| HAYLING ISLAND, UK-(15-4-2003) The second day of the 2003 RYA Youth Championships and Trials was a stark contrast from the first, the sun came out and racing got underway in 6 knots of breeze with all of the youth classes completing at least two races.
The light airs and two knots of tide meant that only two races were sailed in the Mistral fleet. Peter Bird from Largs Sailing Club continued his excellent form and has yet to be beaten, adding a further two first places to the three he collected yesterday. He has now established a healthy eight-point lead over Richard Potter from Notts County Sailing Club.
Bird said, ”I would say that I am an all rounder and enjoy both the heavier conditions that we had yesterday and the lighter breezes we had today. All of the best guys have come to this event and the level of competition is pretty good.” He continued, “My aim for the week is to qualify for the youth worlds team and I would love to win a medal at the worlds.”
In the girls Mistral fleet Steph Thompson from Queen Mary Sailing Club has established a six-point lead over Laura Bray from Astbury Sailsports although the field is wide open as none of the girls completed a race in the windy conditions yesterday.
Close racing was enjoyed in the 420 class with a few new faces coming to the front of the fleet. After a disappointing start to the regatta due to equipment failure, Charlotte Savage and Maia Walsh from Barnt Green Sailing Club are gradually working their way back up the fleet helped along by two first places, which they scored in the final two races of the day. They have now moved up into eighth place overall but have still got a little work to do to catch up with leading girls Alison Martin/Bethan Carden from Burghfield Sailing Club in the hope of winning their place in the team to go to the ISAF Youth Sailing World Championships.
Savage commented, “Yesterday was our worst nightmare, breaking our mast on the first race of what is a very important championship for us. We went better today in the lighter conditions and were really pleased with our two first places, where in both races we got a good start and took an early lead at the windward mark, which we managed to hold onto until the finish.”
In the boys 420 fleet Callum MacDonald and Haakon Karlsen from the Royal Northern and Clyde Yacht Club have managed to hang on to their lead by the slimmest of margins. They are tied on even points with Oliver Gray and James Hughes of the Corinthian Otters with Stuart Bithell and Jonathan McGovern from Hollingworth Lake Sailing Club in third place.
The Laser Standards sailed a further three races in shifty conditions. Local sailor Stephen Powell had the best day of the fleet scoring a 3,1,2 score line, which saw him jump up from sixth place to third overall. The top spot in the fleet has also changed with Andy Brooks from Elton Sailing Club overtaking yesterday’s leader Giles Scott from Grafham Water Sailing Club after scoring a second, fifth and first place.
In the Hobie 16 class Simon Kearns and Ben Burns from Grafham Water Sailing Club continue their lead over Ben Mansfield/Ben Hinks from the Royal Southern Yacht Club. Racing has been close and with both crews discarding their worst result of a seventh place, Kearns/Burns have a narrow one-point lead over Mansfield/Hinks. Newcomers to the class and the youngest sailors in the Hobie fleet, Tom Phipps and Jon Cook from Restronguet Sailing Club, scored a fourth and two first places to move up into third place overall.
British Steel Sailing Club members David Evans and Richard Peacock have extended their lead in the 29er fleet after scoring a sixth and two second places. They have stretched out an eight-point lead over Tristan Jacques and Alain Sign from Stokes Bay Sailing Club, who have moved up from seventh place overall after scoring two first places today. Josh Metcalfe/Ian Haywood from Port Dinorwic Sailing Club have managed to hang on to their third place overall.
Last to come off the water was the 107-boat Laser Radial fleet who needed to complete their qualifying series in order to be split into gold and silver fleets for the last three days of racing. Race positions were scrambled as many of the sailors fell into the trap of starting early and earning themselves penalty points, which dramatically affected many of the results. Ben Paton from Royal Lymington Yacht Club sailed the best day of the fleet and managed to stay out of trouble to finish the day tied on even points with yesterday’s leader Keir Clarke of Lyme Regis Sailing Club. Tony Adams from Burghfield Sailing Club is just two points behind in third place overall.
There was upset in the girls fleet at Charlotte Dobson from Royal Northern and Clyde Yacht Club won the final race of the day but was penalised for being over the line at the start. Colette Blair from Bewl Valley Sailing Club now leads the girls fleet in fifth place overall with Dobson in twelfth place overall.
The forecast for today looks set to be similar to yesterday with sunshine and fairly light winds forecast. With more than half of the regatta still left to go it looks like there will be a fair bit of changing places as the field is still wide open to determine who will get selected to go to the ISAF Youth Sailing World Championships in Madeira this July.
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