Gul National 12 Series finale and Inland Championships at Northampton SC

19 National 12s travelled to Northampton SC for the final event in the National 12 GUL Series 2018 and the Inland Championships. On the Saturday the weather lived up to the forecast, with gusts of up to 30 knots but bright sunshine.

With the wind coming over the south-west side of the lake and the direction shifting through as much as 30 degrees, it was challenging to know which way to go up the beat. Tight racing on a square course and plenty of capsizes meant that success was defined by making as few mistakes as possible.

In the first race, former locals Tom & Robbie Stewart won convincingly, chased by Graham Camm & Zoe Ballantyne and John & Dan Meadowcroft. Following an unfortunate capsize by Tom & Robbie in the second race, Graham and Zoe won the second race from John & Dan Meadowcroft. Tom & Robbie caught up back to third place by the finish and Chris Day & Char Stewart came fourth. The third race, which turned out to be the deciding factor for the overall winner of the GUL series 2018, was won by Graham & Zoe, with Tom, & Robbie in second place and Nick Copsey & Rosie White putting in a strong performance to finish third.

After the GUL series prizegiving, a bonfire, fireworks and disco on Saturday night, Sunday morning dawned damp and chilly. The breeze was lighter and coming in bands across the lake, but still just as shifty as Saturday. A sudden starboard header at the start of the fourth race sent half the fleet off in what looked like the wrong direction, but a later shift up the first beat brought the fleet back together again. Ian & Alex Gore benefited from hitting the right hand corner up the first beat and got to the windward mark in first place, but Tom & Robbie pulled through to take second place and Graham & Zoe took first.

In the fifth race, a lucky shift allowed Zoe & Graham to take a big lead up the first beat, followed by Jon Ibbotson & Rachel Smith and Tom & Robbie. In the third race, John Meadowcroft swapped his Hijack design with son Ollie's Design 8. Ollie showed the whole fleet the way to the windward mark, showing impressive helming skills in the shifty conditions, and maintained his lead until the third lap. He was eventually overtaken by Graham & Zoe at the wing mark and by Ian & Alex Gore and Kevin Iles & Charlotte Stewart on the last two legs to finish fourth.

GUL series results (Saturday only):

1st Graham Camm & Zoe Ballantyne, Burghfield SC, Very Hungry Caterpillar
2nd Tom & Robert Stewart, Waldringfield SC, Whitebait
3rd John & Dan Meadowcroft, Upper Thames, D B Cooper

Inland Championship results (both days):