International Paint Poole Regatta - Overall
by John Withers 28 May 2014 21:19 AEST
24-26 May 2014
Atkins takes International Paint Poole Regatta honours and J70 Nationals
Ian Atkins won the overall best boat prize at the International Paint Poole Regatta last weekend. The Hill Head Sailing Club member had an impressive score line in the J70 Nationals winning six of his ten races and was runner-up in the rest with his J70 Boats.com, an impressive display, especially in a 14-boat fleet of this calibre.
This championship was just one of many that were part of this biannual regatta. Held over the three day Bank Holiday, since its inception in 2000, the event has become the premier south coast regatta for keelboats.
With some rain early on Saturday and later on Monday the regatta was blessed in between with superb conditions for the 180 plus fleet.
Parkstone Yacht Club now has two new national champions. Phil Cotton is the MOCRA top man whilst Duncan McCarthy is the proud J24 number one. The former won impressively with Buzz, a Seacart 30 with 12 points in an 18-boat fleet, and McCarthy was never out of the top three in the 20-boat J24s.
In Class One IRC it was Poole YC's Jim Macgregor that took the honours. Macgregor's Elan 410, Premier Flair, had four first places and three seconds counting. Meanwhile his three daughters, Nikky, Lucy and Kate, won the R19 top spot with 16 points from the nine races sailed with Rubber Duck.
In IRC Class 2 it was the Parkstone boat belonging to Martin Pearson, one of the event's organisers that won. The Parkstone Sailing Secretary wasn't on board though, he handed the responsibility of his Dehler 33 Ruthless to club mate Stephen Tiernan who won with 12 points nett.
Class 3 IRC was won by Poole YC's Richard Freemantle, his Dehler 29 Chablis ended the regatta with 11.8 points from seven races.
Meanwhile in the J80 championships Royal Southern's Patrick Liardet in Aqua J came out ahead on count back to be crowned ahead of Phil Taylor on equal points and Poole's Dave Evans, just one point behind. This was a remarkable result for Evans as he'd never sailed a J before, neither had any of his young crew.
In the 2.4 Tidal National Championships Weymouth SC's Megan Pascoe, who missed the first day's racing, did her best to catch-up with six first places to get herself into second overall behind Simon Hill from Frensham Pond.
The Shrimper Southern Area title was won by Philip Atha, his Isolde was always around the front of the fleet and won convincingly.
It was a Cross family affair in the Sonata Southern's with a Poole YC father and son battling for the title. Unsurprisingly it was son Joe, the national champion, who beat dad Kevin for the cup.
Of the locally rated yachts Parkstone's Ian Lamey won the VPRS class with Moondance II whilst Poole's Nathan Cordy took the PHHS prize in Dream On.
In the Quarter Ton division Royal Channel Islands YC's Tom Hill ran away convincingly in his Runaway Bus.
Andy Pearce from the Lake Yard Club took Redwing honours with eight points nett from the seven counting races. Unsurprisingly Parkstone's Chris Gorringe won the 10-boat Flying Fifteen group. Gorringe had to settle for a second on one race otherwise it was a clean sweep of firsts.
The R19 Open, sailed for just on the Sunday, was won by Steve Brown's Rolo. Helmed by Poole's Colin Rainback and crewed by Steve's daughter Mel, the trio won three of the four outings.
International Paint's Naomi Lee said: "Well done to all your competitors and a massive thanks to the Regatta Committee whose hard work really paid off! Here's to the 2016 Regatta!"
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