Volvo GJW Direct Topper 5.3 and 4.2 Nationals at Pwllheli - Day 2
by Chris Woodard 8 Aug 2017 23:04 AEST
5-11 August 2017
What a difference a day makes! As race day 2 dawned at the Welsh National Sailing Academy, the rain had at last stopped, the wind had moderated, and the sun was shining!
With the Sailing Instructions amended to add an extra race to the day's schedule for the Volvo GJW Direct Topper 5.3 and 4.2 National Championships, over 220 Toppers congregated on the beach in the expectation of a great day's sailing. Just to put the icing on the cake a tannoy announcement came through as everyone waited for the launch signal, to announce that the last remaining abandoned Topper from Monday's brutal conditions had been located by the coastguard 7 miles along the coast at Criccieth, and apart from a slightly bent mast and boom the boat was unscathed, even the Wind Hawk was still in place; Toppers are tough little boats!
Out on the racecourse the waves had subsided, and the wind was generally around 10 knots, albeit with shifts of over 40 degrees recorded at times. In the 5.3 fleet the schedule of 4 races, meaning 8 flight races, together with the inevitable quota of general recalls and a bit of mark relaying, led to a long day of around 7 hours out on the water. At the front of the fleet some of these talented young sailors showed remarkable consistency, including Oliver Fellows scoring 3, 3, 1, 1, to lead overall overnight, and Sam Jones who bounced back from a 16th in the first race to the win the next 3 races on the trot.
The 4.2 fleet got their race series underway, after the abandonment on Sunday, and completed their full schedule of 5 races. It was a great day for Tim Evans, winning the first two races and then adding a 2nd and a 3rd to establish a convincing overnight lead, with Giles Baker, Tom Thwaites and Sophie Rennie each securing race victories.
In the 5.3 fleet there are now just two more races in order to complete the Qualification Series, with all to play for as competitors battle for Gold, Silver and Bronze rankings!
Results can be found at www.itca-gbr.co.uk/results