76th Aspire Merlin Rocket National Championships at Mount's Bay Sailing Club

76th Aspire Merlin Rocket National Championships at Mount's Bay Sailing Club - Day 3

by Chris Jennings 2 Aug 2022 14:43 PDT 31 July - 4 August 2022

Day 3 of the Aspire Merlin Rocket National Championships arrived with competitors waking to the sound of some wind in the trees. Day one's shifty conditions had some teams dazed and confused, while the light winds of Monday proved a heartbreaker for several of the heavier pairings. Would day three see something new? How many more times would it pay to go right?

As we arrived in the dinghy park conditions looked positive with an apparently nice moderate breeze on the race course. One top crew was heard reporting of white caps out to sea, however these turned out to be the headgear of the race team. It seems there was more wind in the dinghy park than in the bay. Nevertheless, the fleet launched on time and headed out for another two-race day.

Aspire Merlin Rocket National Championships at Mount's Bay - Day 3 - photo © Lee Whitehead / www.photolounge.co.uk

Race four started under a black flag with a light breeze and awkward chop. In the final two minutes of the start sequence the line appeared to be port biased, with Stu Bithell and Tom Pygall winning the pin. However, usual service resumed with the right hand side of the first beat being favoured.

Tim Saxton and Mary Henderson led at the first mark and seemed in an awful hurry leading from start to finish, they were never really challenged. Behind them saw a tight tussle, with Ian and Chris Martin taking second. Mike and Jane Calvert finishing third ahead of Christian Birrell and Sam Brearey.

The race officer opted to postpone the start of race five, perhaps hoping for the rumoured 20 knots to kick in.Unfortunately, conditions were pretty similar to race four, only less stable. For once it was the left that paid on the first beat. Andy 'Taxi' Davis and Jack Holden showed no quarter by rounding first ahead of a chasing pack.

Aspire Merlin Rocket National Championships at Mount's Bay - Day 3 - photo © Lee Whitehead / www.photolounge.co.uk

The race turned into a game of snakes and ladders with Merlin Rockets with lots of holes in the pressure. After a highly stressful race it was Dave and Vicky Lenz who took the bullet. Second went to Sarah Richards and Nigel Wakefield, making it a celebration day for Lymington Sailing Club. Third were the ever-consistent Mike and Jane Calvert.

The fleet returned to shore for counselling.

This evening's social involves one of the many highlights of a championship week at Mount's Bay: a visit to St. Michael's Mount. Thank you to Lord and Lady St Levan for hosting us.

Aspire Merlin Rocket National Championships at Mount's Bay - Day 3 - photo © Lee Whitehead / www.photolounge.co.uk

Wednesday's forecast is a moderate wind from the west, however let's just ignore that and wait to see what happens. What we do know is that the plan is for two championship races followed by the most anticipated race of the week, the Crew's Race.

The overall championship remains wide open and only time will tell which team will bring it on home.

Thank you to our sponsors Aspire Financial Advisers, HD Sails, Mounts Bay Distillery, Fernhurst Books, West Systems, Triggernaut Sports Glasses, Robline/DinghyTec and GK Engineering.

Videos courtesty of Lee Whitehead are on Youtube.

Aspire Merlin Rocket National Championships at Mount's Bay - Day 3 - photo © Lee Whitehead / www.photolounge.co.uk

Results after day 3:

