RYA Olympic Classes Spring Series - Actioned-packed weekend concludes

by RYA on 22 May 2015 The Weymouth and Portland National Sailing Academy witnessed an actioned-packed weekend of racing for the third and final event in the 2015 RYA Olympic Classes Spring Series (16-17 May).

Sailors were not only racing for their third event win, the RYA Olympic Classes Spring Series 2015 trophy was also up for grabs. Variable conditions of eight - twenty knots greeted competitors on Saturday morning as the Olympic classes headed out into Weymouth Bay for racing, while the Paralympic classes stayed within the Portland Harbour walls.

Vikki Payne and Stephanie Orton rounded off their Spring Series winning the third and final 49erFX event to place them at the top of the series leaderboard. The pair finished just one point ahead of Simon Hiscocks and Kirstie Urwin, who suffered a broken mast on Saturday afternoon. Dylan Fletcher and Alain Sign cleared up in the 49er, winning half of the eight races sailed. John Pink and Stuart Bithell picked up three wins over the weekend to finish second, while James Peters and Fynn Sterritt rounded-off the 49er podium in third place winning the final race of the weekend.

A hard-fought battle between Cameron Coghill and Imogen Sills played out in the RS:X 8.5 event. Coghill took the weekend advantage, however Imogen Sills secured the overall series ahead of sister Saskia Sills and Noelle Finch in second and third. A third consecutive event win and an almost clean sheet for Tom Squires held onto his RS:X series win ahead of Kieran Martin in second.

Ben Hazeldine and Rhos Hawes and Amy Seabright and Anna Carpenter both won their third Spring Series events in a row to claim the overall title in the 470 classes.

In the Paralympic classes, Will Street won the 2.4mR weekend. However Megan Pascoe who raced just on Sunday showed impressive form winning all the races of the day. A fourth place finish at the weekend was enough for David Hawkins to pick up the 2.4mR overall series win.

Head and shoulders above the rest, John Robertson, Hannah Stodel and Stephen Thomas could not be touched in the Sonar class winning the weekend with a race to spare. Sally and Carol Dugdale won the SKUD 18 ahead of Jonny Stevenson and Craig Narin.

RYA Olympic Classes Spring Series - Event Three

49erFX
1st Vikki Payne and Stephanie Orton
2nd Simon Hiscocks and Kirstie Urwin
3rd Edward Connellan and Chris Mearns

49er
1st Dylan Fletcher and Alain Sign
2nd John Pink and Stuart Bithell
3rd James Peters and Fynn Sterritt

RS:X 9.5
1st Tom Squires
2nd Kieran Martin
3rd Sam Sills

RS:X 8.5
1st Cameron Coghill
2nd Imogen Sills
3rd Noelle Finch

470 Men
1st Ben Hazeldine and Rhos Hawes
2nd Tim Riley and James Taylor

470 Women
1st Amy Seabright and Anna Carpenter
2nd Jess Lavery and Megan Brickwood
3rd Georgia Booth and Rheanna Pavey

SKUD 18
1st Sally and Carol Dugdale
2nd Jonny Stevenson and Craig Narin

2.4mR
1st Will Street
2nd Martin Whittingham-Jones
3rd Iain Stowe

Sonar
1st John Robertson, Hannah Stodel and Stephen Thomas
2nd Craig Wood, Liam Cattermole and Stephen Palmer
3rd Ed Suckling, Alistair Barter and Tom Abrey

RYA Olympic Classes Spring Series Overall

49erFX
1st Vikki Payne and Stephanie Orton
2nd Owen Bowerman and Morgan Peach
3rd Edward Connellan and Chris Mearns

49er
1st Rory Hunter and Neil Hunter
2nd Jack Hawkins and Chris Thomas
3rd Chris Taylor and Sam Batten/Ed Fitzgerald

RS:X 9.5
1st Tom Squires
2nd Kieran Martin
3rd Robert York

RS:X 8.5
1st Imogen Sills
2nd Saskia Sills
3rd Noelle Finch

470 Men
1st Ben Hazeldine and Rhos Hawes
2nd Tim Riley and James Taylor

470 Women
1st Amy Seabright and Anna Carpenter
2nd Jess Lavery and Megan Brickwood
3rd Jemima Lawson and Lily Summers

SKUD 18
1st Alex Hovden and Carol Dugdale
2nd Sally Dugdale and Craig Narin

2.4mR
1st David Hawkins
2nd Nev Millard
3rd Ben Johnson Rolfe

Sonar
1st Craig Wood, Liam Cattermole and Stephen Palmer
2nd John Robertson, Hannah Stodel and Stephen Thomas