I14 National Championships and the Prince of Wales Cup overall

by International 14 GBR on 6 Sep 2014 The International 14 Nationals started with two races in breezy conditions at Castle Cove sailing Club in Weymouth.

The first challenge of the day was getting off the beach with a strong onshore breeze. A number of unlucky boats found themselves battling the moored yachts. A few boats even dared to launch from the shallow water slipway, which inevitably ended in disaster…

Despite this, the first race got away at 13:00 on the dot as promised, whilst gusts of 25 knots ripped through the fleet. Archie Massey with Harvey Hillary and Glen Truswell with Sam Pascoe got away from the rest of the fleet and had a match race around the course; Archie finally finishing first. The trailing group of Andy Fitzgerald, Richard Bone and Douglas Pattison were never far behind with a reasonable gap to the rest of the fleet.

The second race started in slightly lighter airs, the fleet had a great start. The path into the windward mark was very tight with Archie/Harvey just in the lead from Glen/Sam followed by Julian Pearson and Nick Martin with four other boats very close. Archie and Glen managed to pull out on the run while the chasing group continuously danced around each other down the run with Andy Fitz coming in on starboard to the leeward mark, but failing to get his kite down. The race continued with Ben McGrane and James Hughes managing to jump from the chasing group to catch the leaders and get a second by the finish line with Archie getting his second first and Glen taking a third.

An exciting day on the water, with the forecast ramping up for day two, time would only tell what the morning would bring…

The second day dawned and the wind had mercifully swung to a more sympathetic cross shore breeze that allowed some momentary shelter from the building wind.

What turned out to be around 30 knots of wind blew through the fleet as they attempted to reach the start. The bear-aways required multiple attempts, and even the likes of Archie found themselves swimming on the way out to the line.

Luckily, he made up for his swim by nailing the start and leading the fleet away to the windward mark.

Glen and Sam went for an enthusiastic double gybe whilst nipping at Archie’s heels, leaving Ben and Archie to battle it out during the next two laps. Eventually, Ben emerged as the victor. During the second reach both Ben and Archie dropped their kites prematurely, allowing Glen and Doug to claw their way back.

Ben one-tacked the next beat, pulling away as the lucky left-hand side proved to be unusually unlucky.

Sam and Glen then took another dip at the windward mark, allowing Doug to take third, whilst Ben sealed the lead, with Archie firmly in second.

The second start was decidedly emptier, however this didn’t stop a few boats attempting to get a jump on the start gun. Ben led around the windward mark, closely followed by Glen with Archie in hot pursuit. Over the next three laps, each of the top three took turns in leading the pack, whilst pulling away from the rest of the fleet. Coming into the last windward mark, Archie was chasing hard, but through it in with an overly flamboyant gybe-drop. Ben was applying the pressure in equal measures, only to take a flying leap through his main sail.

Archie managed to right the boat in time to follow Glen across the line. Richard Bone and Chris Rodway capitalised on Ben’s sail redesign to clinch third. Ben flogged the remains of his main to take fourth.

Day three became a lay-day and a chance for the fleet to prepare themselves for the POW race due to the building winds. Preparations ranged from windsurfing and kitesurfing, the mandatory trip to Portland Bill, and the usual bimbling to ensure the best chance for upcoming slog!

This year’s POW on day four will go down in history! It was an epic 48 miles on the GPS in 14 knots building to 28 knots.

It all started with the perverse idea of calling 'one lap' a sausage and a triangle, then the class asking for the usual 6-laps. What’s normally an hour and three-quarters turned into three hours for the leader out in Weymouth Bay.

The start was perfect conditions, rolling swell from the south and small chop from upwind and 15 knots. 14s at their best. Douglas Pattison and Mark Tait pulled off the port flyer and crossed the fleet comfortably. Meanwhile Glen Truswell and Sam Pascoe tacked out from the starboard end, leaving just these two out on the right hand side. Meanwhile the rest of fleet hacked out to the left. Archie Massey and Harvey Hillary were first to tack and take the transoms of Martin Jones and son and Julian Pearson and Nick Martin. By the top mark, Glen Truswell had got the better of Pattison/Tait and Massey/Hillary led the left hand fleet. The Jones rounded third in their brand new boat and first time on the water. Unfortunately their tie-lite halyard block proved a little too light and gave up the ghost a lap later.

