Harken Youth Championships at Itchenor Sailing Club

by Tristan Ahlheid 24 Jul 2023 07:17 PDT 8-9 July 2023

RS200 fleet © RS UK Class Associations

Congratulations to Ollie Evans and Zoe Nieveen, Harken RS200 Youth Champions 2023!

Itchenor Sailing Club's stunning location offered a perfect blend of natural beauty and challenging sailing conditions. The expansive Chichester Harbour provided a unique setting, characterized by its tidal waters, shifting winds, and scenic landscapes. The vibrant atmosphere at the club, coupled with its exceptional facilities and warm hospitality, created an excellent base for when the rain came and went while the sailors waited for the wind during the morning of day 1.

Once the wind had filled in, twelve RS200s departed from Itchenor, joined by another 3 who had sailed from HISC down to the sailing area.

Race 1 saw a rather one-sided course, with the leaders managing to escape the tide by sending it hard right near the shore, creating a tight battle for 1st, 2nd and 3rd, with Sam Dickinson and Laura Hantrais getting the win.

The wind began to drop for race 2, becoming a tense fight for who could utilise the remaining pressure the best. In the end it was Jamie Harris and Natalie Annels who crossed the line 1st.

The wind made a brief return for the final race of the day, with Ollie Evans and Zoe Nieveen taking the win.

After racing, an excellent lasagne was served, accompanied by a delicious brownie, which provided a delightful end to a fantastic day's racing.

Day 2 came with the promise of slightly more wind so (after a brief postponement) the boats were launched.

Tom and Tristan Ahlheid took the win on race 4, with the sun and wind beginning to come through as forecast.

Ollie and Zoe won race 5, leading to race 6 and 7 where Jamie and Natalie found some rocket-like speed to win both races and close the gap to Ollie and Zoe, but not quite pass them.

Overall winners, crowned Harken RS200 Youth Champions were Ollie Evans and Zoe Nieveen, justa point ahead of open winners Jomie Harris and Natalie Annels. Harken Junior Champions, and surely ones to watch for the future are Sam Dickinson and Laura Hantrais.

A fantastic event with great races and a wonderful venue. A big thanks to the race committee and everyone involved in organising it to make it all possible as well as Harken for some great prizes!

Prize winners:

Harken RS200 Youth Champions - Ollie Evans and Zoe Nieveen
Harken RS200 Junior Champions - Sam Dickinson and Laura Hantrais
1st Female Helm - Bridgitte Nee
1st Open over 22 -Jamie Harris and Natalie Annels

Overall Results:

Pos	Age Cat	Boat Name	Sail No	Club	Helm	Crew	R1	R2	R3	R4	R5	R6	R7	Pts
1st	21 ‑ 23		1716	HISC	Ollie Evans	Zoe Nieveen	‑2	2	1	2	1	‑3	2	8
2nd	21 ‑ 23	Twocan	1439	HISC	Jamie Harris	Natalie Annels	‑4	1	2	4	‑7	1	1	9
3rd	18 ‑ 20	T squared	1237	FPSC	Tom Ahlheid	Tristan Ahlheid	‑5	3	3	1	‑5	4	3	14
4th	18 ‑ 20	Fisher 200	1681	Itchenor	Bertie Fisher	Maddie Hantrais	‑6	4	‑5.5	3	3	5	4	19
5th	Under 18	BonkeRS	1616	Itchenor SC	Sam Dickinson	Laura Hantrais	1	‑9	5.5	‑9	4	2	9	21.5
6th	Under 18	1363	1363	Frensham Pond Sailing Club	Will Shepherd	Ryan Harris	‑11	5	7	5	8	‑9	6	31
7th	18 ‑ 20	Tinkle Winkle	728	Leigh & Lowton Bassenthwaite	Adam Catlow	Poppy Christie	7	‑10	10	(DNC)	2	6	7	32
8th	18 ‑ 20	No Excuse	1100	Frensham Pond Sailing Club	Bridgitte Nee	Fiona Nee	‑12	8	4	‑11	9	10	5	36
9th	Under 18		1102	Frensham Pond SC	Finlay Lomas‑Clarke	Tom Walker	8	7	8	6	‑10	7	‑10	36
10th	21 ‑ 23		1296	West Oxfordshire SC	Ben Nicoll	Emily Batterton	‑10	‑11	9	10	6	8	8	41
11th	Under 18	GT Yachts	1054	HISC	Angus Cockburn	Ben Ripley	9	6	‑14	7	11	11	‑13	44
12th	18 ‑ 20		1402	Yorkshire Dales Sailing Club	Ben Dearden	Alice Carter	‑13	‑12	11	8	12	12	12	55
13th	18 ‑ 20	Cirrus	1694	Itchenor sailing club	Will Grant	Josh Boniface	3	14	13	(DNC)	(DNC)	DNC	DNC	62
14th	18 ‑ 20		250	Fpsc	Sarah McEwan	Lydia Mycroft	‑14	13	‑15	12	13	13	11	62
15th	21 ‑ 23	RS200	1017	Eastbourne Sovereign Sailing Club	Matthew Riley	Miranda Cook	(DNF)	(NSC)	12	13	14	14	14	67