4000 class National Championship 2024 at Royal Western Yacht Club
by Oliver Di Bartolo 22 Jul 13:55 BST
28-30 June 2024
4000 class National Championship at Plymouth © Paul Gibbins Photography
The Royal Western Yacht Club played host to the 4000 UK National Championships accompanied by the D-One and ISO classes. As regular visitors to the increasingly successful All spars final fling, Plymouth Sound was no better place to hold three days of action packed racing.
With risk of a under 5 knots forecast on Saturday, the race committee decided to pack in 4 races on the Friday. A consistent wind speed 15 to 21 knots from the south were the orders of the day with a small amount of swell and brilliant sunshine to contend with, in other words, champagne sailing!
Race number one was won by Steve Tylecote and Toby Lewis (4281) leading the fleet away from the start line on starboard, only to be beaten by Richard de Fleury and Ethan Deeley (4572) perfectly calculating a port flyer, a tactic that 4572 has become famous for. With a small amount of tide effecting the course it paid for those who chose the left side.
As the wind strength started to build, so did the advantage towards the heavier crews. Races two to four were won by Matthew Reynolds and Oliver Di Bartolo (4522) demonstrating great up wind boat speed through the shallow waves. It continued to be tight competition in fleet for the rest of the day meaning a single mistake could have cost you several positions.
Friday evening off of the water was far less demanding, with the entire fleet attending a local BBQ. A huge thank you from us to Pete and Charlotte Scott, for hosting us all at their house.
Saturday dawned bringing more wind than forecast, after the race committee were sent out to check the conditions, it was time to go sailing in 6-8knots of breeze. Definitely a day for the light wind specialists who have the expertise to link the gusts together. It was business and usual for John Reynolds and Fran Howell (4588) showing off their skills, sailing downwind as low as possible winning all three races, partly enabled by the 4000s iconic wing-wang system.
4822 were kept on their toes by Steve/Toby and were closely followed by father and son team Tim and Alex Litt (4546), despite a retiring from the first of the day's races.
Owing to the efficiency of the race team getting us off the water before 3pm, competitors were treated to a couple of pints in the sun and the Armed Forces Day air show over the Plymouth sound. Some even ventured off to explore the local pubs on offer in the town whist others snuck off for a well-earned power nap.
The joint class dinner consisting of a well prepared three course meal provided by the Royal Western with Paul Gibbins photography on display from the day before, a bit too civilised for the 4000 class if you ask me!
Sunday began and it was all to play for at the top, only a single point separating the top three. The wind had swung slightly towards the east blowing between 10 and 18 knots. Due to a large fleet auxiliary shipping movement the race committee had to squeeze in two shorter races before an hour on the water delay.
The order of the day was boat speed and trying to keep the boat going in the lulls. There were some great on the water battles throughout the fleet. Neil Heffernan/Jo Morrison (4343), Matt/Ollie and Peter Scott showed off their class gybing skills downwind. Whilst others went for clearer air. Despite the everyone's best efforts, Steve and Toby were unbeatable winning all three races and securing the 2024 national championship title.
Overall, everyone who has sailed from the Royal Western Yacht club will know the Plymouth sound is an iconic venue, with a wide open sailing area challenging waves combined with a beautiful back drop. Congratulations to Steve and Tony, who have retained the National title for a third time and recognition to all who competed.
Huge thanks from the class to the Royal Western, Sam Hannaford (event organiser), Jerry our race officer including his team, on the water volunteers, beach team, bar/galley staff and MDL marina.
The coveted capsize trophy was awarded to Tim and Alex Litt for the volume of upside-down moments during the event.
Congratulations to Matthew Reynolds and Oliver Di Bartolo, retaining the 2023 UK series Trophy for a third time.
A further thank you to Rooster for sponsoring the event and Paul Gibbins Photography. Photographs can be found on the website below or on the 4000 social media pages:
The next event for the 4000 class will be the European championships held in Riva de Garda, Italy, on the 31st-3rd of August. The final UK series event of the year will be again held at the Royal Western Yacht Club on the 12th-13th of October, the final fling. Class association hire boat is still available for this event.
Overall Results:
| Pos | Boat | Sail No | Helm | Crew | Club | R1 | R2 | R3 | R4 | R5 | R6 | R7 | R8 | R9 | R10 | Pts |
|---|
| 1 | Grey Ship | 4281 | Steve Tylcote | Toby Lewis | Rutland S C | 1 | 2 | ‑6 | ‑3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 12 |
| 2 | Bumble Bee | 4522 | Matt Reynolds | Ollie DiBartolo | Graffham Water S C | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | ‑6 | 4 | ‑5 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 18 |
| 3 | | 4588 | John Reynolds | Fran Howell | Graffham Water S C | 5 | 3 | 3 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 1 | ‑6 | 3 | (DNC) | 22 |
| 4 | Top Banana | 4546 | Tim Litt | Alex Litt | Rutland and Graffham S C | 4 | 5 | 7 | 2 | (DNC) | 3 | 3 | 2 | (DNF) | 2 | 28 |
| 5 | | 4343 | Neil Heffernan | Jo Morrison | Queen Mary S C | 2 | 4 | 2 | 4 | ‑7 | ‑9 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 30 |
| 6 | Stroma | 4572 | Richard de Fleury | Ethan Deeley | Yorkshire Dalses S C | ‑8 | 6 | 5 | 8 | 3 | 8 | 6 | 7 | 7 | (DNC) | 50 |
| 8 | | 4568 | David Marchant | Mark Domaille | Graffham Water S C | DNF | 8 | 4 | 6 | 4 | 5 | 8 | (DNC) | (DNC) | DNC | 58 |
| 9 | Ruby | 4224 | Tom Cochrane | Rob Sheppard | Oxford S C | 7 | ‑9 | 8 | (DNC) | 8 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 59 |
| 10 | | 4258 | Tony Burton | Rachel WellsSowden | Brading Haven Y C | DNF | DNF | (DNC) | (DNC) | 5 | 7 | 9 | 9 | 6 | 6 | 64 |
| 11 | Cloud Nine | 4519 | Dennis Watson | Nikita Watson | Stokes Bay S C | (DNC) | (DNC) | DNC | DNC | DNF | DNC | DNC | DNC | DNC | DNC | 94 |