Kestrel Nationals 2008 - Pwllheli Sailing Club

Reports & Results
28th July to 1st August

The Kestrel fleet descended upon the Lleyn Peninsula, North Wales and specifically Pwllheli Sailing Club to take part in this year’s National Championship. Arriving over the preceding weekend it was hot and bright. This weather continued and on Monday the fleet launched following registration and briefing. However, the little wind present during the morning deserted us. Following two hours on the water, many people had gone for a swim with the Peterborough boats games ending with 668 having its rudder removed and capsized. The racing was abandoned at this point.

Race One of the championship started on Tuesday with a Force 3-4 onshore Southerly breeze on a traditional Olympic course with an off wind finish. Most of the 26 boats got away to a good start. However, the line was biased to Port, therefore the keener members of the fleet sailed down the line to start at the pin end. 668 (Liam Pike/Alistair Luxford) attempting to start on Port ducked some boats but did not see 1548 (Paul/James Jarvey) resulting in 668 taking a penalty. 1561 (Mark/Richard Hartley) found good upwind speed to round the windward mark first followed by 1545 (John Weedon/William Filby). Eventually 1545 was passed by 1558 (Dusty Miller/John Ellingham) at the wing mark. After two rounds the finishing order was 1561 followed by 1558, 1574 (Dave Hearsum/Gareth Fay), 408 (Chris Grice/Glen Enkel) and 1545 in 5th. Race one report by John Weedon.

Race Two was sailed in the decreasing Southerly breeze, fortunately the strength of the tide at Pwllheli is not enough to make light winds impossible to sail in. Paul/James reached the windward mark first followed by a small pack. They held this lead until the wind died it shifted on the second beat approaching the windward mark allowing Stewart/Mhairi Murdoch to pass. The run was painfully slow, but Stewart/Mhairi managed to hold the lead and take their first race win at a Kestrel Nationals. Paul/James managed to hold second despite attacks from Chris/Glen on one side and Dusty/John on the other. Chris/Glen took third, Malcolm/Danielle Worsley snuck into fourth and Dusty/John losing two places shortly before the finish were fifth.

Race Three started following a 90 degree wind shift and course move. Dusty/John got away cleanly to take the race win. Mark/Richard started well but struggled again with boat speed in the light breeze and lost places upwind. Paul/James gained ground to take another second and Liam/Alistair carried their weight well to take third. Mark/Richard improved on race 2 to come in fourth. Dave/Gareth rounded off the top five.

Race Four was postponed to 5pm on Wednesday due to Force 8 winds earlier in the day, and the forecast to decrease. Some of the Kestrel fleet watched Scorpions racing at Abersoch whilst we waited for our committee boat to be able to leave the marina. We all enjoyed good surfing conditions and wind on a shorter course, although the duration was disappointing for most. Mark/Richard took the race win and Dusty/John were declared OCS. This promoted Liam/Alistair to second and Paul/James to third who had been having a great duel surfing downwind. Dave/Gareth were also OCS. Chris/Glen took fourth and Malcolm/Danielle fifth, despite being under 20 stone all up. Race two to four reports by Paul Jarvey.

Race Five continued in a brisk Force 4-5 and continuing swell. On a Port biased line, Dusty Miller/John Ellingham took their lives in their hands and Port tacked the fleet from the Pin end. However, since the wind shifted left during the first beat, those who had continued on Starboard got to the inside of the shift and gained. The Hartleys led around the windward mark from Liam Pike/Ali Luxford and the Jarveys. Again, the first reach was a surfing blast, with most boats opting to two sail the second reach, the exception being Miller/Ellingham, trying hard to regain ground after a fluffed first beat. However, in another short race, the Hartleys remained comfortably clear to the finish ahead of the Jarveys in second, who managed to gain an overlap at the last mark over Pike/Luxford who took third. Race five report by Chris Grice.

Race Six, following as it did the two shortest races in the history of the Kestrel Nationals and starting at 19:30 in the evening, remains something of a blur. The wind was picking up again from 15 to 20 knots, the seas were still large enough to make for some great gains downwind and the course was (the by now familiar) triangle, followed by a windward/leeward loop, another short race was in prospect.

Race Seven and Mark/Richard went into the last race with a comfortable 4 point lead requiring Paul/James to win the race with the Mark/Richard 6th or worse, a tall order. The course was now a trapezoid with 3 beats before heading off to the first wing mark. With a less biased start line the fleet got away cleanly. Paul/James found a clear lane to lead at the windward mark followed by Mark/Richard, Dusty/John, Dave/Gareth and Stewart/Mhairi. Paul/James held the lead on the run, Mark/Richard passed to leeward on the beat with superior boat speed. With Mark/Richard going defensive on the last beat, Dusty/John went right to move into third behind Dave/Gareth. Dusty/John took 2nd off wind and second overall. Dave/Gareth were 3rd and Stewart/Mhairi took 4th on the final leg allowing them to take fifth overall on count back. Paul/James finished fifth. Race seven report by Paul Jarvey.

Mark and Richard claim the Champions' Trophy with five race wins, following a year out and swap of roles in the boat have lost none of their boat speed.

Compiled by Paul Jarvey.

The Crew's Race course was three rounds of course 1 (triangle-sausage-triangle).

Mhairi & Stewart tacked off to port once through the line whilst the rest headed off on starboard – big mistake. Mhairi pulled away, rounding the windward mark first by some considerable distance. Rory rounded second, closely followed by Jo and then Duncan.

Jo & Mike ran into spinnaker problems after the gybe, allowing Duncan & Steve to pass them on the way down to the leeward mark. Then the wind dropped… but not for Mhairi & Stewart who continued to pull away. Rory & Angus increased their lead from Duncan & Steve whilst Jo & Mike tried to pull back after sorting out the spinnaker.

The wind came back at the end of the second round and the committee boat indicated the laying of a new windward mark for the final round. Mhairi & Stewart were a whole leg ahead of the following three with an unassailable lead. Duncan & Steve managed to climb above Rory & Angus on the beat (by pinching desperately) thus closing them down to a few boat lengths. On the run to the leeward mark, Duncan was all over the transom (almost collecting a rudder) of Rory who successfully defended several feints before Duncan and Steve finally managed to accelerate over the top of Gaa Sands just in time to round the mark. Rory went high and Duncan & Steve had to defend all the way to the line. Jo and Mike followed shortly after – by which time Mhairi and Stewart were almost ashore!

Once again, Seathing took the crew’s race and once again, Duncan beat up another youngster to come home 2nd – shame on him! Crews' race report by Duncan Wilson.