T15 Windsurfing at Kielder Water Sailing Club
by Judy Scullion 3 Jun 2015 16:36 AEST
31 May 2015
Aaron Hobb during the T15 event at Kielder Water © John Scullion
Wild, windy and wet
The last Sunday in May was a cold and windy one at Kielder. This did not discourage the Kielder Kestrels, Derwent Devils and Coquet Crushers from pitting their strength, wits and skill against each other in the Team 15 Inter-Club event.
The wind was moderate and gusty in the morning, but was forecast to strengthen in the afternoon, so the decision was made to have a late lunch, and get enough races in during the morning to get a result. This proved to be a wise decision, as the anemometer was showing a steady 20-odd knots after lunch, and waves were spraying up through the slats of the dancing jetty.
The 3.5 fleet managed 8 races, starting from the shore and racing round a buoy in the bay and back. The gusty wind caused difficulty at times, as the youngsters struggled to get going and occasionally floored an opponent by dropping the rig on them (reportedly accidental rather than tactical) but all seven of them managed some good races and Sam Keenan, from Derwent, beat Tom Russell (Kielder) and Eimear Hanley (Derwent) into second and third place respectively.
The other fleets raced out on the lake, and got 5 races in before lunch. Aaron Hobb of Coquet dominated the 6.8 fleet, winning every race. Archie Dodd of Kielder took the honours in the 5.8 and Isabelle Palmer of Derwent won the 4.5.
The Kielder Kestrels were the winning team overall, with the Derwent Devils a close second. The two competitors from the Coquet Crushers sailed brilliantly, but needed more team-mates to achieve a good team score.
Quotes from the day included "I can't believe that such a good event could come from the cold north" (a "hard lad" from Derwent!) "There was a friendly atmosphere and everyone had fun" (Jordan Pirt) and my personal favourite: "Keep trying, get chocolate" (Lucy Playford).
Many thanks to all those who made it such a fantastic day, including the windsurfing coaches, the galley team and the patrol boat cover, and of course the competitors themselves who got up very early to come and get wet!