2022 Noble Marine UKLA ILCA 4 Inland Championship at Grafham Water Sailing Club

by Josie Kelly & Skye Collard 11 Nov 2022 18:31 GMT 5-6 November 2022

Leo Yates becomes the 2022 ILCA4 Inland National Champion but it wasn't easy with only 3 points separating the top 3 places it was down to the last race...

On Saturday morning, a huge 192 sailors arrived at Grafham Water ready for a chilly weekend of racing to finish off the season. Despite Grafham having low water levels, the Race Team still managed to provide two course areas and 6 great races for the ILCA Inland Championships.

66 sailors competed in the ILCA 4 class, who sailed an IX2/3 course all weekend. On Saturday, we were met initially with very light winds, however after a group briefing and the task of selecting the least muddy route down to the water, we were met with a breeze of around 15 knots with some larger gusts.

2022 Noble Marine UKLA ILCA 4 Inlands at Grafham Water - photo © Georgie Altham / www.facebook.com/galthamphotography

Race 1 was quickly under way, with a clear start for the whole fleet and the pin end seemed to pay, despite it being the more empty end of the line. Joe Rowe started the event with a bang, coming in 1st, followed by Angus Beale in 2nd and Dylan Beatty in 3rd.

By race 2, the wind had continued to build and sailors were seen to be utilising their controls more, in order to race the fastest. We were hit by some pretty big gusts and Ben Anderson made this work and took 1st, followed by Leo Yates in 2nd and Derin Soyer in 3rd.

2022 Noble Marine UKLA ILCA 4 Inlands at Grafham Water - photo © Georgie Altham / www.facebook.com/galthamphotography

For race 3 however, the wind died and was back down to a speed where most of the sailors were no longer hiking. The Race Committee had decided to give us an extra lap, giving us more of a chance for switching positions on the last race of the day. This favoured Joe Rowe, who came in 1st, followed by Angus Beale in 2nd and Amelie Hacker in 3rd.

The fleet was raring to go on Sunday morning, so much so that we pushed the line a little too much and had a general recall. We promptly restarted and a busy line of sailors got off to a good start with the little amount of wind we had. Archie Munro-Price made this work and won the race, followed by Ciara Murphy, and then Oliver McCormick.

Race 5 was just as light as race 4, people trucked out to each side of the course in search for wind although weary not to get too stuck out to one side with the ever changing wind. Although a slow race, it was won by Josie Kelly, followed by Seb Lyttle and Ciara Murphy in 3rd. (Unfortunately Ciara got 2 UFDs in race 3 and 6 thereby losing any chance of taking the top spot).

2022 Noble Marine UKLA ILCA 4 Inlands at Grafham Water - photo © Georgie Altham / www.facebook.com/galthamphotography

Between race 5 and race 6, we had a short postponement due to a wind shift but the Race Team was quick and got us back racing in no time. The wind had also increased during this time so we had a good fast paced 3 laps to finish off the event. The trend for this race was to hit the port lay line early and this seemed to pay off, so there was a constant stream of sailors coming in on port to the windward mark. Ralph Surguy smashed this race, followed by Derin Soyer And Thomas Davey.

Both days, a big bowl of pasta was greatly received by the sailors to refuel after a hard days work. Leo Yates managed to walk away with the win, just 1 point ahead of Archie Munro-Price and 3 points ahead of Angus Beale. Top 3 Females were Amelie Hacker 6th, Kaitlyn Wyatt 12th and Josie Kelly 14th. A huge thank you to everyone involved for making it a great last event for the 2022 season!

And finally a massive thank you on behalf of all the ILCA sailors from the weekend to all the helpers and volunteers who made this event possible. Especially the RO James Hynes and Neil Collingridge.

Different perspective

Every year many young sailors move up from the Optimists and the Toppers to the ILCA4s. The transition can seem daunting but is also full of new challenges. Sailing in a boat that is identical to the ones used in the Olympics adds a certain glamour to this step but more than that the sheer thrill of being there with friends having a laugh is priceless. In these very charming paragraphs Skye captures the spirit of just that moment.

My Weekend (by Skye Collard)

On the Saturday I was really nervous. This was the first Class National I've ever been to. I hadn't done any of the squads before and I only moved to the ILCA 4 this year.

