GP14 Masters and Grand Masters Championship

by nfh 13531 on 22 Sep 2010 GP14 Masters and Grand Masters Championship at Royal Windermere Yacht Club, 18th and 19th September 2010.

As the starting guns were sounding for the second Sunday race of the Championship, the wind rolled in more clouds, and the windward mark disappeared into the rain and mist of a typical Lakeland day. Actually it had been raining all morning, in contrast to Saturday, which had dawned sunny but windless.

Crews and GP14s had been arriving at the Club since Friday; travelling from all parts of the country, clutching Birth Certificates for proof of being either over 40 to be a Master, over 55 to be a Grand Master, over 60 to qualify for the Over 60 Trophy and admittance of their Crews age to qualify for the 100 Plus Trophy.

This year the GP14 Association is celebrating it’s 60th Anniversary which together with this being the Royal Windermere Yacht Club’s own 150th Anniversary year, was making for a good weekend of celebratory sailing.

The RWYC has been associated with the GP14 since the very beginning, and 11 home boats joined 23 visitors on the start line for the first Saturday race. The wind had filled in by 1.00 pm, but from the west, which is an awkward direction for Windermere, due to hills, trees, the relative narrowness of the lake and rocks. However the Race Officer set two good courses in the circumstances and the races were won respectively by John Telford with Andy Smith from Bassenthwaite, and David and Pete Lawson also from Bass. The RWYC’s dining room was full to over flowing on Saturday evening with toasts to both the GP14 and the Royal Windermere Yacht Club.

With the rain on Sunday was an excellent southerly, blowing good and hard, and making life much more straight forward for the Race Officer. David Lawson posted his second win in the first race followed by Neil Platt with Alex Pilkington in the second. David Lawson’s two wins and a third gave him the overall title of GP14 Masters Champion, followed by John Telford in second place and Neil Platt in third.

In 10th place, Nick and Biddy Colbourne won all the other trophies on offer. By declaring a total age of over 100 and Nick as being over 60, they therefore took the 100+ Trophy and Nick took the Over 60 Trophy; and, there being no other higher placed Over 55, he was also declared Grand Master.

Results:
1. 14064.……David and Pete Lawson…………Bassenthwaite SC
2. 14062.……John Telford and Andy Smith …..Bassenthwaite SC
3. 13924.…….Neil Platt and Alex Pilkington …..West Kirby SC

http://www.gp14.co.uk