SB20 UK Sprint Championship at Royal Torbay Yacht Club
by Tom Clay & Doug Innes 18 Jun 2018 04:26 PDT
14 June 2018
Excellent (John Pollard, Rob Smith and Charlie Hook) wins the SB20 UK Sprint Championship © SB20 Class UK
The SB20 Class UK sailed their UK Sprint Championship, which 20 boats used as a warm up before the FSE Robline UK Nationals (15-17 June).
The morning dawned grey and foggy as the fleet rigged and launched their boats but by the time the fleet sailed out for the first race at 1300 the sun had come out and there was wind of F3-4 gusting 5 giving Champagne sailing for the growing fleet.
Xcellent (John Pollard, Rob Smith and Charlie Hook) started as they were to continue, leading up the first beat & stretched away to win the race from Absolut (Igor Ginzburg, Andrew Klock & Zhanna Manukian) and 3732, (Philip Rumbelow, Mike Rutland and James Davis). The beauty of a sprint event is that it gives intensive boat handling and tactical practice in a series of short sharp one lap races and the race team from Royal Torbay Yacht Club were quickly into a second sequence. The fleet was again led around the windward mark by Xcellent's crew then 3732. A close battle between Absolut and Xcellent was decided in Xcellent's favour with 3732 third.
A third race within the hour was started by the RTYC race team and this time it was Absolut who got away to lead round the windward mark from Xcellent and then Breaking Bod (Charlie Whelan, Richard McAdam and Ollie Spensley-Corfield). Xcellent managed to overtake Absolut down the run and these positions were maintained to the finish with Slartibartfast (Paul, Gill and Tom Methven) following to record their 2nd fourth place of the regatta.
Race 4 saw some new faces at the front of the fleet with Sharc (Charlie Sheppard, Jamie Jack Skinner and Ellie Cumpsty) rounding the windward mark first from Reach Around (Christian Sutherland, Etienne Gauvain and Tom Dickson) and Teignager (Antony Robinson, Nigel Brown and Simon Delvis). Reach Around and Excellent overtook Breaking Bod downwind to finish in that order.
Race 5 saw Uber (Morgan Peach, Adrian Peach, Ross Hawes and Mark Ripley) lead around the course followed home by Excellent and 3732. This meant that Excellent had won the sprint event but they continued sailing for the final race which they won from Wild Ling (Martin Boatman, Stu Brown and Jack Wetherell) with 3732 third.
Overall Results: (top five)
1 Excellent, 6pts
2 Absolut, 21pts
3 3732, 21pts
4 Sharc, 24pts
5 Uber, 30pts
The day ended with a video debrief in the club house, led by a visiting RYA coach and Club Commodore, Adrian Peach.
John Pollard (Excellent), Charlie Whelan (Breaking Bod) and Morgan Peach (Uber) took seats on the top table and were quizzed by other competitors on rig settings and tactics. The three sailors were happy to share their wisdom with the class.