Seafly National Championship at Blakeney Sailing Club
by Alan Collett 18 Jul 2017 14:46 BST
15-16 July 2017
15th and 16 July 2017 saw the return of the resurging Seafly class to Blakeney Sailing Club for their national championship, with some crews having made long journeys to reach this idyllic piece of coastline.
The strong south-westerly wind on the first day proved challenging to many of the competitors. However, in the close competitive racing, Alan Robinson and Hugh Ambery in 477 had good boat speed and tactics to win both races with defending champion John Claridge in 703 crewed by Steve Leigh notching up two seconds. Alan Jackson and Frenesi Ewing in 701 were also in the mix with a third and a potential second which was dashed because of rudder problems forcing retirement; this allowed Roger Beavis and David Blogg in 652 to get into the top three.
With lighter winds on the second day, race three was pivotal to the championship, and unlike others, Alan and Hugh made no navigational mistakes to win and clinch the title. Alan and Fren came second with Tim and Ben Uren in 702 third.
Whilst the overall winner had already been decided there were several potential runners up but Alan and Fren nailed it, making a text book start and pulling out a large lead, with Alan and Hugh on this occasion having to settle for second place, and John and Steve third.
Overall Results:
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| Pos | Sail No | Boat Name | Helm | Crew | Club | R1 | R2 | R3 | R4 | Pts |
|---|
| 1st | 477 | Merlin | Alan Robinson | Hugh Ambery | Blakeney S.C. | 1 | 1 | 1 | ‑2 | 3 |
| 2nd | 701 | Cfly | Alan Jackson | Frenesi Ewing | Blakeney S.C. | 3 | (DNF) | 2 | 1 | 6 |
| 3rd | 703 | | John Claridge | Steve Leigh | Lymington Y. C. | 2 | 2 | ‑4 | 3 | 7 |
| 4th | 652 | Summer Breeze | Roger Beavis | David Blogg | Blakeney S.C. | ‑6 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 12 |
| 5th | 702 | Grace | Tim Uren | Ben Uren | Chichester Y.C. | ‑7 | 6 | 3 | 5 | 14 |
| 6th | 620s | Zippidee | Sean Moore | Alan Collett | Blakeney S.C. | 4 | 5 | ‑6 | 6 | 15 |
| 7th | 644 | Free Spirit | Matt Boreham | Steve Soanes | Blakeney S.C. | 5 | 4 | ‑8 | 7 | 16 |
| 8th | 639 | Waterloo | Tom Skailes | Julie Skailes | Outer Bath S.C. | 10 | (DNC) | 7 | 8 | 25 |
| 9th | 653 | Kittiwake | Angela Harcourt | Amy Howes | Blakeney S.C. | ‑9 | 7 | 9 | 9 | 25 |
| 10th | 466 | Wind Waggon | Robert Odling | Giles Odling | Chew Valley S.C. | 8 | 8 | (DNC) | DNC | 27 |