By the end of the run, Truswell/Pascoe led Massey/Hillary by a few boat lengths and McGrane/Hughes had pulled through to third, but a hundred yards back. By the first gybe mark, Massey/Hillary had briefly taken the lead, but this was the end of their charge, as on the first beat, their jib cleat failed, which slowly took its toll on upwind performance and crew.

When the race officer had realised his laps mistake, he was kind enough to shorten the beat to shrink the course down a bit. Expecting a right-hand course change, both the lead two massively over stood the shortened windward mark allowing McGrane/Hughes to close right up. This allowed him to eventually pass Massey/Hillary who were visibly tiring on about lap 5. (They all blurred onto one to be honest).

Meanwhile, Pattison/Tait were having a very solid race in fourth pulling gently clear of the chasing fleet, until Tait pulled out his guns on lap 8 and shredded the kite. They then had to do four legs downwind without the kite. Luckily for them, the reaches were generally tight enough to 2-sail and big right shift and increase in pressure allowed the runs to be flat-out planing. However, they did eventually get passed by Bone/Rodway. Guttingly for McGrane/Hughes, their forestay adjuster chafed through and failed on lap 10, thus ending their race too. They did eventually tie it back up after 20 mins in the water and sail back in. Pearson/Martin was charging fast at the end, but didn’t quite make it through the ailing Pattison/Tait. Fitz/Dobson slid into a solid fifth, proving that you can get your crew into the crew’s union whilst single-wiring downhill, for which he later won a comfy director’s chair.

From lap 2 onwards, Glen Truswell gently pulled away upwind and ultimately completed the 13 beats with a good half-leg lead. The fleet was just close enough to see him wear-around the final gybe mark.

Congratulations Glen for winning the Nationals, adding it to the Europeans that he won a month before. A 14 legend in the making…

That evening the crews union welcomed in four new members, an unprecedented number. After a tame initiation for the new crews, they took down the helms with the losing helm taking down a rum and kidney bean cocktail! Time to start the 'Helm’s revenge club'.

Sail No	Helm	Crew	Race 1
			1 Sep
1543	Glen Truswell	Sam Pascoe	1
1519	Archie Massey	Harvey Hillary	2
1527	Richard Bone	Chris Rodway	3
1544	Douglas Pattison	Mark Tait	4
1530	andy Fitzgerald	richard dobson	5
1548	Julian Pearson	Nick Martin	6
1541	Roger Gilbert	Adam Brushett	7
1523	Kimball Morrison	Ed Dyer	8
1546	Charles Duchesne	Will Broom	9
1506	Richard lilley	declan clamp	10
1495	Sam Barker	Josh O'brien	11
1550	Andy Partington	Tom Partington	29/DNF
1549	Dan Holman	Fred Merchant	29/DNF
1552	Martin Jones	Neal Jones	29/DNF
1465	Peter Crockford	Chris White	29/DNF
1509	Tom Watkins	Isabella Hartland	29/DNS
18	Mathilda Thibaud	Richard Thibaud	29/DNS
1522	Andrew Peake	Graham Oliver	29/DNF
1503	Alex Smith	Luke Boughton	29/DNS
1531	Andrew Penman	Chris Watson	29/DNF
1508	Colin Smith	Peter Helm	29/DNF
1529	Robin Pascal	Martin Pascal	29/DNF
1537	Dave Dobrijevic	Sam Spencer	29/DNF
1488	Dominic van Essen	Simona Saccani	29/DNF
1520	Katie Nurton	Nigel Ash	29/DNF
1524	Ed Streeter	Mark Down	29/DNF
1517	Ben McGrane	James Hughes	29/DNF
1497	David Edge	Martin Arnison

After four days of solid big breeze that Weymouth has built a reputation for in the 14 fleet, after a phenomenally windy worlds in 2011, Sunday, day five, was meant to be 12 knots dropping to eight. Instead it turned out to be a perfect 15 knots all day.

