WASZP UK National Championship at the WPNSA - Day 1
by Sam Whaley 26 Jun 2022 00:32 NZST
23-26 June 2022
The first day of the WASZP UK National Championships got under way on Friday, with 55 keen entrants lining up on the waters of Portland Harbour. Conditions started off moderately, with a southerly wind making for some interesting strategy calls.
Energy levels were high and the excitement was visible across the fleet. Race 1 started swiftly with Ross Banham, Sam Whaley and Nick Zeltner battling it out around the first windward mark. Whaley and Banham traded positions throughout the race with Banham claiming victory on the line.
The starts were incredibly tight with many different sailors showing good speed before the tricky first tack. Martin Evans was blisteringly high and fast in race 2 on the drag race out to the left and crossed everyone. However Banham and Whaley were once again leaders to the top mark and had another battle around the course, with Sam winning out followed closely by Nick Zeltner and Tom Pollard.
Whilst the now slightly tired fleet wanted the winds to stay moderate, the weather gods decided otherwise and race 3 became a bit raucous. Sam Whaley lead the way whilst Ross Banham and Elliot Savelon traded blows, only for Sam to pitchpole just 100 metres from the finish and relegate himself to 5th. Banham won, followed by Elliot, with Nick third and Tom Pollard charging into 4th.
By now the conditions were pretty mental, with winds gusting up to 26 knots. The chop of the bottom of the harbour was becoming a lot more problematic and it required quite a lot of skill to avoid any swimming lessons. Nick Zeltner overtook Sam Whaley and sailed away to victory whilst Tom Pollard nailed the lay lines to overtake Banham and take 3rd place.
Overall Ross Banham leads on 4 points with Sam Whaley and Nick Zeltner just behind. 4 more races are scheduled for tomorrow and it once again looks like a breeze on day!