BUCS-BUSA Student Yachting Championship 2015 - Nationals Wrap
by Tony Mapplebeck on 8 Apr 2015
Amber Brown and Warwick White Paul Wyeth /
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In an exciting last two days of the 2015 British Universities and Colleges Sport (BUCS) yachting nationals, Southampton Red maintained their lead overall to win the Championship. Following a very close dual between Southampton Red and Southampton Solent Red in the long inshore race on the penultimate day, the fleet was split into Gold and Silver Fleets for the final day. With the wind much reduced - dropping to the point that the final race had to be abandoned – and the race non-discardable, the leader board changed, with Oxford pulling ahead of Cambridge by half a point to take second, and Solent Red having to make do with fourth.
Following the return of the fleet to Port Solent, HRH The Princess Royal flew in by helicopter to meet many of the teams aboard their Sunsail Match First 40s moored along the pontoons. She proceeded to award the Trophies and BUCS Medals at the Prize Giving.
The sailing conditions over the previous weekend had been challenging, Traditionally, the Oxford vs Cambridge ‘varsity’ match is held prior to the BUCS-BUSA Championship. Cambridge won the only race possible on the Saturday, and, with gusts of up to 38kn tearing down the race course, the committee had called it a day after just the one race, On Sunday, with winds of 30-40kn, all racing was cancelled, leaving Cambridge the victors of their Varsity 2015. The weekend conditions gave a warning to those arriving to collect their boats for the BUCS-BUSA Championship on Sunday night.
At the initial briefing at Port Solent on Sunday night several skippers shared their experiences and expectations in entering the Championship.
A veteran helm and skipper at the event, Amber Brown of Warwick explained that “for many, university provides an opportunity for students to get into yacht racing, whether as a bridge from dinghy sailing, or, for some who have hardly even sailed before, an introduction to yachting. In my first year (2012), we had two teams, one more experienced and one with many new to yachting. We had some meetings with my team and a lot of reading, but it was basically teaching the team how to sail a keelboat on the job. This year, we have done some training. It is good to bring together different people to work as a team. I hope that we have left some legacy for Warwick Sailing to carry on into future years”.
James Neilson, Captain, and Laurence Gibbons, Commodore of Bath, spoke about how pleased they were to be back at the event after a couple of year’s gap: “We are a small club and don’t have a big base in yachting; it is difficult to clock up the miles. But, with fresher Tom Williams at the helm and with some real enthusiasm in the club this year, we have a good mixture of years in the team, which will, hopefully, sustain us into future years. We have had a couple of Wednesday outings in preparation for this event, one with a coach. And we are sailing in the Match Racing too. Bath is entering all four BUCS-BUSA Championships this year!”
Ashley Greenall, Commodore of Portsmouth University Sailing Club, speaking before the event, emphasised its importance in bringing together sailors from all parts of the country, living, racing and socialising together for a week. He came into university sailing “from Toppers and 29ers, and it brings together people I have sailed and raced with the past. We have some lovely socials”. Well, he would say that! Portsmouth are the hosts for the event and are running the social programme alongside the racing.
The 2014 BUCS-BUSA Champions were Solent Red, and they went on to win the Student World Cup in France last October. Last year, helm at the BUSA Championship, James Wilkie, a veteran of three BUCS Championships, said “....I could be back”. Well he was. 'I'm really pleased to be back for my fourth year at the BUSA Yachting Nationals. As reigning National and World champions there is a big expectation on us to perform, and I'm sure the other teams will be gunning for us. But this team is fully motivated and ready for the challenge. It looks like we will be seeing a variety of conditions on the Solent this week, and as usual the complex local tidal conditions will have their part to play. So we are going to need all of our experience to make the best of it.'