Again we raced inside the harbour walls, allowing for cruisey, high-speed sailing around the four laps of the course, (or should I call it 'Two laps'). Either way, the points were decidedly in Massey/Hillary’s favour with a four point margin and a 1,1,2,2 to count going into the day. Would Truswell/Pascoe be able to replicate their turn around at the Europeans by overturning a similar points margin. The other major contender McGrane/Hughes had decided enough was enough after a string of unfortunate events ended each of their previous race days (grounding, flying-through-main and forestay-breakage) and decided to join the family for the day.

Behind the lead two, there were a series of tight battles that needed to be decided over the final three races. Pattison/Tait just needed a solid day to jump into third. Bone/Rodway, now sailing as Bone/Holmon, in anticipation of the light winds and due to Rodway succumbing to his over-worked ankle, were in a tight battle with Fitz/Dobson. Finally Katie Nurton, sailing with her fourth crew in four days, the legend 'Simon Hiscox', was in a tight battle with Pearson and Morrison. All Katie’s crews insisted that they’d had a great day on the water, but ‘no’ they couldn’t make tomorrow!

So to battle…

Race 1:
Massey/Hillary went for the port-tack start, but soon lost confidence and rejoined the bulk of the fleet going left. However, barring a few shifts up the beat, led around the top-mark closely followed by Truswell/Pascoe and Pattison/Tait. This is how is remained for two laps, with Massey/Hillary making certain that there were no overtaking lanes to pull out a comfortable lead. However it all went wrong at the gybe mark, when their crew failed to remain hooked on and took a plunge. By the time, the kite was dropped and Harvey picked up, they’d dropped back to fourth from which they never recovered. Truswell/Pascoe took a comfortable victory.

Race 2:
The wind had increased from 10 knots to 15knots and the race played out with Truswell/Pascoe having a small speed advantage upwind, from which they were able to control the race and pulled away for a 30 yard win. Massey/Hillary second and Pattison/Tait third.

Race 3:
The lead two were now level on eight points each and so who-ever won the last race was going to win the week! It couldn’t have been closer.

Massey/Hillary immediately engaged in a little friendly tailing, even catching Truswell/Pascoes port/starboard at one stage, for which they did their penalty. A couple of the other competitors even hung around to watch. Eventually Massey/Hillary led Truswell/Pascoe back to the line and started bang on the committee boat end, tacking over to port, when Truswell/Pascoe tacked off immediately for clean air. The two of them immediately set about a foot-fest to the starboard layline, with the boat-speed now dead-level, (after some between race tweaking). Eventually Massey/Hillary tacked off shy of the lay-line and Truswell/Pascoe tacked soon after. It was looking like Truswell/Pascoes was going to pin their competitors under the starboard lay, but tacked out 100 yards before the top mark allowing Massey/Hillary to round in third, behind Pattison/Tait and Bone/Holman. Fitz/Dobson rounded fourth closely followed by Truswell/Pascoe.

On the first run, Massey caught right up behind Bone/Holman, whose foils were screaming out. Meanwhile Truswell had sailed over the luffing Fitz, but was rapidly catching the lead trio whilst taking the high-line. Massey/Hillary gybed out as they were being slowed and were quickly followed by the complete top four. In clear air, Massey/Hillary were able to extend and came back into the mark level with Pattison Tait, who after a slow drop, were passed around the outside. Moments later Truswell was able to sail up the inside of them!

Massey/Hillary gently pulled out on the long port tack from the leeward mark, until they overcompensated for their first beat underlay and overshot the layline. Truswell pounced and was able to lead around the top mark by two boat-lengths. Massey/Hillary hoisted first on the tight-reach to the gybe mark and took their transom whilst gybing and shortly roll them down to the leeward mark. Back in control…….

…..until their kite halyard parted :) At this point they were forced to retire. Truswell went on to win by a large margin and with it the Weeks title too.

Bring on the worlds, where we expect McGrane and Hughes to join in the titanic battle, (plus an Aussie or two).

