Spitfire Nationals at Worthing Sailing Club - Overall
by Spitfire 100 23 Aug 2005 15:13 BST
19-21 August 2005
The Spitfire Nationals 2005 where held at Worthing Yacht Club, over ten races, with a turnout of 25 boats from 18 different yacht clubs.
Day one saw a steady force 3 with four quick races back to back. With only 2 laps per race and short legs (average race duration 30 mins) there was not much time for a breather as Alex Farr/Marcelle Newbold took the first race (to be later abandoned due to incorrect starting flags), Johnny Hutchings/Terran Gildea took one, Jonathon Loday/Ellen Forshaw in the demo boat had the next win followed by Reg White/Dafydd Smith. With such close racing Day 2 was eagerly anticipated, with the top spot up for grabs.
Day 2 saw the same weather with a spread of results with Paul Jury/Rosanne Jury taking two wins, Chris Sproat/Georgina Burke one and Loday/Forshaw the fourth. The offshore wind provided some tricky wind shifts and once again a short course kept the racing tight with no clear winners.
An excellent Saturday night followed the excellent day on the water with a live band providing an opportunity for the fleet to show off their dance floor moves to a bemused F18 crowd. Needless to say Spitfire 158’s crew led the way…
Sunday started with some very light winds and a long trek to the start line which was 3 miles offshore. After some dubious capsizing practice from Ben Dago/Sam Edwards, the wind gradually built as racing started after a handful of general recalls. Reigning European Champions Sproat/Burke claimed the first race with Loday/Forshaw hot on their heels.
An unfortunate ‘puncture’ on the start line of the 9th race saw Paul Jury and daughter struggle during the final two races as the starboard hull got more and more waterlogged, however due to excellent racing during the previous 2 days they managed to hang on to third overall.
Loday/Forshaw once again working well together gaining their third and fourth race wins of the weekend and eventually first overall for the event. Second place went to Sproat/ Burke and they were crowned the UK Nationals Champs (Loday was not eligible).
Next event Stokes Bay Cat Open TT 10th – 11th September 2005.
Overall Results:
| Pos | Sail No | Helm | Crew | Club | Pts |
|---|
| 1st | 106 | Jonathon Loday | Ellen Forshaw | CNBPP (Fra) | 14 |
| 2nd | 158 | Chris Sproat | Georgina Burke | Weston | 24 |
| 3rd | 131 | Paul Jury | Rosanne Jury | NDYC | 31 |
| 4th | 100 | Alex Farr | Marcelle Newbold | Weston | 34 |
| 5th | 124 | Johnny Hutchings | Terran Gildea | Pagham | 37 |
| 6th | 159 | Reg White | Dafydd Smith | Brightlingsea | 40 |
| 7th | 160 | Mike Scantlebury | David Harris | RYA | 41 |
| 8th | 053 | Adam Piggott | Stewart Smith | Grafham | 64 |
| 9th | 122 | John Beech | Hannah Burke | Felixstowe Ferry | 67 |
| 10th | 145 | Gary Smith | Lynn Whitmore | Eastbourne | 80 |