K6 National Championship 2022 at Mylor Yacht Club

K6 National Championship at Mylor © Bernie Bagley

K6 National Championship at Mylor © Ari Peltoniemi

What a weekend!

Arriving at Mylor on Thursday after a 7 hour drive, there was a sense of anticipation in the air. A few lucky competitors had made it onto the water for a training sail, with the rest setting up their boats and scoping out the pre-race bacon rolls. Having never sailed a K6 before, or been to an event so far from home, my nerves were rattling.

Needless to say the pre-competition anxiety was short-lived. the fleet descended on Flushing for drinks (courtesy of Richard) and dinner at the local pub, I was immediately made to feel very welcome and the excitement for the coming days set in.

After kicking off the weekend with a brilliant social, it was time to get down to business. The weather on Friday was definitely on our side with a good strong breeze and plenty of sunshine. With such a mixed and competitive fleet, it really was anyone competition for the winning. It was an exciting day of racing, with the the wind building into race two and dropping off towards the end of race three, testing the endurance and adaptability of the boats and crews.

The races were very close, culminating in overall results of first place for Dave Hall, Heather Chipperfield & Emilie Hood, second place Dave Gorringe & Giles Chipperfield and third for Peter Kirby & Richard Barker. Having all recovered from a fairly intense day on the water, we were again treated to a brilliant meal the restaurant next to the club, organised once again by Richard.

Going into day two, we had a change of conditions arriving at Mylor to see a very beautiful, but very glassy sea. On good information that the breeze would build into the afternoon, the race team made the decision to postpone for two hours. While this isn't ideal even under normal circumstances, the pressure to get a good day of racing was on as we were joined by Ari who travelled all the way from Finland to watch the event despite circumstances meaning he was unable to compete himself.

After a walk along the coast and an admire of the Cornish scenery, the wind gods decided they were on our side, blowing in enough to get a full day of racing after all. The generosity of the Mylor race team meant Ari could join the RIB and get some of the best race photos I have seen for a while.

After day two, we had even more race winners, adding wins for Ian Robson & Sandy Johnson, Fraser Elms & Georgie Smith and another for Dave Gorringe & Giles Chipperfield. The overall results stayed the same, with Dave Hall, Heather Chipperfield & Emilie Hood leading the pack, followed by Dave Gorringe & Giles Chipperfield (separated by only 2 points) and Peter Kirby & Richard Barker.

The evening's entertainment was the Championship Dinner at Mylor Yacht Club. Once again, the meal was excellent, and the company was even better. I can honestly say that the K6 fleet was one of the most welcoming and engaging that I have come across. Irrespective of people or topics, I could be sure of a good conversation.

The dinner wound up with an address from the outgoing class captain Peter Kirby, thanking Heather, Richard and the Mylor Team for all their hard work in making the event run smoothly.

As we reached the final day of the championship, we were faced with another stunning, but windless morning. With the added constraint of time, it was looking rather touch and go whether we would even get on the water. Thankfully, like the day before the wind came in around lunchtime and down to the excellent organisation of the race team, we were able to get two very interesting races in.

With the competition so tight and the conditions so changeable it was still all to play for. Much like the day before, we more changed of podium position teams with Peter Kirby & Richard Barker coming first in race seven, and Steve Lidell & Steve Dewberry coming in second in race eight.

The race for top spot became rather fraught, as both Dave & team, and Dave & Giles were trying to do the maths on the water to work out what needed to be done to claim the trophy.

K6 National Championship at Mylor - photo © Jeanette Ruberry

In the end, first place was earned by Dave Hall, Heather Chipperfield & Emilie Hood, with Dave Gorringe & Giles Chipperfield in second and Peter Kirby & Richard Barker in third.

After an exhilarating three days of racing it was time to head home, and I am sure I'm not along in thinking that three days wasn't long enough. All of us in the K6 fleet would agree that we have been truly spoilt by both the scenery, facilities and hospitality of the Mylor Yacht Club and hope that we can return sooner rather than later.

Overall Results:

K6 National Championship at Mylor - photo © Bernie Bagley