Pos	Fleet	Sail No	Helm	Crew	Club	R1	R2	R3	R5	R6	Pts
1st	Platinum	3759	Thomas Gillard	Rachel Gray	Staunton Harold	1	2	3	5	14	11
2nd	Platinum	3691	Mike Calvert	Jane Calvert	Axe	5	5	7	3	3	16
3rd	Platinum	3788	Christian Birrell	Sam Brearey	Parkstone	6	1	15	4	6	17
4th	Platinum	3719	Ian Martin	Chris Martin	Burghfield	UFD	6	5	2	4	17
5th	Platinum	3802	Simon Potts	Charlotte Fildes	Burghfield	10	3	1	8	19	22
6th	Platinum	3764	Tim Fells	Frances Gifford	Salcombe	4	4	16	11	8	27
7th	Platinum	3807	Tim Saxton	Mary Henderson	Itchenor	20	9	8	1	10	28
8th	Platinum	3778	David Lenz	Vicky Lenz	Lymington Town	12	25	9	9	1	31
9th	Platinum	3803	Caroline Croft	Faye Chatterton	Lymington Town	9	10	6	12	9	34
10th	Platinum	2137	James Goss	Chris White	South Staffs	13	7	2	15	29	37
11th	Platinum	3735	Andy Davis	Jack Holden	South Staffs	8	24	17	10	5	40
12th	Gold	3782	Ed Chapman	Chris Kilsby	Lymington Town	3	13	19	33	21	56
13th	Gold	3780	Sarah Richards	Nigel Wakefield	Lymington Town	17	11	36	27	2	57
14th	Platinum	3801	Matthew Biggs	Beka Jones	Bartley	28	15	25	7	15	62
15th	Platinum	3758	David Hayes	Jonny Ratcliffe	Lymington Town	14	14	32	24	11	63
16th	Platinum	3676	Antony Gifford	Jo Gifford	Royal Tay	21	17	12	22	17	67
17th	Platinum	3791	Jon Gorringe	Pete Grey	Parkstone	2	31	13	34	23	69
18th	Gold	3746	James Wells	Anna Aylward	RYA	16	23	11	23	20	70
19th	Gold	3796	William Warren	Megan Pascoe	Shoreham	18	16	21	25	16	71
20th	Platinum	3775	Chris Jennings	Pete Nicholson	Burghfield	19	30	31	14	13	76
21st	Platinum	3809	John Turner	Richard Parslow	Lyme Regis	31	8	22	17	DNF	78
22nd	Platinum	3726	Will Henderson	Rupert White	Salcombe	30	12	28	16	25	81
23rd	Platinum	3811	Stu Bithell	Tom Pygall	Parkstone	DNS	DNS	4	6	7	83
24th	Gold	3757	Tim Parsons	Andrew Service	Lyme Regis	24	29	10	21	33	84
25th	Gold	3716	Steven Leney	Gill Leney	Blithfield	26	21	18	20	DNF	85
26th	Gold	3696	Alexander Warren	Jonty Freemansh	Shoreham	22	28	14	26	34	90
27th	Gold	3683	Arthur Handerson	Livvy Bell	Salcombe	15	33	20	29	27	91
28th	Silver	3806	Ben Jones	Helen Hilditch	Shoreham	47	19	26	19	28	92
29th	Silver	3815	Mark Barwell	Louise Johnson	Lymington Town	37	18	23	46	18	96
30th	Gold	3787	Chris Martin	John Tailby	Midland	7	40	35	18	39	99
31st	Silver	3727	Mark Stockbridge	James Gifford	Upper Thames	61	32	24	31	12	99
32nd	Silver	3816	Phil Emery	Phoebe Paine	Whitstable	25	43	27	13	37	102
33rd	Gold	3799	Paul Rayson	Christian Hill	Fishers Green	11	20	33	39	41	103
34th	Platinum	3666	John Meadowcroft	Dan Meadowcroft	Upper Thames	33	22	39	28	35	118
35th	Gold	3756	Sophie Mackley	James Ward	Shoreham	35	34	29	35	22	120
36th	Gold	3740	Pat Blake	Jilly Blake	Lymington Town	34	26	30	32	44	122
37th	Silver	3772	Dan Heaton	Tom Gurney	Mountbatten	41	39	41	43	26	147
38th	Silver	3690	Tim Harridge	Rory Gifford	Hampton	32	27	57	38	50	147
39th	Platinum	3793	James Goodfellow	Rick Cornes	Burghfield	27	45	34	42	BFD	148
40th	Silver	3790	Colin Brockbank	Sue Brough	Wembley	39	47	44	30	36	149
41st	Silver	3732	Ben Hollis	George Bender	Blithfield	40	36	42	41	32	149
42nd	Gold	3656	Charlotte Gough	Dave Gough	Starcross	36	42	46	40	38	156
43rd	Silver	3779	David Lee	Kirsten Glen	Starcross	46	44	38	DNS	30	158
44th	Gold	3766	Andy Dalby	Aimee Dalby	Burghfield	50	46	37	37	42	162
45th	Silver	3684	Tom Low	Hannah Burt	Queen Mary	29	41	45	48	48	163
46th	Bronze	3813	Steve Harling	Eleanor Thomas	Starcross	48	37	43	36	49	164
47th	Silver	3749	Colin Anderson	Sean Anderson	Blithfield	23	38	40	DNC	DNC	167
48th	Bronze	3770	Jon Steward	Annabel Steward	Fishers Green	52	54	51	45	24	172
49th	Bronze	3817	Geoff Kimber	Helen Kimber	Stone	42	48	52	44	40	174
50th	Silver	3767	Ben Archer	Olivia Bellini	Parkstone	44	53	47	DNF	31	175
51st	Bronze	3695	Peter Slack	Immy Brown	RYA	43	35	50	50	47	175
52nd	Bronze	3794	Julian Harms	Timothy Harms	Midlands	38	50	48	54	43	179
53rd	Silver	3682	Ross Borne	John Burn	Salcombe	45	52	49	53	46	192
54th	Bronze	3785	Robin Charles	Oscar Simmons	Starcross	51	51	53	49	45	196
55th	Bronze	3662	Nigel Hudson	Freya Hudson	Bartley	49	49	54	52	DNF	204
56th	Bronze	3561	Joe Shaw	Julie Cronshaw	Wembley	57	58	58	47	51	213
57th	Bronze	3742	Howard Eeles	Bradley Eeles	Bartley	53	57	DNF	51	52	213
58th	Bronze	3619	Guy Browne	Andy Hunter	Trent Valley	54	56	60	56	53	219
59th	Bronze	3800	Richard Bramley	Calum Tait	Shoreham	56	55	63	57	55	223
60th	Bronze	3567	Martin Smith	Karen Beston	Blithfield	55	DNS	62	55	54	226
61st	Bronze	3574	Marc Candelas	John Donoghue	Upper Thames	59	61	64	58	56	234
62nd	Silver	3750	Neal Lillywhite	Freya Lillywhite	Burghfield	58	62	55	DNC	DNC	241
63rd	Bronze	3586	Kieron Mason	Belinda Mason	Blithfield	60	60	59	DNC	DNC	245
64th	Bronze	3449	Carl Whitehill	Dani Whitehill	RYA	DNS	59	56	DNC	DNC	247
65th	Bronze	3792	Alistair McDonald	Lydia Bourne	Berwick	DNS	DNS	61	DNC	DNC	259