Peter Cameron, the University of Strathclyde’s Yachting Captain explained: 'As team captain, I am looking on building on our successes from last year. We have a pretty similar team from SYWoC (the Student Yachting World Championship) and have been training every weekend we could. This year we were able to send two teams to BUSA, which is a huge achievement for our Club, making the future bright for Strathclyde Yachting. Having just won the Scottish Student Sailing Yachting Championships last weekend, we are all going into this event with confidence to better our last year’s result and qualify for SYWoC for the third year running'.
The 22-boat Fleet - 176 students from 18 universities – having been snugly sheltered in Port Solent overnight - set off through the lock and out to the Solent on Monday morning. Notwithstanding the early glorious sunshine, the PRO Mike Dawe had determined to sail in Stokes Bay, with forecast building wind in mind.
Subsequently, he reported on the first day’s racing, with “three races completed, no general recalls and all starts within 1.5 minutes of the target time. With the wind starting out at 20kn, dropping to 10-12 knots and then rising to 25 knots, it backed by 90* in the course of the day. The first two races each had three laps, with the second having two, following a necessary move due to the proximity of the shipping lane. The sail plan was left to skippers’ discretion, with some choosing full rig and some, white sails. There were a few spinnaker problems, especially in the last race”. There was some impressive helming at the front, with the 40 foot yachts not light to handle in the conditions.
One of the BUSA coaches, Nigel Buckley summed up the day: “Jolly cold. It was quite a good breeze, consequently quite a few having handling issues. A few problems with gear and breakages will have been disappointing for some teams, particularly a spinnaker shroud tangling a prop. It was noticeable that some crews were a bit optimistic in their tactics, given that they were sailing 40 foot yachts rather than fireflies. But there were three good races, with tight, close racing”.
Durham Purple skipper, Ko Chuan Yang spoke of the team’s sailing as “good upwind, in the top six or so of the fleet at the windward mark, but we were inexperienced with kyte drops and downwind”. Another Championship veteran and skipper of Southampton Solent Red, Alice Courage, while congratulating her sister, Libby, helming Solent’s sister ship, Solent White on their ranking on the day (a win in race two), spoke of Red’s day: “We were pretty happy with the first race (well, with a first, maybe they should be), but we had a rubbish start in the second, so did well to get back to the top ten”. With a second in the last race, Solent Red were on the same points as Southampton Red, which led the fleet on countback after the first day’s racing.
Speaking before the provisional results were updated [it was a long, very long, night in the Jury’s Tiger Tiger “shack” (so long that several members of the Jury were mistaken for the evening partygoers and offered free-drink wristbands – which, of course, they felt duty bound to refuse)] – James Wilkie, skipper of Southampton Red said: “It was certainly an exciting day on the Solent. It was a day of learning for everyone, with plenty of unforced errors, protests, and even collisions. We certainly made our fair share of errors. But what's great about this team is that they learned from the mistakes and picked themselves up from a poor second race to put in a race winning performance in the final race of the day. We were just glad to make it to the start of the first race on time, having spent the morning with two of our team up the mast fixing the forestay. After such a tough day, it is pleasing to only be two points off the lead” (well, actually, they were in the lead).
Cambridge Blue, with two thirds and a sixth, finished the day in fourth, just behind Warwick White. Skipper, Laurence Orchard, with recent experience of the conditions for the Varsity match over the weekend, where they had sailed well upwind and played it cautious with the sails, believed they had had a good preparation. Seeing the forecast today, “we came confident with the boat in wind, when to handle, when to reef. The pin end worked for us, and we were in third up the beat in a packed fleet. Almost second on the last rounding, but a bit slow with the spinnaker. We had a horrible second start, but were lucky with a header shift and some good tacks bringing us to fourth or fifth. Looking at the tide and going left was favourable, and we took another third. In the last race, going in second, we messed a gybe, broached, losing maybe five places, so we must have had good damage limitation (to finish sixth). Overall, it was a very good day”
For some teams this is one of the first times they had all sailed together, while others have been training through the winter; experience in the Sunsail Match First 40s was variable, although many sailors had sailed in this event in previous years. All teams require at least two crew members with keelboat experience, while some teams have very experienced keelboat and dinghy sailors in their teams.
