National 12 Dinghy Shack series final and Inland Championships at Northampton Sailing Club

N12 Dinghy Shack series final and Inland Championships at Northampton © Kevan Bloor

This event was the last in the Dinghy Shack 2023 series; the Saturday counted for the Dinghy Shack series, and the whole weekend counted for the inland championships. The event was shared with the Solos, making it busy on the water and around the club.

Saturday was true to the weather forecast with plenty of rain, the wind chill bolstered by lots of wind in the first race which dropped off to a drifter in the afternoon. The 12s got in two races but the Solos only one. The shifty conditions were challenging with plenty of snakes and ladders on the course.

The race officer set a P course for race one with the 12s starting first. The 12s completed their first lap pretty quickly, and caught up with the Solos on their first run. This resulted in a very busy leeward mark. Graham & Anya Camm sailing Very Hungry Caterpillar just managed to inch past Steve & Joanne Sallis in Catbert at the leeward mark. Catbert soon got them back, though, finding a clear-ish path through the mass of Solos and they held their lead to the finish.

The wind dropped for the second race. Ian & Alex Gore in Mog and Kevin Iles & Katy Meadowcroft in Snagglepuss were fast off the start line. The Very Hungry Caterpillar joined these two by the windward mark. The wind steadily dropped on the run and became light for the last leg. The Very Hungry Caterpillar inched ahead and drifted over the line in first place.

The fleet hung around waiting to see if the wind would fill in, but with no sign after 40 minutes and feeling chilly, they headed ashore to warm up.

The club ran a very popular bonfire and fireworks event in the evening and the N12 sailors warmed themselves up from the heat of a burning wooden dinghy (fortunately not a National 12).

N12 Dinghy Shack series final and Inland Championships at Northampton - photo © Kevan Bloor

Sunday dawned bright, with a gusty and shifty force 3 to 5. The Race Officer set a large course to try and keep the 12s and Solos separated.

Race three saw some big shifts. The Very Hungry Caterpillar looked good off the pin end of the line, but then the large Solo fleet descended on the run, forcing the 12 sailors to make a call on which side of them to go - going through the middle wasn't an option. Snagglepuss choose to go to left and were rewarded handsomely popping out well ahead of the rest of the fleet at the windward mark. The Very Hungry Caterpillar took the lead by the leeward mark with Mog snapping at their heels. Mog powered past on them final beat to take the gun.

The pin end of the line was favoured again in race four. Tom Stewart & Dylan Mcardle in Whitebait dominated the first part of the race. The wind brought the fleet together on the run and it got pretty crowded at the leeward mark. There was some general chaos and Whitebait unfortunately took a swim.

The Very Hungry Caterpillar took the lead briefly, but John Meadowcroft & Sophie Edwards in DB Copper powered past them on the final beat to victory! The Very Hungry Caterpillar was second followed by Mark Addison sailing with son Jonathan in Fatal Abstraction, who sailed a fantastic race to take third place.

The wind picked up further for the start of the final race. DB Cooper and Jon Brown & Hayden Sellers in Tonto flew off the line with commanding positions but were informed by the rescue boat at the windward mark that they were OCS along with Tim & Chris Hampshire in Carbonara. This handed Catbert the lead which they guarded to the finish.

Two new local boats took part, with Dave & Matt in a Final Chapter having a few swims in the challenging conditions. Thomas Evans was sailing with son Freddie, who was the youngest person in the fleet.

N12 Dinghy Shack series final and Inland Championships at Northampton - photo © Kevan Bloor

Overall Results:

First junior: Zoe Meadowcroft & Zoe Ballantyne
First non-foiler: Tim & Chris Hampshire

N12 Dinghy Shack series final and Inland Championships at Northampton - photo © Kevan Bloor