Noble Marine / Sailingfast ILCA 6 Qualifier 3 at the WPNSA

The final UKLA Qualifier event came to a close this past weekend with glamour conditions over the two days of racing. 72 boats enjoyed racing in the harbour on both days along with many porpoises to keep the fleet company. The RC provided organised racing, with good time management to keep the racing on track.

The weekend forecast was for the wind to be strong easterly on Saturday and lighten into the south east on Sunday.

Noble Marine / Sailing Fast ILCA 6 Spring Qualifier 3 at the WPNSA - photo © Lotte Johnson / www.lottejohnson.com

As racing got under way in the first race on Saturday morning the fleet sailed an all clear start. I started at the boat end in clear air and sailed to the left side in 15-20knots. Eventually I was able to tack in a left shift and consolidated my position near the front of the fleet ahead of the downwind. Playing the right hand side downwind was not good and I rounded the left gate and headed back upwind on the right side which allowed me to gain back a bit of distance. I carded my worst finish of the weekend (5th) while Hannah Snellgrove took the win, followed by Matilda Nicholls, and Alistair Brown in 3rd - his best finish of the weekend.

A quick turn around by the RC before the second race was started. The forecast was calling for a right hand shift, so again I hedge my bets by starting at the boat end of the line. Looking up the course at the ILCA 4 fleet they started showing signs of the shift coming, so I headed right soon after the start. Out on the right hand side I tacked short on everyone on lay line, with hopes of sailing a shorter distance as the breeze shifted right. (Where I had a short visit from a pair of dolphins). By the top mark I rounded in 2nd and set up to play the left on the downwind which worked well and I was able to lead the race by the bottom mark. At the finish it was myself, followed by Hannah and then Matilda. Tim Evans posted a good 4th, bouncing back from a 25th in the first race.

Noble Marine / Sailing Fast ILCA 6 Spring Qualifier 3 at the WPNSA - photo © Lotte Johnson / www.lottejohnson.com

The final race of the day and the legs were starting to fatigue in the 15 knot hiking conditions. The fleet split left and right off the start line. On the first beat Hannah and Matilda on the left looked to be leading, myself Daisy on right not far behind. Halfway up the beat the left was on a good shift and the right shift was looking good too, but in the end as we came back together the left was better as Hannah and Matilda led. On the downwind I managed to make some gains to the left hand side of the pack and rounded the left gate to take the first right shift I could find. I tried playing the shifts up the middle to avoid the extremes. Those that played the left were able to make a big gain on Daisy who had gone far right. I was able to hip up on the left group at the end of the beat to make a small gain, and sailed downwind ending up 4th. Hannah posted her second bullet of the day, followed by Daisy and Matilda.

Noble Marine / Sailing Fast ILCA 6 Spring Qualifier 3 at the WPNSA - photo © Lotte Johnson / www.lottejohnson.com

Sunday morning started early following the clocks springing forward for Mothers Day and the fleet was a bit too eager on the first start in the lighter conditions that met the fleet. After a general recall the black flag restart went off in a light fickle 7 knots. I started in the middle of the line and tacked up the beat playing the shifts and staying in pressure where I rounded the first mark in 2nd behind Matilda. I made a gain on the reach to set up for the downwind where I tried to keep my air clear by sailing on the right side towards the gate. I rounded the right hand gate behind Matilda and we headed out to the left, keeping an eye on Tommie Grit who was headed out to the right. Halfway up the beat I split from the left to head back towards the middle where a puff seemed to be forming, and which Tommie was lining up for coming out of the right. This turned out to be a good move as Matilda got stuck on the left in less pressure while Tommie and I were able to sail in better pressure and a slight shift leading into the top mark. The downwind ended up being very challenging as the breeze dropped out, and it was difficult to keep the boat moving. Matilda was doing an excellent job catching up from behind but in the end I was able to squeak out the win, with Matilda in 2nd and fellow RHS sailor Tommie Grit posting his best score of the series in 3rd. Hannah the series leader sailed a drop race, so the day was getting interesting.

Noble Marine / Sailing Fast ILCA 6 Spring Qualifier 3 at the WPNSA - photo © Lotte Johnson / www.lottejohnson.com

Second race was tricky - I started off the boat end of the line initially lee-bowed by Ollie Allen-Wilcox, but was able to hold out until we were crossed by Daisy and Hannah coming out of the left. By the end of the beat Ollie was first, followed by Hannah, Daisy, and I in fourth. On the reach Matilda and I were able to gain on the bunch ahead, and I gybed away onto the run to play the left on a much faster by-the-lee angle which worked very well moving into 1st by the bottom gate. On the final beat to windward I worked on covering the girls as best I could and was able to hold out for the win over Daisy, Hannah, and then Ollie in 4th.

Noble Marine / Sailing Fast ILCA 6 Spring Qualifier 3 at the WPNSA - photo © Lotte Johnson / www.lottejohnson.com

Final race of the series and it was all to play for in the top three between myself, Hannah, and Matilda. Starting middle-boat end with Hannah I was able to bounce her off my hip soon after the start which ended up sending her into the right where a big right phase of pressure was setting up. Daisy and Hannah sailed an excellent beat, while I sailed probably my worst of the series. At the top mark I was in 10th or 11th and had to make up a lot of distance. Sailing down the run on the rhumbline I was able to make up 5 places, but the leading pack was too far ahead for me to make any further places up for the rest of the race. Daisy took the win, while Hannah cemented her place at the top of the overall leaderboard with a 2nd in the final race. Tommie rounded out the podium in that race.

Overall a great weekend of sailing, it is a pleasure to be part of the UKLA and congratulations to everyone that took part and thank you to the Race Committee and volunteers for making the event possible.

Overall Results:

Thanks to all those who support the ILCA fleets:

• Noble Marine - has crafted a very competitive and excellent insurance product for all Laser/ILCA sailors. A very personal service and an extremely useful website help make this the 'go to' company. www.noblemarine.co.uk
• Sailingfast - Duncan brings his battle bus 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. Check out his website: sailingfast.co.uk
• 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. Visit www.vaikobi.com
• 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. Visit www.ovingtonboats.com