Firefly Nationals - Vines crowned champions

by Chris Guy on 21 Aug 2010 Craftinsure Firefly National Championships saw racing cancelled in a squally force 7 on its last day. The day was set for an epic battle between two long-time Firefly teams but the weather forecast had always foretold a frustrating finish to the week.

At the close of play yesterday Ben and Jenny Vines sailing F2144 Featherlite and representing Imperial Poona YC were tied on points with Mel and Rob Sherrington, sailing F3617 Iris, a more modern Rondar boat. Although the Sherringtons, from Ringwood in Hampshire discarded a 10th place, 1 place better than the Vines (also from Hampshire) the racing rules stipulate that a tie is broken on ‘countback’ i.e. the result from the last race where both boats met. Yesterday saw an epic comeback for the Vines who had been trailing the Sherringtons marginally since they only managed a ninth place in the Gore Trophy on Wednesday.

Two convincing race wins on Thursday sealed the championships for Featherlite, although the result could not be confirmed until racing had been cancelled today. With a squally force 5-7, frequent showers dropping visibility to less than a mile and 4-5 foot seas, the team at Tenby Sailing Club had to reluctantly admit that safe and fair racing would be impossible. This would have been gutting news for the Sherringtons, who were unable to challenge the Vines one final time this year.

It is the first win for the Vines team who have been chasing the title for many years and sailing Fireflies since infancy. Both the top 2 helms team raced Fireflies at university and Rob and Mel have also sailed the boat in World Team racing championships. Newcomers John Greenland and Ruth Verrier Jones finished third after a steady string of results in a series that was more hotly contested than any recent champs. Race wins were seen all the way down to seventeenth in the overall standings and the Vines were the only boat to score a first place more than once.

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