BUSA provides senior coaches on the water throughout the racing, who give guidance to crews and detailed, video feedback at the evening debriefs. Nigel Buckley and Mason King held a first, very well-attended debrief on Monday night, which continued for some time with individual teams after the main session. On Tuesday the coaches visited several teams on the Quay, and then, following the decision to abandon for the day, a further debrief was held, again with many attending. Further coaching on the water on Wednesday was followed by a final debrief that evening.
There were conflicting forecasts as to whether the very high winds would drop later in the day on Tuesday, but an adverse forecast for the afternoon off Cornwall finally determined the abandonment of the races scheduled that day, The sailing programme proceeded, as scheduled, on Wednesday.
PRO Mike Dawe returned to Gunwharf Quays Marina on Wednesday evening enthusing, “cracking first race, with wind all day between 20 and 25 knots. First race was three laps, taking about 1.5 hours. Then, starting on time at 11.30 the inshore race took about 4hr 15min for the lead boat, with about 35 minutes gap to the last boat. Two boats were in close contention throughout, with the second boat (Southampton Solent Red) finishing less than four boat lengths behind (Southampton Red) after 4.5 hours of close racing“
James Wilkie (Southampton Red) reported: “It was frustrating to be stuck in the marina yesterday, so it was great to go racing again. The strong winds led to some pretty hairy moments, particularly downwind where both ourselves and Solent Red were pushing really hard. We had an epic battle with them that went on for four hours in the coastal race, with just a couple of boat lengths separating us at the end. The team did a fantastic job to get two wins today; it was a monumental effort. We are in pole position going into the final day, but there is no complacency. It's clear we will need to be on top form tomorrow.” Alice Courage (Southampton Solent Red) said, ”for us, some disappointment, but tight sailing with Southampton all day, all the way. The best team took it, but my team worked 150%!”
Going into the final day Southampton Red (5.0 points) led from Southampton Solent Red (12.0), Cambridge Blue (13.0), Oxford Blue (16.5), Southampton Solent White (23.0) and Warwick White (26.0).
The conditions were very different on the final day of the Championship. The boats were split into Gold and Silver Fleets, but started together. PRO Mike Dawe report that “the first windward/leeward race had a clean start, and we managed two laps, but, with the wind dropping to 3kn, toward the end. With an increase to 5kn, we made a start for a second race, but the wind dropped again and the race had to be abandoned”. In accordance with the Sailing Instructions, no discard was allowed.
With Southampton Red winning the Championship, Oxford had moved into second, Cambridge thirs, Southampton Solent Red fourth, Southampton Blue fifth and Warwick White sixth (nett results are appended).
James Wilkie said, “we are ecstatic to become National Champions again, although I don't think it has fully sunk in yet! Today was a really tricky day, but we did what we needed to do. We stuck with our rivals as much as we could in the shifty conditions. It wasn't pretty, but we couldn't risk big separations with such a fickle breeze. The team deserve a huge amount of credit for keeping their cool the whole way through, and they fully deserve this victory. I am immensely proud to have been their skipper. Becoming National Champion for a second time, and also being awarded the Jim Saltonstall Teapot for winning the coastal race, is the perfect ending to my fourth and final year at this event. It was particularly special to have the trophies presented by HRH Princess Anne and the President of BUCS, John Inverdale (who is a Southampton University alumnus)”.
Speaking before the results were finalised, Oxford’s Eric Topham said “we are very pleased. This is a personal best for Oxford. What the team deserve, putting all the time into training; we came to sail and have done well. Smiles all round. Thoroughly enjoyed it”. Nice birthday present for helm, Oliver Glanville.
HRH The Princess Royal, President of the Royal Yachting Association, flew in as the Sunsail Match First 40s returned to Port Solent. Accompanied by John Derbyshire, RYA Performance Director, Princess Anne proceeded to walk the extensive Sunsail pontoon to meet and talk with many of the teams.
When all the sailors were gathered for tea, Princess Anne spent time meeting with the race officials and with some members of the Committee of the British Universities’ Sailing Association: Emily Wiltshire (Wales), Theo Hoole (Scotland) and Tom Harrison (Yachting Captain), together with Annabel Vose, one of three student athletes worldwide awarded International University Sport Federation (FISU) Scholarships in 2014-15
The Prize Giving was held in the, very recently, refurbished Portsmouth Harbour Yacht Club. John Inverdale, President of BUCS presided, together with Mrs Karen Rothery, CEO, and Sean Clarkson, Event Director and BUSA Technical Delegate. HRH The Princess Royal awarded the Trophy, together with BUCS medals, to the Champions, Southampton Red and medals to Oxford Blue and Cambridge Blue. The Scottish and Welsh Trophies were awarded to Strathclyde Blue and Cardiff Red respectively and the Jim Saltonstall Teapot Trophy to the winners of the Long Inshore Race, Southampton Red (Jim was, for many years, President of BUSA).
In closing the proceedings, John Inverdale paid tribute to the sportsmanship of all the competitors and thanked all those who had worked so hard to ensure the success of the Championship. On behalf of the Fleet, the RYA and BUSA and the British Universities and Colleges Sport, he warmly thanked The Princess Royal for her interest in student sport, and sailing in particular, and for giving so much time to meet and talk with the teams and officials, as well as making this event so memorable for all taking part.
The top eight teams went home with an added bonus, particularly welcome to their Athletics/Sports Unions, of the following “BUCS points”:
- Southampton Red - 50
- Oxford Blue - 35
- Cambridge Blue - 24
- Southampton Solent Black - 16
- Southampton Blue - 14
- Warwick White - 12
- Southampton Solent White - 10
- Exeter Green - 8
The top teams from each of the countries, England, Scotland and Wales, receive invitations to represent their respective countries at the Student Yachting World Cup in France in October 2015. As Southampton Red are the reigning World Champions, Oxford Blue will also be invited to represent England, together with Strathclyde Blue for Scotland and Cardiff Red for Wales.
Event Director and BUSA Technical Delegate, Sean Clarkson, spoke at the end of the event: “It was a pleasure to run the Yachting Championships, having being involved with the event in one form or another for a number of years. Given the forecast at the start of the week, we were very lucky with the weather on the whole, although it was very unfortunate to lose a full day of sailing. The weather conditions were very varied throughout the week, which the sailors thoroughly enjoyed, despite it testing them to their maximum! Everyone thoroughly engaged with the BUSA-appointed coaches throughout the week, with performance on the water noticeably improving as a result of debriefs or on-board/on-the-water coaching. The end of event prize giving was a great finale, with the honour of HRH The Princess Royal meeting teams as they disembarked from their boats and handing out trophies and medals at the prize giving. For many of the sailors, this will be a once-in-a-lifetime, and truly memorable, experience. I would like to thank all of the competitors for their commitment and enthusiasm throughout the event, and thank all of the event management team for their tireless work before, during, and after the event. We’re already looking forward to the event in 2016, with plans afoot to make it a truly memorable event!
See the team listing in result order overleaf
1 Southampton Red (15.0 points): James Wilkie, Annabel Vose, Jamie Diamond, Kate Devereux, JJ Marie, Tom Ballantine, John Heath, Laurence Gibbons
2 Oxford Blue (21.5): Oliver Glanville, Eric Topham, Bryn Phillips, Elizabeth Dykstra-McCarthy, Elizabeth Wallis, Alex Randall, Christopher Foyle, Damien Arnol
3 Cambridge Blue (22.0): Laurence Orchard, George Tetley, Paul Wedrich, Kate Prescott, Matthias Schnellmann, Helmi Burton-Papp, Toby Morsley, Jolyon Ferron
4 Southampton Solent Red (23.0): Alice Courage, Adam Munday, Thomas Charter, Rosalind Dunlop, Thomas Hemingway, Christopher Tiernan, Charles Penny, Isobel Britton
5 Southampton Blue (28.0): William Goldsmith, Laura Marimon Giovannetti, Calum Healey, Gustav Galle, Emily Nagel, Jamie Barker, Edward Cummings, Harry Aitchison
6 Warwick White (28.0): Amber Brown, Josh Voller, Thomas Needham, Sophie Hetherton, Elspeth Keating, Ben Treloar, Emma Watson, Shona Ross
7 Southampton Solent White (30.0): Elizabeth Courage, Dillon Plantinga, Joseph Butterworth, Cecilia Virone, Hendrik Plate, Gaston Carreno, John Jane, Zak Bermon
8 Exeter Green (37.0): Tarra Gill-Taylor, Ed Riley, Alex Hawkes, Olivia James, Charles Gilbert-Wood, Charlotte Hooper, Caroline Watt, Julian White
9 Southampton Yellow (41.0): George Jorgensen, Matt Foskett, Marcie Perrow, Matthew Burleigh, Lillie Cable, Titus Treneman, Joshua Bell, Tom Joy
10 Strathclyde Blue (42.0): Peter Cameron, Theo Hoole, Ruaridh Wright, Clara Tomlinson, William Findlay, Eilidh Bruce, George Sturla, Emily Kinver
11 Bath Blue (43.0): Thomas Williams, Owen Bowerman, Jack Preece, James Neilson, Gabriella Symons, Emily Taylor, Mark Thomas, Michael Calvert
12 Newcastle Blue (54.0): Daniel Gaines-Burrill, Nicholas Smith, James Morson, Jessica Kilbride, Harry Frith, Thomas Goodey, Hamish Bettany, Lukas Wendisch
13 Cardiff Red (58.0): Jack Muldoon, Matthew Wallis, Harry Derbyshire, Emily Wiltshire, Charlie Cox, Helen Armstrong, Frederick Hayes, Maddy Anderson
14 Durham Purple (61.0): Ko Chuan Yang, Matthew Goodbourn, James Cunnison, Sophie Andrews, Pelham Etherington, Elizabeth Ellison, Kieran Hill, Tom Harrison
15 Surrey Pink (62.0): Joseph Simmons, Joe Stansfield, Alex Fisher, Beatrix Sibley, Hannah Howells, Clementine Selby, Harry Willett, Ruairi Grimes
16 Strathclyde White (69.0): Calanach MacDonell Finlayson, Christopher Kilgour, Hamish Murray, Sophie Taylor, Ross Stanley-Whyte, Mirjam Timmerman, Alexis Ackers, Filip Sochaj
17 Plymouth Black (85.0): George Saunders, Ellen Clancy, Christopher Baxter, Hannah Gibbs, Sam Hayes, Alex Shaw, David Panton, Katherine Burleigh
18 Loughborough Purple (85.0): Michael Marshall, Laura Lloyd, Tom Neilson, Kate Horwell, Marcus Swallow, Stefan Clarkson, Angus Gray-Stephens, Alastair Kent
19 Portsmouth Purple (87.0): James Hall, Lauren Nimmo, Ashley Greenall, Zoe Whittaker, Marie-Claire Sothcott, William Berry, David Cooper, Moritz Troll
20 Royal Agricultural Black (93.0): Simon Griffiths, Charles Micklem, Tabitha Denny-Northover, Freddie Lechmere, John Hathaway, Grace Mullens, Alex Frankling, Freddie Chiddicks
21 Swansea Green (93.0): Giles Gray, Alex Benbow, James Curtis, Annamaria Nichols, Ryan Casey, Holly Sykes, Ben Ashley, Harry Bradley
22 Glasgow Black (97.0): Scott Johnstone, Gregor Southall, Louis Sisk, Crisdean Finlayson, Ciaran McMonagle, Scott McWhirter, Alexander Robson, Oliver Newell
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