Dead Cat Bounce wins Gill Burton Week

by Kevin Iles on 1 Jun 2009
Jo Richards and Sophie Mackley from Gurnard SC sailing Dead Cat Bounce won Gill Burton Week, the national championship of the National 12 class held at Thorpe Bay YC from 23 to 26 May, the first time it has visited this venue since 1965. Richards and Mackley dominated the week winning six of the seven races including the Burton Cup day after which the event takes its name.

The crews for the eighty boat entry, the largest for 15 years, ranged in experience from two teams of Thorpe Bay youngsters sailing their first Burton Week in boats loaned to them with money raised by the class association, to eight former champions and an Olympic medallist.

In turn the boats ranged from a closely contested vintage section, with the oldest boat dating from 1958, through to class chairman Dare Barry’s homebuilt 'Pudding' design and the latest 'Paradigm 2' offering from Rondar Boats, which hit the water for the first time in the first race on Saturday.

In the dinghy park, eyes were on Jo Richards’ new design, Dead Cat Bounce, which features a number of innovative features such as a winged rudder, centreboard with trim tab, and completely new thinking on the underwater shape.

Saturday’s opening race was subject to a number of general recalls due to the over enthusiastic starting of the fleet and an abandonment due to a sixty degree windshift. However, when it did eventually get away cleanly under a black flag in a force 2, it was 2008 champions Graham Camm and Zoe Ballantyne who quickly established a good lead which they held to the finish. Behind them, Jo Richards and Sophie Mackley scored a solid second followed by Tom Stewart and Elizabeth Ross in third. First Admiral’s Cup (single bottom) boat was sailed by Gerry Ledger and Alex Gore in 17th, whilst the Vintage section was headed by the oldest boat entered in the capable hands of Brian Kitching and local Thorpe Bay cadet Finley Cullender.

Race two quickly followed and this time it was Richards/Mackley who established a lead to win comfortably in the dying breeze from Stewart/Ross in second with father and son team Keri and Theo Harris filling third spot. Unfortunately the disappearance of the wind meant that only 18 boats finished this race within the time limit, which expired only narrowly ahead of the water disappearing completely.

Saturday evening saw the competitors enjoy a free barbeque laid on by the club caterers aFORDERble Catering with the only complaint being that the portions were too large for a few of the more weight sensitive crews.

Sunday saw perfect Champagne sailing with brilliant sunshine and a steady force 3 breeze all day. Race officer Phil Crawford took the decision to go straight for the black flag which enabled all the races for the rest of the event to get away first time. The trapezoid course with its long run parallel to the shore made a great spectacle and warmed up the crowds for the Southend Airshow, which started as the sailing finished for the day. Something of a pattern began to emerge with Richards/Mackley taking first place in both races having been pushed very hard in each by husband and wife team Antony and Jo Gifford.

Another husband and wife team, John and Katy Meadowcroft took third in the third race, whilst brother and sister Jon Ibbotson and Charlotte Stewart filled that slot in race four.

The Admiral’s Cup section was headed in both races by Phil David and Antony Copsey with two results in the twenties ahead of many in newer double bottomed boats.

The Vintage wing was again headed by Kitching/Cullender although they were pushed hard by their rivals in the latter race.

Sunday evening saw the fleet dancing to local 60’s band Larry and the Streamers while the 'Dress as a 12' fancy dress party was in full swing. The sight of Michael Douglas’s 'Shiny Disco Balls' will stick in the mind for a long time!

Monday was Burton Cup day after which the event takes its name. By the terms of the deed of gift for this trophy, donated in 1937 by Sir William Burton, the race must be sailed around a course that cannot be shortened but consists of four triangles, with each leg being at least one mile long, followed by a final beat.

The day dawned with a little more breeze, which gradually built as the fleet launched. By the appointed start time it had reached force 6. These conditions proved to be to the liking of Kevin Iles and Jane Wade from the home club who narrowly led at the first mark from Steve Norbury and Andy Hill. However, by the end of the first lap it was Stewart and Ross who had a good lead of over 200 yards from Richards/Mackley.

Over the next couple of hours the wind slowly dropped to little more than a force 1 at the finish and Richards/Mackley relentlessly ground away at Stewart/Ross to pass them just before the final leeward mark to go on and take their fourth win of the series.

Third place was taken by the Giffords. The Admiral’s Cup and Vintage sections each saw new winners with Graham Iles and Kai Louden finishing 21st to take the former, and Howard Chadwick and Liz Wady sneaking across the line one place ahead of incoming class chairman Tim Gatti crewed by Yvonne McInnes to take the latter. With the Red Arrows performing overhead just as the last competitors came ashore, the 250,000 people who came to watch this classic event were then entertained by day two of the Airshow.

Monday night saw 130 people squeeze into the main bar of the clubhouse for a sit down dinner. The free wine ensured the tales of the day became more unbelievable as the evening progressed and resulted in a few sore heads emerging from tent city the next morning.

Tuesday, the final day, saw the winds return with a constant force 5 to 6. Race 6 saw Richards/Mackley and Stewart/Ross again at the front with the former eventually establishing a commanding lead to win the race and with it the championship. Third place was taken by Iles/Wade who, with the assistance of many of their rivals – a great example of the camaraderie in this class – had replaced their slot gasket overnight after it had fallen off the previous day. The Admiral’s Cup saw Ledger/Gore return to the front, while in the Vintage wing Gatti/McInnes finally came to the fore.

In an excellent display of sportsmanship (or maybe they were just enjoying themselves so much), Richards/Mackley decided to take part in the final race even though they had no need to and promptly romped away with it to record their 6th win out of seven races.

Behind them, Iles/Wade relentlessly progressed from 10th at the first mark to pass Stewart/Ross on the penultimate leg and just hold off Ibbotson/Stewart at the finish. In the Admiral’s Cup, David/Copsey finished in 17th position, their best result of the event. Sadly, the wind strength meant that no Vintage boats competed in the final race as doubts over the strength of 50 year old glue meant that discretion was the better part of valour.

National 12 Championship - Burton Week, Leading positions (80 entries)

1. 3519 JO RICHARDS, SOPHIE MACKLEY DEAD CAT BOUNCE GURNARD S C 6pts 1
2. 3513 TOM STEWART, ELIZABETH ROSS SILVER LINING NORTHAMPTON S C 24pts 2
3. 3514 ANTONY GIFFORD, JO GIFFORD ELISE ALDEBURGH Y C 32pts 3
4. 3512 KEVIN ILES, JANE WADE ALPHA MALE THORPE BAY Y C 36pts 4
5. 3494 JON IBBOTSON, CHARLOTTE STEWART MONKEY BUSINESS OXFORD & CAMBRIDGE 37pts 5
6. 3436 STEVE SALLIS, JOANNE SALLIS DILBERT HYKEHAM S C 47pts 6
7. 3492 GRAHAM CAMM, ZOE BALLANTYNE BABEL FISH BURGHFIELD S C 48pts 7
8. 3516 STEVE NORBURY, ANDY HILL DYNAMITE STICK BURGHFIELD S C 48pts 8
9. 3441 IAN GORE, PENNY YARWOOD TABITHA UP RIVER Y C 53pts 9
10. 3485 GAVIN WILLIS, SABRINA WILLIS F’IN BOAT BRISTOL CORINTHIAN 63pts 10

Admiral’s Cup (first single bottom boat)

3217 PHILIP DAVID ANTONY COPSEY, WENDY WINDBLOWS YORKSHIRE OUSE SC

Shotgun Trophy (first Vintage boat)

2255 TIM GATTI YVON