MDL Cadet National Championships Overall

24-30 July 1999
Royal Torbay Yacht Club

A great final day's racing at MDL Cadet Open Championships

On the final day of the MDL Cadet National Championships in Torbay it was very tight at the top of the leader board with plenty of opportunity for new names to come to the front and any one of five names could have won the championships.

In a force 2 - 3, the race officer once again got the fleet away cleanly for race 7 in a slight swell on a trapezoid course. There was a slight committee boat end bias and three boats were OCS but only one went back. 9038 Andy Cornah and Jacob Spruce - winners of races five and six - went hard left and lost out. Current leader 8436 Dan Allin with Richard Bye had a good start and went right. 8533 Andy Blackwell and Aaron Cooper went a little left then right and came out first at the windward ahead of 8855 John Elphinstone and Simon Green, with Allin a few places adrift.

Places remained the same on the first reach and the leaders all gybes at the next mark, except for Allin who went out on his own and left it very late before gybing and made up from 7th to 3rd. On the second beat, all the leaders went left with Elphinstone covering Allin. 8553 Bobby and Jenny Sudell played the shifts on the run well and made up six places. Blackwell won from Elphinstone, Allin and Sudell in fourth.

In race 8, the race officer used the triangle/sausage/beat course. Allin got to the line too early, had to turn away and was buried by the fleet. The leaders went middle and right and Blackwell led at the first mark again from 8440 Kate Mackay and Oliver Harbott with Sudell in third, but he then lost places at the bottom of the second beat when he tacked into the fleet on the run. It was very close at the last mark with Blackwell loosely covering Elphinstone up the final beat. But he lost it in the last few yards on the final tack as Elphinstone just edged past to take first. The points were very close with Allinís 3rd in race 7 giving hime enough of a buffer to take the overall championship title ahead of Elphinstone and Sudell. Blackwell was fourth with Cornah 5th and McCarthy 6th.

In the B fleet, race 7 started cleanly with the leaders going middle and left up the first beat of the trapezoid course and with a couple of boats getting pin end flyers before going hard left. At the first mark, 8541 Sophie Harrison led from 9030 David Putt and Joanna Weguelin and 8846 James and Amelia Hughes. Overnight leader Jennings didnít do well on the first beat and came out 10th at the first mark. Harrison extended her lead down the reach and run but let the leaders catch up a little on the second beat. By the end she had extended her lead ahead of Putt in second. 8997 Laura and James Wade sailed strongly all through the race to make up for a poor start and finished third.

In race 8, Putt was first up the beat ahead of Jennings, Hughes and 8570 Toby Harris and Katrina Hughes. The wind had dropped away a little and as the first ten boats went down the reach and amid much luffing and chatting, places changed. By the bottom of the run, Harrison had caught Jennings and it became a very close race. At the end, 9177 Mark and Thomas Bartlett had fought their way through the fleet to second, behind the Hughes pairing. Harrison held onto a close third ahead of Putt with Jennings only managing 6th, not enough to hold onto the championships. So Harrison took the title.

Final results (top 5 places in each fleet):

A Fleet
Pos Boat Name            Helm, Crew              
    Club
-------------------------------------------------------
1.  Enigma               Daniel Allin, Richard Bye
    Royal Lymington YC
2.  Flirting with Danger John Elphinstone, Simon Green
    Royal Corinthian YC
3.  Mistoffelees         Bobby Sudell, Jenny Sudell
    Waldringfield SC
4.  Teen Spirit          Andrew Blackwell, Aaron Cooper
    Frensham Pond SC
5.  Northern Exposure    Andrew Cornah, Jacob Spruce
    West Kirby SC

B Fleet
Pos Boat Name            Helm, Crew
    Club
------------------------------------------------------
1.  Stress               Sophie Harrison, Nick Johnson
    Royal Corinthian YC
2.  Flyer                Richard Jennings, David Brewer
    Parkstone SC, Poole
3.  No Fear              James Hughes, Amelia Huges
    Royal Corinthian YC
4.  Flying Scotsman      David Putt, Joanna Weguelin
    Royal Lymington YC
5.  Executrix            Laura Wade, James Wade
    Royal Corinthian YC

C Fleet
Pos Boat Name            Helm, Crew
    Club
------------------------------------------------------
1.  As If                Alex Shanahan, Jamie Munro
    Royal Corinthian YC
2.  Aslan                Harriet Barber, Jamie Anderson
    Royal Torbay YC
3.  Black Adder          Katrina Johson, Camille Parsons
    South Cerney SC
4.  Sail on Wild Side    Richard Moss, Katherine Bartlett
    Fishers Green SC
5.  Marco Polo          Christopher Bailey, Chris Perry
    Parkstone SC

More Information:

• YachtsandYachting.com Cadet Page
• clubs.mariner.co.uk/cadet