ILCA 2021 UK National Championship at the WPNSA - Runners & Riders
by Ben Flower 3 Aug 2021 16:25 BST
14-18 August 2021
ILCA 7s at the WPNSA © Sam Pearce
The 2021 ILCA Nationals at WPNSA are nearly upon us and with almost 260 entries we can look forward the biggest National championship to be held in the UK for some considerable time. Before we look at who is likely to be in with a chance of taking home the chocs we must thank the army of volunteers that have stepped forward to make this event possible - more than 100 ! It couldn't happen without you - we still need help so give us a call if you'd like to be involved.
So who are the people that will be fighting out for top places?
The ILCA7 fleet have several international sailors competing. Finn Lynch from Ireland, who narrowly missed out on competing at this year's Tokyo Olympics, on his day is able to fight it out with the best in the world. Fellow Irishman Ewan McMahon a regular gold fleet sailor at the prestigious International events will push Lynch hard, and if situations get tight on the race course will probably know Lynch's weaknesses better than any other competitor in the fleet.
The next three sailors have spent many days training out in Malta with Sail coach over the past 2 years being led by Canadian James Juhasz, travelling the world but putting in the hard work, fellow Canadian Norman Struthers has also spent some time out in Malta and also has had to juggle sailing out of Stokes Bay with his university work in Southampton.
The third sailor that has been taking advantage of his time out in the Malta training base is Jake Farren-Price. Jake, a master of the light winds, will be hoping for a light and tricky week but don't rule him out in the breeze as well. Another light wind specialist and one of the lightest sailors in the fleet is Drew Barnes who has been mixing time in his ILCA with time in a 49er.
A fast sailor in the breeze is Jack Hopkins who has spent considerable time out in Portugal training hard, even claiming a roll on Laser legend Robert Scheidt! Hopkins will certainly be one to look out for, along with his training partners Kai Wolgram and Arthur Farley who likewise have spent a lot of time out in Portugal.
All these sailors are under 35 but don't rule out the masters who can still mix it in and have vast amount of sailing knowledge. Mark Lyttle a former Olympian at Atlanta 1996 will be hoping for his best form at the 2012 Olympic waters. Gareth Kelly and Tim Law will want to prove their National Champions crowns still fit many years after they last wore them. Nick Harrison, a Stokes Bay legend and former Olympic coach has spent his fair share of time down at Portland and will know those waters nearly as much as he knows the waters of Stokes Bay.
The 50th Anniversary Regatta winner Finley Dickinson, will want to follow up that success at Stokes Bay with success at WPNSA. Training hard over the winter with the transition squad, Finley has an all-around ability to sniff out the wind that many often don't see, he will be fighting out at the front of the fleet. Likewise, his brother Sam in the radial fleet will also be doing the same. The strength of the fleet is continued by Charlie South who beat Finley at the Keyhaven GP earlier this year. Fast in the breeze you won't want Charlie starting above you when the wind gets up!
Like some of the older competitors many of the younger sailor are now finding their time on the water is much reduced. Covid or work commitments take their toll but Jake Bowhay, another sailor from Stokes Bay, former GB representative at the Youth Worlds in the radial class will be up the front. Joe Woodley is the definition of a weekend warrior and will probably have spent the least amount of money on his boat in the fleet, spending less than £500 he bought his ILCA earlier this year which included a fender on the bow, he has now dubbed his ILCA the 'fender boat'. The final notable sailor is the ever unpredictable Ben Flower, who knows what he will do?
Overall a real tough fleet don't you think with many sailors battling out for the medals, who's your money on?
The event is being supported by our great sponsors:
Sailingfast - Duncan brings his battle buss down from Scotland for most the big events, which is so ridiculously well equipped, you could replace everything on your boat. Although based in Scotland they will get anything to you super fast. He also supplied many of the prizes for the draw on Saturday evening. sailingfast.co.uk
SouthEast Sailboats - Max brings bespoke quality at affordable prices to the class. His passion for detail has made his products a must have for anyone who wants quality. He also supplied many great prizes for the event. southeastsailboats.co.uk
Ovington Boats - Chris Turner lives dinghies and has been a significance presence in the boat building world for decades. OB are now the official UK builders of ILCAs. A very smart new Ovington ILCA Dinghy was on display at the Masters event. www.ovingtonboats.com
Vaikobi - a brand born on the waters of Sydney Harbour, out of a passion for all ocean sports. Across the team, we paddle, Surfski, SUP, Wing Foil and Sail. Sailing has been a passion within the business right from the start. The senior management team at Vaikobi comprise more than fifty years of marine industry and sailing experience between them. www.vaikobi.com
Noble Marine - Ian MacManus (the man behind the name) has crafted a very competitive and excellent insurance product for all Laser/ILCA sailors. A very personal service and a extremely useful website help make this the 'go to' company. www.noblemarine.co.uk
Fernhurst Books - Jeremy Atkins has put together an incredible list of the most useful dinghy racing books. If you have books on racing you've probably got at least one Fernhurst book. fernhurstbooks.com
Last but certainly not least we must thank the army of volunteers that have stepped forward to make this all happen - more than 100! It couldn't happen without you.