Aspire Merlin Rocket National Championship at Looe Sailing Club - Day 1
by Tim Fells 18 Aug 2019 10:57 PDT
17-23 August 2019
For their 2019 National Championships the Merlin Rocket's have returned to one of their most popular venues, picturesque Looe on the south Cornwall coast. Generously sponsored for the third year by Aspire Financial Services, the week promises a combination of great sea sailing with a full social programme in the ever-welcoming Looe Sailing Club.
Great organisation between the club and the class meant that 65 boats were delivered down the tiny back streets, berthed around the beach wall and harbour and scrutineered with the minimum of fuss.
As the fleet gathered on the Sunday morning, the sun was out and the sea looking decidedly rough with white water showing looking downwind. The race officer confidently reported that the wind was 18 knots gusting 24 from 250 degrees with six foot waves. A nervous fleet judiciously took to the water for a screaming run down to the start.
Under a U flag, the fleet were away first time with Christian Birrell and Sam Brearey leading the charge out left with Nick Craig and Toby Lewis. Half way up the beat there was a 10 degree right hander that brought Jon Gorringe and Pete Gray into the lead at the first mark from Christian and Sam.
Conditions were superb - breezy but manageable - with close quarter racing as the lines of pressure and associated shifts came through. Christian and Sam eased up into the lead by the second beat with Chrises Gould and Kilsby climbing fast up to second. Unfortunately, their race was to end in calamity. Having missed the spacer mark, they then blew up their mast on the final reach.
Jon and Pete gratefully accepted second behind the flying Christian and Sam, with Nick and Toby climbing to third on the final beat. Will Henderson, on the back of a dominant Salcombe Yawl win the previous week, sailed an excellent race for fourth with his son Arthur, holding off the challenge of Andy Davis and Pippa Kilsby.
Results after Day 1:
Pos | Boat Name | Sail No | Fleet | Helm | Crew | Founders Cup |
1 | Blue My Mind | 3788 | Gold | Christian Birrell | Sam Brearey | 1 |
2 | Didley Squat | 3791 | Gold | Jon Gorringe | Pete Gray | 2 |
3 | Messy Monty | 3776 | Gold | Nick Craig | Tobytastic Lewis | 3 |
4 | Arwen | 3726 | Gold | Will Henderson | Arthur Henderson | 4 |
5 | Keyser Soze | 3684 | Gold | Andy Davis | Pippa Kilsby | 5 |
6 | Khaleesi | 3802 | Gold | Simon Potts | Ally Potts | 6 |
7 | Okey Dokey | 3712 | Gold | Ian Sharps | Alex Warren | 7 |
8 | Bernard | 3658 | Gold | Chris Jennings | Chris Martin | 8 |
9 | Metachrosis | 3736 | Gold | Roger Phillips | Will Crocker | 9 |
10 | Fancy Liquor | 3764 | Gold | Tim Fells | Fran Gifford | 11 |
11 | Doris | 3786 | Gold | David Wade | Ben Rayner | 12 |
12 | Stealth | 3722 | Gold | Roger Gilbert | James Stewart | 13 |
13 | Dory | 3739 | Gold | Ben McGrane | Roz McGrane | 14 |
14 | Goon | 3795 | Gold | Alex Jackson | Mary Henderson | 15 |
15 | Speed Machine | 3742 | Gold | Pete Ballantine | Rob Allen | L05 |
16 | The Oldie | 3673 | Gold | Caroline Croft | Tom Lonsdale | 16 |
17 | The Force Awakens | 3781 | Gold | David Winder | Liv Bell | 17 |
18 | Pokey | 3801 | Gold | Matt Biggs | Beka Jones | 18 |