Thankfully I have a lot of support at my School's sailing club and at Grafham Water Sailing Club; I also took part in the amazing ILCA skills week (With Jon Emmett) at Weymouth and learnt loads there too.

2022 Noble Marine UKLA ILCA 4 Inlands at Grafham Water - photo © Georgie Altham / www.facebook.com/galthamphotography

I set myself the goal of completing all the races and to not come last. I knew that competition was tough. I felt better when I met up with friends.

The wind got more exciting as the day went on on the Saturday. I got tired towards the end of the day. Someone on port called 'starboard' on me. Luckily I know this trick and ignored it.

The miserable weather on the Sunday made the wind shifty and this challenged my ability to set a course for racing. This is something I definitely need to work on. I was pleased with my starts. Hopefully I can take part in a lot more training so I can keep improving.

The winners of the ILCA 4 class are really amazing sailors. I really enjoyed the experience and hope to continue to improve.

2022 Noble Marine UKLA ILCA 4 Inlands at Grafham Water - photo © Georgie Altham / www.facebook.com/galthamphotography

Thanks also to our main weekend sponsors, Noble Marine, Ovington Boats, Vaikobi and Sailingfast who support the class so loyally.

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 to insure your boat. www.noblemarine.co.uk
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. 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. www.vaikobi.com
Ovington Boats - one of the biggest and best dinghy builders in the world and are now the official UK builders of ILCAs. www.ovingtonboats.com

Overall Results:

