Volvo Gill Optimist Championships – Young sailors battle it out

by Sophie Sellers on 31 Jul 2015 Young sailors have battled it out in seven races so far at the Volvo Gill Optimist Championships in Pwhelli - it’s been a tough few days, with the weather being predominantly windy and wet, but the sun is now shining and the forecast for the final two days is looking more summer-like.

There are about 160 competitors in the senior fleet, with the entry dominated by overseas competitors who account for over half the entries. Most of these overseas sailors have been selected to represent their countries at the upcoming Optimist World Championships in Poland later in the summer, so they’re using the British event as for event preparation and making it a really competitive event.

Sunday was the first scheduled race day, so after a short delay the race team set out with strong winds from the south west and rain, heavy at times. The fleets tallied out and waited on the beach for the launch signal, but the visibility reduced and the race team decided that racing would not be possible, with visibility reduced to less than half a mile. The race team returned to harbour and the sailors made their way back up the beach to dry out and take advantage of the stunning new sailing base at Plas Heli.

Three races were completed on Monday, in fresh conditions - south westerly 17-21 knots with occasional rain showers - at Pwllheli a south-westerly means big waves and plenty of excitement - throughout the fleet, there are stories to tell of endurance, exhilaration and near wipe-outs!

For Tuesday, the winds decreased slightly, averaging around 16 knots with gusts of up to 24 knots and coming initially from the north west, but moving round to south west as the day progressed. However, it wasn’t just a matter of protecting the left hand side of the course, as the shifts coming off the land sometimes went right for quite a few minutes. With wind against tide for the first two races of the day, there were quite a few black flag disqualifications as sailors misjudged the tidal effect, but after four races on the day, seven in total, and a discard available, the best sailors have risen to the top of the fleet.

Wednesday was a well-served rest day and the fleet now splits into gold and silver for the next two days of racing. The top five places are currently held by overseas sailors, but the points are still close, and Rhys Lewis and Milly Boyle closed behind in sixth and seventh places. After some excellent results in the early races, Vita Heathcote has had to withdraw from the event because of illness - get well soon Vita. We’re looking forward to some close racing in both gold and silver fleets, with a more moderate wind and the most important thing - some sunshine!

