SAILING NEWS
News 13
Changing
winds add
challenge
to National
12 Open
THE strong local fleet and a weather fore-
cast without any snow featuring attracted
seven visitors to make the fleet a round
dozen for some close racing in the National
12 Open Meeting on March 30, hosted by
Burghfield Sailing Club.
A rather unstable but generally south
westerly breeze provided some challenging
racing around the islands on Burghfield
lake, with 90 degree shifts (thankfully
mainly between races) and strength rang-
ing from a millpond to marginal planning
testing the competitors.
The first race provided the biggest tacti-
cal decision right at the start. With the line
not far to leeward of one of the islands and
a strong starboard bias, anyone tacking
early off the start would be forced one side
of the island, whilst anyone wanting to go
the other side would have to get a clean
start at the pin and sail close to leeward of
the island in slightly less breeze for a
while.
Jon Ibbotson and Charlotte Stewart got
the clean start and headed off to the left
with the Thorntons and this proved to be
the right decision, those on the left suffer-
ing from being in less breeze on the wrong
side of a persistent bend.
That set the pattern for the race, with
Fran and Sophie making huge gains on the
second beat by going furthest left to take
the lead for the second lap.
The Thorntons’ consistently good boat
speed proved too much for the other
competitors though, and they built a com-
fortable lead, followed by Fran and Soph,
with Jon and Char match racing the Whites
at the close to get third place.
After lunch, the wind became less
predictable, so playing the shifts and hunt-
ing for pressure was the name of the game.
Tim Laws and Graham Camm were first to
IN THE MEDALS: Andrea Brewster, Laser Radial pictured at last year’s Skandia Sail for Gold Regatta in Weymouth
the windward mark but were soon over-
hauled by Jon and Char, who managed to
build up a good lead upwind only for it to
evaporate as the wind died to virtually
nothing on the downwind legs and then
blew in from behind, compressing the Brewster’s bronze
whole fleet into a small space.
Jon & Char just managed to get their
nose in front at the leeward mark and, with
Kevin and Jane, made the most of the
returning fresh breeze. Jon and Char led to
the finish, though the Thorntons eventually
at Radial Worlds
hunted down Kevin and Jane to take sec-
ond place.
Going into the final race, the Thorntons,
ANDREA Brewster signalled that she was “I felt like I was really calm and just tried place, while Charlotte Dobson was 25th
Jon and Char and Fran and Soph could all
still in the hunt for Beijing selection after to sail like I would do at any other event. I after picking up a third yellow flag penalty
have won overall. As it was, Kevin and
clinching a career-best result of third at the don’t think it’s fully sunk in yet that I’ve in the final race to marr what otherwise
Jane led comfortably around the first lap,
Laser Radial World Championships, which won bronze!” could have been a top ten finish.
going left as the wind seemed to be return-
concluded in New Zealand. The 32-year-old Royal Naval Officer The Laser Radial is the only one of the 11
ing to its pattern of the first race, with Jon
The 25-year-old sailed a superb finals Penny Clark, who gained an early advantage Olympic sailing classes in which the Royal
and Char second and both Fran and Soph
series after a week of testing conditions off in the selection battle by finishing fourth and
Yachting Association has still to identify its
and the Thorntons back in the pack. Up the Takapuna in March, taking bronze and fin- as top British at the Miami event, also preferred candidate for the Beijing Games,
second beat, with the wind as far left as it ishing ahead of her main British rivals in the secured her best ever Worlds result to finish and the Worlds was the second event in the
had been all day, Jon and Char followed the race for Olympic selection. in seventh place in New Zealand. official selection process for the class.
lift but this took them onto what had seemed At the first trials event at the Rolex “It’s mixed emotions, really,” Clark
LASER RADIAL WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS,
to be the unfavoured right hand side of the Miami Olympic Classes Regatta in January, explained. “My goal was a top ten finish so TAKAPUNA (NZL)
islands. This decision got them the lead Brewster finished 16th and behind the three a week ago if someone had offered me a Final results
which they held to the finish, followed by other Skandia Team GBR contenders for the seventh place at the World Championships
1.Sarah Steyaert, FRA (40pts)
Kevin and Jane then Fran and Soph. sole Beijing berth – a position which she I’d have taken their hand off – it’s my best
2. Xu Lijia, CHN (49pts)
Overall
believes worked to her advantage at the Worlds result, but Andrea did better!
3. Andrea Brewster, GBR (69pts)
Selected GBR
1. N3494 – Jon Ibbotson and Charlotte
Worlds. “I really am pleased for her – she had a
7. Penny Clark (84pts)
Stewart, 2. N3443 – John and Mandy “It’s been a tough week, but I came here tough time of it in Miami, but we’ve been
15. Lizzie Vickers (121pts)
Thornton, 3. N3512 – Kevin Iles and
with no pressure really on me,” she training hard together since then.”
24. Charlotte Dobson (138pts)
Jane Wade
explained. Lizzie Vickers finished the regatta in 15th 26. Laura Baldwin (145pts)
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