Pos	Sail No	Helm	Sailing Age	Club	R1	R2	R3	R4	R5	R6	Pts
1	179546	Leo Yates	U16	Island Barn SC / Shoreham SC	6	2	4	‑26	7	7	26
2	220097	Archie Munro‑Price	U16	CCSC & RLYMYC	5	8	8	1	‑11	5	27
3	195154	Angus Beale	U18	Corinthian Otters	2	11	2	6	8	‑35	29
4	213678	Derin Soyer	U18		14	3	5	‑17	10	2	34
5	216703	Joe Rowe	U18	Draycote Academy	1	9	1	18	12	‑21	41
6	216607	Amelie Hacker	U16	Rutland SC	20	13	3	9	‑29	14	59
7	173537	Ralph Surguy	U16	Corinthian Otters	11	7	16	25	(UFD)	1	60
8	210099	Ben Anderson	U16	Gurnard Sailing Club	8	1	32	7	‑36	15	63
9	218981	Harry Courts	U18		17	5	6	5	32	‑33	65
10	213516	Thomas Davey	U16	Royal Hospital Sch / Royal Harwich YC	15	26	11	‑43	20	3	75
11	185604	Nathan Russell	U16	RHYC	9	16	19	14	19	‑27	77
12	189059	Kaitlyn Wyatt	U18	Shoreham SC / Papercourt SC	16	23	18	21	4	‑31	82
13	200715	Dylan Beatty	U18	Rutland Sailing Club	3	17	9	30	24	‑37	83
14	212661	Josie Kelly	U16	Felpham SC	39	‑46	12	13	1	19	84
15	218043	Tom Rawlings	U16	Lyme Regis Sailing Club	12	20	‑31	24	28	4	88
16	199492	Jessica Watson	U16	Guernsey Yacht Club	24	19	‑33	29	5	12	89
17	220039	Ciara Murphy	U16	CISC / Royal Hospital School	7	10	(UFD)	2	3	UFD	90
18	206959	Toby Smith	U16	Rutland SC / Royal Hospital School	4	4	35	23	‑41	24	90
19	207093	Harry Rowlands	U16	Rutland Sailing Club	13	25	25	‑41	23	9	95
20	198317	Oliver McCormick	U16		28	‑40	27	3	13	25	96
21	220823	Spirit Alderson	U16	Derwent Reservoir Sailing Club	19	29	28	4	26	‑34	106
22	198827	Joseph Henderson	U18	Welsh Harp Sailing Club	25	24	13	(BFD)	14	30	106
23	211145	Lewis Bacon	U16	Leigh and Lowton	18	28	24	‑34	6	32	108
24	170426	Jadon Brockdorff‑Kennedy	U18	Queen Mary SC	32	22	10	‑37	30	17	111
25	211166	Seb Lyttle	U16		23	21	17	(BFD)	2	50	113
26	207649	Harriet George	U18	Royal Hospital School / Royal Corinthian	‑49	36	7	19	15	36	113
27	201872	Hugh Andrews	U16	Blackwater SC	10	12	(UFD)	22	UFD	6	118
28	198211	Harry West	U16	Royal Lymington Yacht Club	29	6	30	46	(UFD)	10	121
29	159450	Tim Czura	U18		21	‑63	38	32	18	8	122
30	203965	Oliver Hirst	U16	Scammonden Water Sailing Club	34	14	15	36	‑43	23	122
31	167848	Freya Halsall	U18	WOSC	31	27	34	‑38	21	11	124
32	201022	Eddie Dorsett	U16	Parkstone YC	38	43	‑44	20	9	18	128
33	209984	Tatiana Hazelwood	U16	Royal Hospital School/Rutland Sailing Cl	22	‑48	39	27	17	26	131
34	163032	Finley Moss	U18	Barnt Green SC	27	41	21	8	(UFD)	39	136
35	201861	Sara Goujon	U16	Hunts Sailing Club	40	‑57	41	11	16	29	137
36	209979	Jack McCormick	U18	Parkstone YC	‑48	18	22	28	33	38	139
37	212946	Felicity Angell	U16		33	31	‑36	16	27	28	140
38	175763	Eddy Reid	U16		30	33	29	‑35	34	16	142
39	195819	Max Bromilow	U16	Parkstone Yacht Club	36	34	14	39	25	‑51	148
40	215417	Stella Nygard	U16	Draycote Water Sailing Club	45	‑53	23	10	35	41	154
41	213589	Jacob Bennett	U16		‑41	35	37	33	38	13	161
42	212943	Monty Desforges	U16	Guernsey Yacht Club	46	15	20	47	47	‑60	175
43	209957	Nathan Flynn	U16	Corinthian Otters	42	‑52	42	12	44	42	182
44	220457	Tetiana Fedorenko	U16		‑47	44	43	40	37	22	186
45	152514	Electra Reeves	U18		‑55	47	45	45	45	20	202
46	216431	Oliver Gatton	U16		26	30	48	‑52	50	48	202
47	189419	Adele Burbidge	U18		44	‑55	26	42	39	52	203
48	215283	Bronwen Thomas	U16		‑59	54	47	15	46	43	205
49	133286	Bea West	U16	Newhaven and Seaford sailing club	43	45	46	‑49	42	46	222
50	220441	Finlay Cochrane	U16	Yorkshire Dales Sailing Club	54	39	40	48	53	‑61	234
51	199865	Olly Mayo	U16	Gurnard SC	‑58	32	58	44	48	53	235
52	212386	Harry Burge	U16	Rutland SC	(DNC)	DNC	DNC	31	31	40	238
53	161492	George Hill	U18	GWSC	35	38	56	57	54	‑63	240
54	220159	Ethan Millar	U18	South Cerney SC	56	37	52	54	‑58	47	246
55	166624	Ines Green	U18		51	‑56	50	55	51	45	252
56	218865	Maia Delin	U16	WPNSA	37	‑61	54	50	49	58	253
57	160507	Florence Tovey	U16		53	42	53	51	‑57	54	253
58	210220	Mortimer mastin	U16	dabchicks	62	50	(RET)	58	40	49	264
59	203986	Barnaby Watson	U16	Guernsey yacht club	‑61	49	51	56	52	56	264
60	167839	Emily Batterton	U18	West Oxfordshire Sailing Club	(DNC)	DNC	DNC	53	22	55	266
61	173875	Sam Clarke	U16	Glossop Sailing Club	50	51	49	‑59	59	59	268
62	171897	George Hutcheon	U16	Burnham‑on‑Crouch Sailing Club / Corinth	60	59	57	‑61	55	44	275
63	192485	Skye Collard	U16		57	‑60	60	60	56	57	290
64	208933	Ethan Mitchell‑Clarke	U16	Rutland Sailing Club	‑63	62	55	62	60	62	301
65	214587	Ethan Wild	U16		52	58	59	(DNC)	DNC	DNC	305
66	184150	Olivia Kinnear Lewis	A	Grafham	64	(DNC)	DNC	DNC	DNC	DNC	336
67	197899	Matthew Donley	U16		(DNC)	DNC	DNC	DNC	DNC	DNC	340