| HAYLING ISLAND, UK-(16-4-2003) The weather on day three could not have been more perfect for the top youth sailors that have flocked to Hayling Island Sailing Club for the 2003 RYA Youth Championships and Trials. In all of the six classes the competition is getting tough, especially in the four classes that are trying to gain selection to represent Great Britain at the ISAF Youth Sailing World Championships this July.
Keir Clarke from Lyme Regis Sailing Club continued his domination in the Laser Radial class scoring three first place finishes to give him a lead of 41 points over second placed Paul Cox from Torpoint Mosquito.
Clarke commented, “I was not expecting to come to this event and be leading by such a margin at this stage in the championships. I sailed well today, got good starts and played the shifts well to win each of the races, I just need to stay out of trouble and hopefully win the week.”
The battle is also on in the girl’s Radial fleet for the all-important place in the Youth Worlds team. Colette Blair from Bewl Valley Sailing Club is top placed girl in ninth position overall but can’t relax as Charlotte Dobson is just two points behind in thirteenth place overall.
Blair commented, “I started off well today scoring two third places but things didn’t go too well in the third race. The conditions were quite hard today and you had to really concentrate to make sure you didn’t make an error and miss a shift.”
The three races today in the Laser Standard fleet saw a different race winner in each one, which means points are tight. Andy Brooks from Elton Sailing Club continues his lead in the Laser class by a fairly slim margin, local sailor Stephen Powell is just two points behind Brooks in second place and tied on points with Giles Scott who is third overall.
A further two races were sailed in the 420 fleet and with a first and a tenth place Callum MacDonald and Haakon Karlsen from the Royal Northern and Clyde Yacht Club continue their lead on the fleet. Stuart Bithell and Jonathan McGovern from Hollingworth Lake Sailing Club have moved up into second place overall, just two points in front of Alison Martin and Bethan Carden from Burghfield Sailing Club who also maintain the position of first girls. With two days left to sail it is still anyone’s guess as to who will qualify for the Youth Worlds.
With another four races completed in the 29er class David Evans and Richard Peacock from British Steel Sailing Club have pulled out a 14-point lead over Tristan Jacques and Alain Sign from Stokes Bay Sailing Club.
Evans commented, “we had a mixed day today but managed to score some good results. We enjoy these kind of conditions and have spent a lot of time over the last few months training for this event.”
Newcomers to the fleet, Tom Phipps and Jon Cook from Restronguet Sailing Club, have shown the older boys the way in the Hobie 16 and jumped from third to first place overall after scoring a first, second and another first place. Points are close with Ben Mansfield and Ben Hinks from the Royal Southern Yacht Club one point behind in second and overnight leaders Simon Kearns and Ben Burns from Grafham Water Sailing Club in third place.
Peter Bird from Largs Sailing Club has only dropped one race win in the Mistral class throughout the series so far and established a cushion of six points from Richard Potter of Notts County Sailing Club. Leading lady is Steph Thompson from Queen Mary Sailing Club who is lying in sixth place overall.
Two more days of racing remain in the championships to determine the winners and which of the Laser Standard, 420 boys and girls, Laser Radial girls and Mistral boys and girls will get selected to go to the ISAF Youth Worlds in July.
Provisional results
Hobie 16 – 12
1, Tom Phipps/Jon Cook, Restronguet SC (6,(13),(9),4,1,1,1,2,1) 16 pts
2, Ben Mansfield/Ben Hinks, Royal Southern YC (1,2,2,1,4,(7),(8),5,2) 17 pts
3, Simon Kearns/Ben Burns, Grafham Water SC (2,1,1,(7),2,3,(9),6,3) 18 pts
29er – 29
1, David Evans/Richard Peacock, British Steel SC (1,1,2,6,5,2,2,3,4,(7),2) 28 pts
2, Tristan Jacques/Alain Sign, Stokes Bay SC (7,6,8,1,(30),1,1,2,2,3,11) 42 pts
3, Tom Smedley/Steven Wilson, Hayling Island Sailing Club (3,9,9,3,4,(30),6,1,1,1,6) 43 pts
Laser Standard – 26
1, Andy Brooks, Elton SC (3,2,2,2,5,(6),(7),2,1) 17 pts
2, Stephen Powell, Hayling Island Sailing Club ((6),(7),3,3,1,2,1,4,5) 19 pts
3, Giles Scott, Grafham Water Sailing Club (2,4,1,6,2,(11),2,(7),2) 19 pts
Laser Radial Gold fleet – 107
1, Keir Clarke, Lyme Regis SC (1,1,1,4,1,(13),1,1,1) 11 pts
2, Paul Cox, Torpoint Mosquito (5,7,5,3,(9),2,2,26,2) 52 pts
3, Ben Paton, Royal Lymington YC (4,(10),4,1,4,1,22,15,3) 54 pts
Girls
9, Colette Blair, Bewl Valley SC (6,7,3,10,12,(4),3,3,48) 84 pts
13, Charlotte Dobson, Royal Northern & Clyde YC (7,4,4,10,(27),12,17,4,28) 86 pts
18, Kellie Covington, Emsworth Slipper SC (16,13,23,3,16,(28),4,9,33) 117 pts
420 – 48
1, Callum MacDonald/Haakon Karlsen, Royal Northern and Clyde YC (1,2,3,(14),6,9,1,10) 32 pts
2, Stuart Bithell/Jonathan McGovern, Hollingworth Lake SC (7,(47),5,1,4,5,9,5) 36 pts
3, Alison Martin/Bethan Carden, Burghfield SC (10,10,8,2,5,(13),2,1) 38 pts
other girls
7, Charlotte Savage/Maia Walsh, Barnt Green SC ((47),11,11,18,1,1,7,3) 52 pts
12, Rachel Wigmore/Mary Rook, Hayling Island SC (13,16,7,5,(21),21,12,4) 78 pts
Mistral – 11
1, Peter Bird, Largs SC (1,1,1,1,1,(2),1) 6 pts
2, Richard Potter, Notts County SC (3,2,2,2,(4),1,2) 12 pts
3, Douglas Etheridge, Bray Lake Watersports (2,(12),3,3,2,3,4) 17 pts
Girls
6, Steph Thompson, Queen Mary SC ((12),12,12,6,6,6,8) 50 pts
8, Laura Bray, Astbury Sailsports ((12),12,12,9,9,12,6) 60 pts
9, Jilly Bromley ((12),12,12,APA 10.33,8,8,10) 60.33 pts
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