Hornet National Championship at Stone Sailing Club - Overall

Hornet Nationals at Stone © Nick Champion / www.championmarinephotography.co.uk

Hornet Nationals at Stone © Nick Champion / www.championmarinephotography.co.uk

Stone Sailing Club, situated on the River Blackwater, played hosts to Hornets National Championship over four days (17-20 August). Leading up to the championship, the forecasts suggested that sitting on the sidedecks would not be an option, perching on an upturned hull was more likely.

Day One

The fleet were greeted by bright sunshine and a freshening south westerly breeze likely to cause a few thrills and spills. The fleet was particularly eager at the first start not helped by the flooding tide sweeping the boats upwind. The fleet quickly spread across the race course as the capsizes started having an impact. Skudder with Hills started well and demonstrated great speed downwind on the broad reaches. However, final honours went to third placed Bines with Gibbons followed by mixed crew Strangler and Pippa Roger with the Dells making third as OCSs kicked in.

For race 2 the tide had turned so the boats would have to fight their way upwind in the blustery conditions. On the second triangle, the wind shifted to the left and Bardsley-Dale / Nurse enjoyed a blistering reach leaving the rest of the fleet trailing in their wake. Garry and Woolner made amends for their earlier OCS to finish second, with McNamara / Chatterton in third.

Day Two

After a brief foray in winds peaking at 32 knots, racing restarted later in the afternoon. A tough fought race 3 saw Bardsley-Dale and Nurse continue their fine form from the previous day and pick up another win, from Bines / Gibbons and McNamara / Chatterton.

The ebb tide kicked for race 4 and combined with some stronger gusts of over 25 knots, the steep chop made progress upwind relatively slow. McNamara and Chatterton demonstrated superb speed upwind and by the end of the race had built up a considerable lead with Bardsley-Dale / Nurse second followed by Terry Curtis and Terry Palmer.

For the final race of the day, the race officer made the wise decision to shorten due to the strong tide and the need for the sailors to retain some energy for the forthcoming games night. Garry and Woolner sailed well to take this race.

Hornet Nationals at Stone - photo © Nick Champion / www.championmarinephotography.co.uk

Day Three

The breezy one! Following a recall, the fleet started cleanly with little between them at the windward mark. McNamara and Chatterton enjoyed a slim lead but gradually this extended to the finish line as their superior upwind speed shone through.

In race 7, McNamara and Chatterton again led the way but were heavily pursued by Storky / Mark Taylor and Strang/Rogers. These 2 boats swapped places throughout the race but on the final reach, the flying Scotsmen flew past to take second. Race 8, the wind stepped up a notch (touching 30 knots), the fleet simply went faster... in between the capsizes. Although McNamara and Chatterton were leading, again Strang/Rogers and Storky/Taylor were hot on their heels. On the final run, the breeze kicked in big time. Several boats lost control and went for swims.

Hornet Nationals at Stone - photo © Nick Champion / www.championmarinephotography.co.uk

As the fleet approached the leeward mark on starboard gybe, some of the leading boats chose to play safe and wore for a port approach: Many chose to gybe, some survived, others did not. To add confusion the S flag inadvertently and very briefly, unfurled itself as the leading boats approached the leeward mark. As a result the fleet concertinaed again for the final lap. McNamara and Chatterton took the gun for a very successful day's racing, followed by Strang/Rogers and the Dells.

Stone's catering team served a fine meal for the annual Dinner and many a glass of wine was taken with the competitors and the members of Stone SC. Various generously donated items including sails were auctioned off by Class Commodore Richard Barnes.

Day Four

Going into the final day, the wind had moderated to a very welcome south westerly force 4. Race 9 started quickly with the fleet splitting to both sides of the course trying to gain best advantage of the flood tide. Skudder / Hills finally got their act together, rounding the windward mark first and romping home to the finish, followed by the Dells and Storky / Taylor. The final race was held in similar conditions but at the head of the pack was the ever-present "Rhythm Stick" winning by a good margin from Garry / Woolner and Bardsley-Dale / Nurse, in the process winning the championship.

Hornet Nationals at Stone - photo © Nick Champion / www.championmarinephotography.co.uk

A massive thank you to Stone sailing club for a very warm welcome and great socials events. On the water, the race management was superb, particularly on Monday where the course was constantly re-jigged in a very timely manner despite the very challenging conditions. Finally thank you to our sponsors, Exe Sails, Marchbanks Architectural Planning and Canine Enterprises Inc for providing prizes and supporting this championship.

The next Hornet event will be the Herne Bay open on 21st & 22nd September where we hope to see the first of the new rule spinnakers that are now class legal. Then to round off the racing calendar, we are off to Netley for the Final Fling 5th & 6th October where we shall be enjoying an experimental sprint series with the Contender fleet. If you want to join us, why not try our class boat (Championship winning in 2017)? Hope to see you there!

Overall Results:
If you finished in the top ten at the Hornet nationals then enter your Gear Guide information here