WASZP UK Nationals at Rutland Sailing Club - Day 2
by Martin Evans 20 Jun 03:44 PDT
18-20 June 2021
Day 2 of the UK WASZP Nationals started slowly with a 2 hour AP but soon developed into a great day of competition, with two more races added to the score sheet. The breeze ranged from 6 to 12 knots, which meant consistent foiling ruled the day and those that found themselves in low-riding mode for too long paid a heavy price. Pressure was definitely king.
The first start was called back with a general recall after an eager group started foiling in a puff and arrived to the start line early with nowhere to go. The fleet quickly recalibrated for the conditions and got away second time around with 50 boats storming the line on Rutland Water.
Regatta leader Matt Beck capsized at the start but successfully battled back through the fleet to take the win. It was clear that Beck was very efficient at getting foiling before the rest of the fleet and, once up, did an outstanding job of staying up through most of his manoeuvres.
In the second race, Sam Whaley fought back to seal the win, with Beck in second. That meant that the leading two matched each other's points on the scoreboard from the day, so Beck maintains his one-point lead over Whaley in the title race. The pair have opened a bit of a gap to third place, but with up to five races scheduled for the final day tomorrow, anything can happen.
Bar conversations after the racing have been dominated by talks about techniques for those marginal conditions, with the top guys freely sharing their knowledge and experience with the rest of the fleet. Every race is a learning opportunity and sailors will be taking their experience from today and looking to come back harder tomorrow as we get to the business end of the championship.
On Sunday morning, Matt Gotrel of Ineos Team UK will be making an appearance as part of WASZP's partnership with the SailGP Inspire program. Four under 21 sailors from this championship will have the incredible opportunity to qualify for SailGP Inspire in Plymouth, so the young guns will be sailing to impress under the watchful eye of one of the sport's leading foiling athletes.