19 | Quicksilver | 3787 | Silver | Chris Martin | Samuel Bailey | 19 |
20 | The Bear | 3766 | Silver | Andy Dalby | Pete Horn | 20 |
21 | Wild at Heart | 3709 | Silver | Rob Henderson | James Ellis | 21 |
22 | Roberta | 3796 | Gold | William Warren | Rachel Rhodes | 22 |
23 | Night Fury | 3775 | Gold | Dan Willett | Pete Nicholson | 23 |
24 | Mockingjay | 3777 | Silver | George Yeoman | Sophie Yeoman | 24 |
25 | Quick Fix | 3691 | Gold | Mike Calvert | Jane Calvert | 25 |
26 | Panther | 3774 | Gold | Jon Turner | Richard Parslow | 26 |
27 | General Lee | 3690 | Silver | Tim Harridge | Claire Mills | 27 |
28 | Stanley | 3749 | Silver | Ben Hollis | Colin Anderson | 28 |
29 | Robert | 3756 | Silver | Sophie Mackley | James Ward | 29 |
30 | Puff the Magic Dragon | 3641 | Silver | Mark Waterhouse | Mat Currell | 30 |
31 | Red Mistress | 3759 | Gold | Sam Barker | Megan Pascoe | 31 |
32 | Sylvia | 3711 | Silver | Sam Thompson | Leanne Thompson | 32 |
33 | Strung Along | 3784 | Silver | Mark Barwell | Louise Johnson | 33 |
34 | Never Been to Salcombe | 3582 | Silver | Ben Pickering | Nathan King | 34 |
35 | Fluffy | 3719 | Bronze | Rob Martin | Jan Martin | 35 |
36 | Why Ask | 3740 | Silver | Patrick Blake | Jilly Blake | 36 |
37 | Outnumbered | 3745 | Silver | Paul Dean | Russell Hall | 37 |
38 | Disciple | 3769 | Silver | Graham Cranford Smith | Rob Langley | 38 |
39 | Carbonator | 3639 | Bronze | Dan Heaton | Rory Hunter | 39 |
40 | Pointer | 3790 | Silver | Colin Brockbank | Suzy Brough | 40 |
41 | Ichthys | 3794 | Bronze | Julian Harms | Timothy Harms | 41 |
42 | NKS | 3732 | Bronze | John Cooper | Becci Wigley | 42 |
43 | DES | 3723 | Bronze | Geoff Kimber | Helen Kimber | 43 |
44 | Enchanted Evening | 3666 | Silver | John Meadowcroft | Oliver Meadowcroft | 44 |
45 | Rockatross | 3804 | Silver | Andrea Brewster | Charlotte Fildes | 45 |
46 | Urban Warrior | 3668 | Bronze | Mark Smyth | Julie Cronshaw | 46 |
47 | Brambles | 3800 | Bronze | Richard Bramley | Liam Weighill | 47 |
48 | One Love | 3767 | Bronze | Ben Archer | Olivia Bellini | 48 |
49 | Velella | 3772 | Silver | Phil Emery | Phoebe Paine | 49 |
50 | Heaven Sent | 3511 | Bronze | Andrew Mills | Ellie Mills | 50 |
51 | Factory Maid | 3704 | Bronze | Jemma Horwood | Sel Shah | 51 |
52 | Dark `n` Stormy | 3619 | Bronze | Guy Browne | Greg Martin | 52 |
53 | Light Fantastic | 3555 | Bronze | Emma Robertson | Carl Weighill | 53 |
54 | Shiny Happy People | 3695 | Bronze | Pete Slack | Connor Langan | 54 |
55 | Heavy Particle | 3482 | Bronze | Richard Burton | Patrick Burton | 55 |
56 | Armed Forces | 3442 | Bronze | Matt Smith | Jared Lewis | DNC |
56 | Wizard in Blue | 3449 | Bronze | Carl Whitehill | Samuel Whitehill | DNC |
56 | Snorting | 3561 | Bronze | Joe Shaw | Hannah Burt | RET |
56 | Nostra Dormouse | 3577 | Bronze | Joe Tosh | Will Lowe | UFD |
56 | Monkey Puzzle | 3706 | Bronze | Lawrence Tosh | Jack Tosh | RET |
56 | The Clone Wars | 3735 | Gold | Dave Hall | Paul Constable | RET |
56 | Peer Pressure | 3778 | Gold | David Lenz | Vicky Lenz | RET |
56 | Narnia | 3751 | Bronze | Huw Reynolds | Phil Scott | RET |
56 | Something | 3803 | Gold | Chris Gould | Chris Kilsby | DNF |
56 | Baloo | 3807 | Gold | Tim Saxton | Jodie Saxton | RET |