Full results

Series Place	Helm	Series Points	Race 2A	Race 2B	Race 3A	Race 3B	Race 4A	Race 4B	Race 5A	Race 5B	Race 6A	Race 6B	Race 7A	Race 7B
1	Nacho DÁVILA MATEU	15	1		1		8		5		3		2
2	Eduard FERRER CARVAJAL	20		2		5	6		13		1		1
3	Uffe TOMASGAARD	21		5		3		1		2		9		8
4	Laila louise VAN DER MEER	21	2		2		4		4		6		3
5	Jelmer VELDS	26		10		4	3		3		9		6
6	Rhys LEWIS	32	10		4			2		9		21		6
7	Emilia BOYLE	38		1		7		BFD83		7		13		7
8	Francesco KAYROUZ	42		4		8		4		11		4		BFD83
9	Annabelle WESTERHOF	45		7		2		5		DPI-22		5		BFD83
10	Vita HEATHCOTE	46	7		3		2		2		25		32
11	Finn HOLTROP	48		15		1		BFD83		3		7		1
12	Harris CARTWRIGHT	54	3		12			BFD83		15		2		12
13	Ellen MAIN	54	11		15		BFD83		9		4		13
14	Matt BECK	61		20		6	BFD83		1		10		4
15	Eduardo OJEDA SUÁREZ	62	16		14		22		14		2		7
16	Oliver COWLEY	62	14		9		9		6		26		20
17	Campbell STANTON	63	8		13			21		26		3		5
18	Dries VAN HOYE	70		16		11	5		18		11		9
19	Peter FAGAN	72	13		10			3		30		47		11
20	William HALL	73		6		BFD83		8		1		40		3
21	Victoria SCHULTHEIS	73	12		7			12		20		1		21
22	Cossie LEWIS	73		18		10	14		41		13		12
23	Thijs PEELS	74	6		8		21		17		29		5
24	Adele YOUNG	76		17		21		6		16		16		2
25	Mariner FAGAN	79		12		18		7		18		17		13
26	Faolan WHYTE	85	18		41		17		7		23		8
27	Jamie MCMAHON	85		11		16	11		20		17		23
28	Jordan BRUCE	86		3		46		13		21		18		14
29	Nathan SMITH	86	27		6			10		14		11		25
30	Ben PATERSON	88	21		20		7		15		14		11
31	Eline VERSTRAELEN	92	5		5			18		23		29		22
32	Iset SEGURA	93	9		19			BFD83		4		45		10
33	Clare GORMAN	103		13		9	16		22		35		42
34	Michael CARROLL	104		14		13	29		23		34		18
35	Michéal O'SÚILLEABHÁIN	106	17		28			9		10		50		26
36	Oliver PABBRUWE	107		21		27	25		11		39		10
37	Drew WRIGHT	108	22		11		1		16		30		28
38	Liam PABBRUWE	115	4		17			BFD83		33		27		23
39	Mariona RAHOLA	115		25		12	13		49		22		16
40	William HEATHCOTE	116		26		31	24		19		7		37
41	Arnau GELPI	117	28		21			15		12		28		19
42	Alice HASLETT	119		9		33		16		29		24		17
43	Harry BELL	122		23		35	12		8		BFD83		19
44	Hannah ROBERTS-STRAW	124	30		23			24		13		30		20
45	Calum COOK	125		8		BFD83	33		38		8		24
46	Pol MARSANS BALCELLS	126		33		17		27		22		14		24
47	Jake SATARIANO	127		34		15		20		8		36		18
48	Julia MELLERS	130		24		19	BFD83		10		16		15
49	Teun IN DER MAUR	136		35		20		BFD83		5		22		4
50	Nancy HIGHFIELD	138	19		26		23		35		28		14
51	Cole TAPPER	140		29		25	15		28		31		17
52	Maddie HAWKINS	146	26		18			31		32		41		15
53	Gemma MC DOWELL	148	15		24			33		24		34		29
54	Emily HALL	150	24		16		30		33		33		29
55	James FOSTER	156	23		27		DPI-39		44		27		25
56	Gabriel CORTES BOLEA	158		36		28	31		21		21		21
57	Henry CHANDLER	159		39		14		17		27		55		9
58	Sam BRUCE	178	37		31		10		12		5		BFD83
59	Willem WIERSEMA	179	41		33			28		38		15		28
60	Isabelle KENNY	180	29		22			26		25		66		47
61	Alex MARSANS BALCELLS	182		47		BFD83		11		19		39		33
62	Charles HANDLEY	184	46		30		18		25		20		45
63	Lucas LEGAULT	188	45		37			25		45		38		16
64	Jelle VAN DER MEER	194	20		32			35		64		35		46
65	Thibaud VAN EUPEN	194		22		26		44		43		42		32
66	Chloe FELTON	195		41		24	19		26		46		46
67	Zara HOWARTH	195		42		32	26		27		44		26
68	Danny DILLON	199		53		30		14		6		54		48
69	Floris LAMPE	200	35		25			19		34		57		BFD83
70	Fergus FOX	202		32		29	36		54		57		35
71	Galen RICHARDSON	202	33		47		20		62		38		30
72	Phoebe LE MARQUAND	205	39		57			22		49		8		39
73	Will TURNER	206		46		48	54		31		12		33
74	Abbie CARLSON	207	25		29		28		40		59		43
75	Jack FAHY	210	58		36			23		28		25		43
76	Olivier JAQUET	212		31		50		BFD83		41		19		36
77	Alex TEMKO	212		28		34		42		79		37		30
78	Huub KOK	214		27		23	51		45		53		40
79	Joshua DAVIES	220		44		49	38		30		15		59
80	Oliver DOWSON MCGILL	221		19		39		30		70		53		42
81	Johnny MAGARDINO	224	40		34		52		39		41		38
82	Phoebe ROBERTS	225		30		53	46		29		49		48
83	Jonathan SCHRANTZ	226	32		48			BFD83		62		12		37