Place	Points	Sail No	Helm	Crew	Race 1	Race 2	Race 3	Race 4	Race 5	Race 6	Race 7
					27 Aug	27 Aug	28 Aug	28 Aug	31 Aug	31 Aug	31 Aug
1	9	1543	Glen Truswell	Sam Pascoe	2	3	(4)	1	1	1	1
2	12	1519	Archie Massey	Harvey Hillary	1	1	2	2	4	2	29/DNF
3	17	1544	Douglas Pattison	Mark Tait	3	4	3	(9)	2	3	2
4	32	1527	Richard Bone	Chris Rodway	4	7	5	3	(9)	7	6
5	33	1530	andy Fitzgerald	richard dobson	29/OCS	5	8	5	7	4	4
6	43	1520	Katie Nurton	Nigel Ash	8	29/DNC	7	8	8	5	7
7	48	1523	Kimball Morrison	Ed Dyer	7	12	11	7	(15)	6	5
8	60	1548	Julian Pearson	Nick Martin	5	8	6	6	6	29/DNF	29/DNC
9	67	1529	Robin Pascal	Martin Pascal	12	10	14	29/DNS	10	10	11
10	80	1495	Sam Barker	Josh O'brien	13	13	12	29/RET	16	14	12
11	89	1508	Colin Smith	Peter Helm	11	14	29/DNF	29/DNS	13	13	9
12	94	1517	Ben McGrane	James Hughes	29/DNC	2	1	4	29/DNC	29/DNC	29/DNC
13	103	1541	Roger Gilbert	Adam Brushett	29/DNC	29/DNC	29/DNC	29/DNC	5	8	3
14	105	1524	Ed Streeter	Mark Down	10	11	29/RET	29/DNS	11	15	29/DNF
15	108	1522	Andrew Peake	Graham Oliver	6	6	9	29/RET	29/DNC	29/DNC	29/DNC
16	118	1503	Alex Smith	Luke Boughton	9	9	13	29/DNS	29/DNC	29/DNC	29/DNC
17	120	1465	Peter Crockford	Chris White	29/DNC	29/DNC	29/DNS	29/DNS	12	11	10
18	121	1497	David Edge	Martin Arnison	29/DNC	29/DNC	29/DNC	29/DNC	17	9	8
19	131	1552	Martin Jones	Neal Jones	29/DNC	29/DNC	29/DNC	29/DNC	3	12	29/DNF
20	140	1537	Dave Dobrijevic	Sam Spencer	14	29/DNC	29/DNF	10	29/DNC	29/DNC	29/DNC
21	155	1531	Andrew Penman	Chris Watson	29/DNC	29/DNC	10	29/DNS	29/DNC	29/DNC	29/DNC
22	159	1509	Tom Watkins	Isabella Hartland	29/DNC	29/DNC	29/DNS	29/DNS	14	29/DNF	29/DNC
23	160	1506	Richard lilley	declan clamp	15	29/DNC	29/DNS	29/DNS	29/DNC	29/DNC	29/DNC
24=	174	1550	Andy Partington	Tom Partington	29/DNC	29/DNC	29/DNS	29/DNS	29/DNC	29/DNC	29/DNC
24=	174	FRA18	Mathilda Thibaud	Richard Thibaud	29/DNC	29/DNC	29/DNS	29/DNS	29/DNC	29/DNS	29/DNS
24=	174	1549	Dan Holman	Fred Merchant	29/DNC	29/DNC	29/DNS	29/DNS	29/DNC	29/DNC	29/DNC
24=	174	1488	Dominic van Essen	Simona Saccani	29/DNC	29/DNC	29/DNS	29/DNS	29/DNC	29/DNC	29/DNC

And finally a date for your diaries...

This year, Monkey GBR1509 took part in the East Coast Piers Race. Although this event is most commonly known as a Catamaran event, there is a strong desire by the hosts to encourage monohull participation.

We will once again be attending the event in 2015 and hope to see plenty of 14s on 11th-12th July 2015 at Marconi Sailing Club for the 27 mile long distance race on the Blackwater I14 UK