Chris Bannister	Brightlingsea	57	24	18	23	19	84
26	Silver	696	Tony White	Lancing SC	16	32	20	36	25	93
27	Bronze	635	Paul Horlock	Castle Cove	26	38	30	29	13	98
28	Silver	697	Chris Howe	Oxford SC	32	23	57	26	23	104
29	Bronze	629	Ed Presley	RAFSA	57	35	27	9	37	108
30	Bronze	682	Ginge Lincoln	Hayling Ferry SC	29	26	33	38	27	115
31	Bronze	640	Alan Mollatt	Sandwich Bay SC	27	31	35	43	28	121
32	Silver	692	Colin Gates	Eastbourne Sovereign	36	36	26	33	31	126
33	Bronze	687	Jeremy Blaydes	Weston SC	33	30	32	35	33	128
34	Bronze	703	David Gates	Datchet Water SC	34	33	57	32	32	131
35	Bronze	664	Richard Coleman	BHYC	35	57	57	25	15	132
36	Bronze	614	Alan Hudson	Weston SC	31	37	57	30	34	132
37	Silver	646	Rodger White	King George SC	57	29	28	20	57	134
38	Silver	634	Martin Jones	Wilsonian SC	57	22	31	39	57	149
39	Bronze	631	Michael Scott	Kielder Water	57	40	36	41	39	156
40	Silver	654	Roger Gates	Datchet Water SC	57	34	57	37	30	158
41	Gold	559	Bernard Shapley	King George SC	30	57	57	15	57	159
42	Bronze	636	Allan Orton	Porthpean SC	57	41	57	31	36	165
43	Bronze	545	Jason Lunn	Burton SC	57	28	29	57	57	171
44	Bronze	706	Steven Rudd	Brightlingsea	57	39	34	42	57	172
45	Silver	681	Philip Dickinson	Weston SC	20	57	57	57	57	191
46	Bronze	627	David Gough	Starcross YC	57	57	57	40	38	192
47	Bronze	643	Gareth Humphreys	Weston SC	57	57	57	27	57	198
48	Silver	660	Richard Keevil	Langstone SC	37	57	57	57	57	208
49	Silver	678	Bill Hooton	Burton SC	57	57	57	57	57	228
50	Bronze	620	Mark Jackson	Lancing SC	57	57	57	57	57	228
51	Silver	695	Jeremy Driscoll	Felpham SC	57	57	57	57	57	228
52	Bronze	423	James Matthews	Leigh & Lowton	57	57	57	57	57	228
53	Bronze	596	Howard Osborne	Weston SC	57	57	57	57	57	228
54	Bronze	565	Mark Basham	Penzance SC	57	57	57	57	57	228
55	Silver	710	Simon Forbes	Weston SC	57	57	57	57	57	228
56	Gold	709	Simon Mussell	Highcliffe SC	57	57	57	57	57	228