Shadow National Championship at Gurnard Sailing Club
by Robin Leather 19 Jul 2017 06:27 BST
14-16 July 2017
2017 Shadow Nationals at Gurnard © Chris Evans
Fifteen Shadows took part in the main event of 2017, held at Gurnard Sailing Club on the Isle of Wight.
Race officer Barrie Harding did a smashing job getting nine races completed. Defending champion Paul Bowen was the 'man on form' with Shaun Kellett keeping him honest. Past(it!) champion, Robin Leather hadn't seen his beloved Shadow for some time and only got time for a quick refresher the week before.
We had 3 days with all conditions. Light and variable, full on clenched buttocks and even a rare perfect day! The Friday was light and fluky. Shaun Kellett and Pete Newlands each scored a win while Leather only managed a seventh in the first race and Paul Bowen managed a pair of thirds.
The Saturday started fresh and ended positively tasty. Leather finally found is stride and put in a few bullets while Bowen and Carl Blenkinsop chased hard. Kellett suffered some issues and dropped away. Leather went into the last day in a strong position and the perfect conditions in Thorness Bay were to his liking, sealing the title early on. Paul Bowen fended off Carl Blenkinsop for second and Pete Newlands finished in a very good fourth overall.
The 2018 Shadow National Championships will be hosted again by Gurnard Sailing Club on Friday 29th June to Sunday 1st July.
Overall Results:
| Pos | Sail No | Helm | Pts |
|---|
| 1 | 85 | R Leather | 8 |
| 2 | 66 | Paul Bowen | 16 |
| 3 | 64 | C Blenkinsop | 22 |
| 4 | 48 | P Newlands | 33 |
| 5 | 32 | J French | 36 |
| 6 | 70 | J Salter | 37 |
| 7 | 57 | S Kellett | 43 |
| 8 | 68 | P Tanner | 52 |
| 9 | 54 | Pete Bowen | 55 |
| 10 | 89 | T Wyeth | 64 |
| 11 | 40 | D Downer | 68 |
| 12 | 84 | M Jenkinson | 69 |
| 13 | 45 | N Harley | 74 |
| 14 | 44 | I Moore | 98 |
| 15 | 43 | J Welch | 103 |