84	Antonia SCHULTHEIS	230		58		37	40		50		18		36
85	Abbey HAMMOND	231		37		22	55		46		BFD83		31
86	Lilly HOFMAN	231		40		40	42		42		24		52
87	Thorwen UITERWAAL	231		43		42	34		53		48		34
88	Lauren DISCOMBE	232	43		60			BFD83		53		6		41
89	Justin LIM	232		50		45	32		36		32		51
90	Emma MCINNIS	233	36		50		35		51		69		22
91	Tom MITCHELL	238	52		45			34		31		49		27
92	Sam KNEALE	241		54		38		29		46		56		40
93	Daniel WELLBOURN HESP	249		49		BFD83		45		40		10		44
94	Ben RUSSELL	253	DNC83		38		37		34		37		54
95	Nancy RICKMAN	255	DNF83		52		47		24		45		47
96	Heather KERNS	255		52		43		32		42		77		55
97	Gijs NIEWOLD	255	55		39			38		47		33		54
98	Tom DAWSON	257	31		56			BFD83		44		43		31
99	Mia HANES	259	60		51			BFD83		36		20		35
100	Cathal O REGAN	262	56		40			43		39		46		38
101	Sophie STOATE	263		38		55		37		56		32		45
102	Elodie EDWARDS	263		55		41	43		48		40		39
103	Matthew LEARY	267	34		46			39		55		72		52
104	David CALDER	274	54		35			64		59		44		49
105	Manon SWAELEN	275	42		44		39		63		63		41
106	Conor HORGAN	280	38		49		59		43		51		49
107	Anatole MARTIN	284		48		DNC83		36		35		73		34
108	Cian ASHBY	292		45		44		48		54		51		50
109	Gordon COGAN SIVARAJAN	293	53		42		DNF83		37		61		53
110	Lewis COOP	297		51		36		52		58		70		53
111	Ellie DRIVER	298	47		58		41		32		54		66
112	Hannah SCOTT	299	70		65			47		48		23		51
113	Ruben STOKROOS	299	50		62			50		51		26		72
114	Ghislaine VAN EMPEL	300	51		55			40		37		65		56
115	Miquel PÉREZ CARBÓ	307		59		56	44		58		43		55
116	Teddy CROMWELL	312		57		59		41		50		60		74
117	Maggie RICKMAN	314	49		43			55		57		67		68
118	Casey PICKETT	318		DNF83		62	49		61		19		44
119	Tee CHULIKAVIT	323		71		DNF83	53		47		42		27
120	Rachael CROSS	327	48		68		68		60		50		56
121	Sebastian RIQUELME-BECKMANN	331		63		58	48		65		36		62
122	Alfie DOWSON MCGILL	333	44		64		58		68		66		63
123	Oliver STURLEY	338		73		65		53		71		31		59
124	Delfina SESTO COSBY	339	57		61		67		69		55		50
125	Alice REYNOLDS	345	61		53			54		61		58		61
126	Frédérique VAN EUPEN	348		67		54	50		55		70		60
127	Catie WARBURTON	349		56		47		51		69		69		57
128	Ansel LEVY DETHMERS	360	63		70			46		67		63		65
129	Charlie ELSBY-HARTMAN	360		65		66	56		57		65		57
130	Luca HUTCHINGS	362		60		60		49		66		76		62
131	Luke STEWART	362		61		52	71		70		52		70
132	Oliver PERKINS	363	66		DNF83			56		68		52		58
133	Charlotte LANE	368	69		59		60		52		64		74
134	Natasha HEMERYCK	371		66		57	57		59		67		65
135	Drew BARNES	381		64		64		57		65		74		63
136	Harry MYERS	383		70		51	61		67		75		68
137	Charlotte ROCKETT	383	62		67		66		75		68		61
138	Anna STROVER	385		DNC83		DNC83		58		52		61		64
139	Rose TAVENIER	387	73		54		62		76		58		71
140	Alex KNIGHT	389		68		DNF83	45		72		BFD83		58
141	Amelia GREENE	389	65		71		64		71		56		72
142	Jessica WOOD	392	68		63			63		73		59		71
143	Farida VERNON	398	DNC83		73			62		63		48		69
144	Jasmine JOHNSON	398		62		63	70		64		73		67
145	Nathan LUMBARD	403		69		67	65		73		60		DNC83
146	Otis CHETWYND-WOODS	405	67		69			60		72		68		70
147	Andrew LAWSON	411	64		74		73		56		71		73
148	Katheryn BYNE	411		74		68		67		74		62		66
149	George EAMES MATTHEWS	415		DNS83		DNC83	72		66		47		64
150	Rufus MARTIN	416	72		DNC83			66		60		75		73
151	Patrick WHELAN	416		76		61	63		77		62		77
152	Edward POIGNAND	420	71		66		69		74		74		75
153	Jennifer WESLEY	424		72		69		61		77		71		DNF83
154	Emily HAUGHTON	429	74		75			65		75		78		67
155	Hamilton ROAF	442	DNC83		DNC83			59		78		64		75
156	Paul BARNES	442		75		70	75		78		77		69
157	Emily CANN	445	59		DNF83			DNC83		DNC83		DNC83		DNC83
158	Hannah MORRIS	451		DNC83		BFD83		DNC83		76		79		60
159	Ross COOMBS	454	DNC83		72		76		80		76		78
160	Matthew MCLULLICH	464		DNF83		DNC83	BFD83		79		72		76
161	Lucy STROVER	489		DNC83		DNF83	74		DNF83		DNC83		DNC83
162	Haydn SEWELL	498	DNC83		DNC83			DNC83		DNC83		DNC83		DNC83
162	Ties WIJBINGA	498	DNC83		DNC83			DNC83		DNC83		DNC83		DNC83