420 class at the RYA Youth National Championships at Weymouth - Update
by Imogen Wade & Teddy Dunn 12 Apr 2023 16:13 BST
10-14 April 2023
RYA Youth National Championships 2023 © Sophie Ayres
We are on day three, have completed three races and two days ashore. The weather is so crazy here that even the dinghy park is off-limits with over 70 knots recorded and a concern for flying debris.
Day one was also too windy but day two delivered top-end conditions with the 420 fleet out in the bay for three races. They all faced a long beat back in with gusts hitting 40 knots and a few tangles with the harbour well.
The 420s however saw three different winners across those three races, with George Creasy and David Bromilow taking race one, Harry George and Ralph Cawthorne taking race two and Henry Heathcote and Oscar Cawthorne taking the third race win.
Will Fletcher and Ethan Sparkes, relative newcomers to the fleet, put in some solid results to put them firmly in the mix.
The wind built and tracked left throughout the time afloat, with the leaders all making good use of the left-hand side of the course. The increase in breeze also meant for a bigger sea and some hairy downwind moments. The fleet saved the swimming for the way home with relatively little during the racing despite the challenging conditions.
It was, however, the mixed teams of Imogen Wade and Teddy Dunn and Alice Davis and Oliver Rayner who will be wearing the gold and silver bibs on day four, but with just four points separating the top four this battle is far from over.
Results: youthnationals.rya.org.uk/en/default/races/race-resultsall