Flying Fifteens at Royal Windermere YC

by Royal Windermere Yacht Club on 8 May 2012

Flying Fifteen action Royal Windermere YC

A total of 23 boats from fifteen clubs as far afield as Bewl Valley and Loch Lomond came together at Royal Windermere Yacht Club for the Northern Championships over the weekend of 5 – 6 May, making a total of 30 boats competing.

On Saturday the fleet sailed in the north basin in what was forecast to be north east 6–10mph of wind. The first race was won by Steve Goacher and Phil Evans after a good start in very difficult conditions. The wind came and went from a variety of directions, and every leg of the course turned in to a beat at some stage during the race. Second was Phil Snewin and Ros Coleman, also from the home club, and Simon Longstaff and Jon Denwood from Bassenthwaite managed third, their best result of the series.

The second race followed a similar pattern, Goacher and Evans winning again. Graham Campbell and Graeme Galbraith from Cardwell Bay SC came through to take second place, George Purves and Ian Shearer from East Lothian YC third.

After a change of wind to southerly, followed by a rapid course change, it finally settled easterly. Following another rapid course change, the third race started after a general recall. This time Goacher and Evans made a bad start, and managed to pull back to fourth place. The race was won by Snewin and Coleman, with Justin and Thomas Waples third.

Sunday dawned sunny with a gentle southerly breeze. The fleet were sent into the south basin, where the Race Officer set a windward-leeward course while the wind remained reasonably true. Peter and Sue Bannister from Hayling Island pulled up the fleet to win the first race, followed by team Waples with their best result of the series. Nigel and Gavin Tullett from Windermere were third, also their best result.

The lunchtime calm fortunately coincided with a lunch break on the water. The wind finally settled back into the south west, and after a minor course change the fleet got off to a second start following a general recall. Simon Robinson and Dave Vasey from Derwent Reservoir SC built up a large lead which was eventually eroded by Snewin and Coleman, who managed their second win. Robinson and Vasey came second and Goacher and Evans pulled up in to third place. The wind by this time was patchy, coming and going in places, making the racing something of a lottery.

The event was won by Steve Goacher and Phil Evans with two firsts, a third and fourth to count. Second was Phil Snewin and Ros Coleman, also with two firsts. Nigel and Gavin Tullett were third with a second and three fifth places to count, making the result a clean sweep for the home club. Justin and Thomas Waples came fourth, and Graham Campbell and Graeme Galbraith fifth.

There were five silver and classic boats competing, the winner being Jordan Aspin and Jason Benn from Sir John Fisher Sailing Centre in Barrow-in-Furness.

All credit is due to Race Officer Steve Bewsher and his team who managed the scheduled five races in very difficult conditions. The event was generously sponsored by local clothing business SLAM. Everyone enjoyed the friendly atmosphere and excellent meal at the club on the Saturday evening, and after the racing on Sunday the event finished in glorious sunshine.

Final Results

Sailed:5, Discards:1, To count:4, Entries:30, Scoring system:Appendix A
SailNo	Boat	HelmName	CrewName	Club	R1	R2	R3	R4	R5	Total	Nett
3821		Steve Goacher	Phil Evans	RWYC	1.0	1.0	(4.0)	4.0	3.0	13.0	9.0
3820	Dragonfly	Philip Snewin	Ros Coleman	RWYC	2.0	6.0	1.0	(7.0)	1.0	17.0	10.0
3816	Kiffs	Nigel Tullett	Gavin Tullett	RWYC	5.0	(17.0)	5.0	3.0	5.0	35.0	18.0
3954	Bright Sparks	Justin Waples	Thomas Waples	RCYC	4.0	(15.0)	3.0	2.0	12.0	36.0	21.0
3641	Ffunky Chicken	Graham Campbell	Graeme Galbraith	Cardwell Bay SC	7.0	2.0	8.0	(9.0)	4.0	30.0	21.0
3736	Wavebreaker	Peter Bannister	Sue Bannister	Hayling Island SC	6.0	(9.0)	9.0	1.0	8.0	33.0	24.0
3737	Eleni	Simon Robinson	Dave Vasey	Derwent Res. SC	10.0	(16.0)	10.0	5.0	2.0	43.0	27.0
3973	Longstaff's Boat	Simon Longstaff	Jon Denwood	Bassenthwaite SC	3.0	10.0	11.0	6.0	(31.0 DNC)	61.0	30.0
3953		Robert Hogben	Glyn Morgan	Bewl Valley SC	9.0	4.0	7.0	(19.0)	10.0	49.0	30.0
3899	Spirit of Hallin	Mike Thompson	Simon Millington	Chew Valley SC	12.0	7.0	2.0	(16.0)	13.0	50.0	34.0