Noble Marine Winter Championship 2023 at Northampton Sailing Club Cancelled
by Will Loy 7 Mar 2023 05:10 PST
11 March 2023
Oliver Davenport © Will Loy
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UPDATE: Sadly, due to the weather conditions and weather warnings we’ve, regrettably, had to make the decision to cancel tomorrow's Winter Championships at Northampton.
Never an easy decision, but one your Committee feels is correct under the circumstances. We are also aware that some sailors have already made the decision not to travel and, in some cases, boats couldn’t be accessed from clubs which have closed due to the snow.
Please bear with us whilst we look to make further arrangements for a future event.
Guy - Vice President
This Saturday sees the Solo fleet assemble at Northampton Sailing Club to contest the 30th Winter Championship, sponsored by Noble Marine who have supported this event since 2009 and have been our Solo Class insurer since 1995, Noble Marine keep us on the water 365 days a year.
Since I am dishing out the stats in this short promo article I can tell you that there have been 15 different winners, the mighty Jim Hunt winning 8 of them. Rumour has it that babies are born with stubble in Leeds, the girls too, so you could say he was naturally acclimatised to the cold harsh conditions of a winter event, so much so that he didn't bother to bring a wetsuit to one championship (which he also won but did borrow some tight fitting kit). I also remember him winning at Oxford in 2006, racing a wooden Gosling built hull with an experimental North laminate sail with short battens. This produced a soft, batten free luff which was clearly quick. Fair to say the rules team soon tightened up the NSCA wording on batten length but it was well worth the punt.
Charlie Cumbley won this event 6 times, his first, memorable to me as I actually beat him in the first race at a very cold Grafham Water. To be fair, it was his very first event in a Solo and coming from a Finn, well, it was always going to be a leap. Charlie pretty much won most events he turned up to after that baptism, I will not mention the Nation's Cups 2014/19 but rumour has it that he may compete at the Selden Solo National Championship this year, having won at HISC in 2013/18.
Mike Sims and Tom Gillard won the Winters twice each, Gillard may add to that tally on Saturday if he turns up, but the force is strong in this part of the UK so the likes of Chris Brown, Ian Walters, Oliver Davenport (who is defending champion and my pick) and of course Andy Davis may provide stern competition. Andy Tunnicliffe is campaigning this season and has some serious talent while the likes of Ian Hopwood, who loves big breeze may also feature if he can stay out of the water. Among the southern contingent, Oliver Turner, Jamie Morgan, Guy Mayger and Richard Lovering are my top picks though, they are more used to balmy Miami type temperatures so if they are there it will be a shock to me and to their metabolism.
The forecast looks suitably chilly, the competitors are reminded to take their thermals, dry suits and anything else fit for survival conditions, meanwhile in Leeds, the summer lines are already on display on a Saturday night.
This Championship forms part of the North Sails Super Series, a packed calendar of 'big fleet' regattas that also include Area Championships, don't be put off if by reading "Championship" you think you are not ready, by the end of the season you will be prepared for 2024.
As an aside, the late, great, multiple Solo Champion Alec Stone's funeral is on Friday and I am sure he will be watching the racing from somewhere up high, on behalf of Solo sailors everywhere, thank you for adding so much to the rich history of the little racing dinghy we love.
See you on the water.