Miracle Midlands Championship at Staunton Harold Sailing Club

Dave Turtle and Zara Frankton leading Andrew Robinson and Hannah Mumford - Miracle Midlands Championship at Staunton Harold © Ann Nugent

Staunton Harold Sailing Club hosted the first Miracle class event of the year over the May Whit Bank Holiday weekend. Despite the blustery forecast, five boats took to the water — four visitors and one home boat — after at least three teams decided against making the trip due to the conditions.

The event ran alongside the Graduate Nationals, who started each race first, with the Miracles setting off five minutes later.

Race 1

Race 1 got under way with a clean start. Home team Graham Watts and Helen Jacks led the fleet around the windward mark, followed closely by Andrew Robinson and Hannah Mumford. On the first reach, Dave Turtle and Zara Frankton made their downwind prowess clear, overtaking to take the lead.

Meanwhile, Paul Robinson and Karen Glisson took an unplanned swim, leaving them trailing. Despite pressure from Andrew and Graham, Dave and Zara held on to secure the first win of the weekend.

Race 2

Conditions ramped up for Race 2 with stronger gusts testing boat handling. Dave and Zara again took an early lead and never looked back. Behind them, Andrew and Graham battled closely throughout, clinging on through a massive gust on the final reach.

Unfortunately for Graham and Helen, a capsize forced them to retire, allowing Gerald and Francis Copsey to edge ahead of Paul and Karen by just a couple of boat lengths for third.

Back on shore, sailors refuelled with a well-earned Chinese meal and some time at the bar to recover from the testing day.

Miracle Midlands Championship at Staunton Harold - photo © Ann Nugent

Sunday Races

Sunday brought similar blustery weather, and the fleet agreed to sail just the two back-to-back morning races—giving them a discard and skipping Race 5.

In race 3, Graham and Helen took a bold line off the pin and went hard right to the farmhouse bank while the rest of the fleet tacked early. The strategy paid off, and they rounded the windward mark comfortably in front. On the next lap, however, a big wind shift allowed Dave and Zara to close in and pass, though Graham held onto second.

Further back, Gerald again just edged Paul on the line — by a single boat length — for fourth.

Race 4 followed a similar pattern, with Dave and Zara sealing their fourth consecutive win, clinching the event with a race to spare. This time, Paul reversed the finishing order, beating Gerald by a boat length to take fourth.

The Showdown for second place: Race 5

With the event already decided, Graham and Andrew — tied on points — agreed to a final two-boat shoot-out to determine second place overall.

The first lap was a nail-biter, with the lead changing several times. On lap two, a stuck spinnaker on Andrew and Hannah's boat gave Graham a narrow advantage, though spinnaker use in the gusty conditions remained risky. Neither team used them on the final lap.

Disaster struck at the last mark for Graham and Helen when the jib sheet came loose. Quick thinking saw Graham tack back onto port, giving Helen the chance to grab and retie the sheet. They recovered in time and, despite a late charge from Andrew, held on to win by just two boat lengths.

Graham Watts and Helen Jacks chasing hard - Miracle Midlands Championship at Staunton Harold - photo © Ann Nugent

Thanks and Wrap-Up

Many thanks to Tim Gray and the race team for running a smooth and well-organised weekend.

A great start to the Miracle season despite the challenging conditions!

Overall Results: