News for Magic Marine Topper National Championships,Pwllheli Sailing Club
Results from all races are available by clicking here.
Friday, 7th August 2009
*** Prize giving will be in the marquee once all results are processed ***
14:50 - PRO has just raised the N over A flags - all races not raced are abandoned. Sailors are now returning ashore.
14:30 - PRO reports that the wind has swung to 220 - 230 degrees and has gone light. The Gold fleet are being held to see how the wind settles.
14:05 - Regatta fleet are in for lunch. Sailed 3 races with some wind for the first, very little for the second and some for the third, but all are having great fun.
14:00 - CS Race 7. Bronze fleet at windward mark - leading boats are 365, 533, 86, 155, 539, 16, 163, 276, 167, 336. Weather is holding. Gold fleet approaching the finish.
13:45 - CS Race 7. Silver fleet now at windward mark - leading boats are 157, 272, 585, 191, 78, 330, 410, 647, 53, 606. Bronze fleet has just started.
13:35 - CS Race 7. Quite nice sailing conditions on the race course. Wind 7.5 - 8 knots direction 210 degrees. Gold fleet at the windward mark - leading boats are 504, 407, 613, 149, 431, 19, 312, 458, 55, 514.
13:20 - CS Race 7. Gold fleet have just got away for the first race of the day with some individual recalls.
13:00 - CS Race 7. The wind has backed from 200 to 210 degrees and increased to 6 knots. The PRO is waiting to see if the wind stays constant before deciding on the first start of the day.
12:30 - CS Race 7. Gold fleet were in sequence but the wind has died and veered to 270 degrees and so the PRO has postponed the start. The wind is filling in again from the new direction and the PRO is re-positioniong the course to re-start again shortly.
12:00 - All sailors are now afloat and heading out to the race area.
10:30 - Charles Glover handed out mugs to yesterdays race winners. Bill Brassington gave a racing briefing - lighter winds forecast up to 6 knots - PRO will try and get two races in, but only if there is constant wind over the race area. Coaches tip of the day from Nathan Bachelor: Concentration is key in light winds - especially as sailors get tired - keep your head out of the boat; observe the rules - a number of incidents have been seen of sailors hitting marks and other boats and not doing turns; for the older sailors who may be leaving the class - look back with fond memories on the Topper Class for excellent, friendly, close and affordable racing.
Dave Cockerill announced that ITCA (GBR) are going to have a National 4.2 Squad this winter coached by himself for those sailors who are more suited to the 4.2 sail than the 5.3. More details to follow at a parents briefing in the marquee and via the Topper website.
There were a huge number of worthy nominations again for the Sailing Solutions spot prize of the day including Andy Millington for keeping calm amidst controlling 30+ safety ribs through the racing. Also for all the parents who helped pull boats up the beach at low tide yesterday. The spot prize was finally awarded though to Steve Barraclough for his karaoke rendition of Elvis Presley last night...
*** 10:00 - Morning briefing in the Marquee ***
09:00 - We awake to the last day of the National Championships to a dry and bright day with a light breeze. Sailors are hoping that it will fill in more so that they can get on the water for the final two races. After the first race of today (CS Race 7) competitors will get a further discard. The forecast is for 6 knots rising to 8 knots, direction W moving to SW later in the afternoon.
Thursday, 6th August 2009
17:30 - All sailors ashore, eating pasta and getting ready for the evening's festivities. Forecast for tomorrow, the final day, is dry, sunny and light winds - around 6 knots from the west. There are two races planned for tomorrow to complete the Championship series.
15:28 - CS Race 6. First Gold fleet boats just finishing and sailing in. Regatta fleet are departing from their picnic and are expected ashore in about one hour.
15:00 - CS Race 6. Gold fleet are away for the last race of today. Leaders at the windward mark are 514, 458, 55, 590, 227, 407, 431, 361, 612, 544.
14:10 - CS Race 5. Bronze fleet has reached the windward mark - 365 has a monster lead over the rest of the fleet - following in the wake of 365 are 176, 232, 86, 435, 497, 539, 601, 560, 522.
14:00 - CS Race 5. Gold fleet just coming to finish race after 46 minutes. Silver fleet started under black flag again and 2 boats were penalised. Leaders at windward mark are 157, 272, 330, 608, 647, 191, 606, 406, 34, 666. Bronze fleet started under I flag and 3 boats were OCS.
13:40 - CS Race 5. Gold fleet away under I flag (no-one OCS) and at the windward mark - leaders are 504, 612, 407, 55, 227, 312, 331, 570, 306, 609. Silver fleet just entered start sequence. Wind easing further - now 6.5 knots direction 200 degrees.
13:00 - CS Race 4. All gold fleet have finished - last boat in 56 minutes. Silver fleet have been racing for 37 minutes and are on the downwind leg towards mark 3 with the leading boats expected to finish within 45 minutes. Bronze fleet are well underway but were started under the I flag and it was noted that a few boats did not go around the ends... Wind strength reported from the committee boat as 8 knots direction 200 degrees.
12:55 - CS Race 4. Leading Gold fleet boats just finishing after 45 minutes of racing. Bronze fleet are at the windward mark and the leading boats are 365, 163, 36, 75, 655, 76, 601, 533, 596, 322. The wind is reported as dropping and is now 7.5 knots at the windward mark.
12:45 - Regatta fleet have reached their away day destination and the sailors are enjoying a superb picnic in the sun.
12:40 - CS Race 4. Silver fleet finally away under black flag. 9 boats were over the line and so are disqualified. Leaders at the windward mark are 238, 330, 191, 272, 106, 666, 157, 550, 606, 515, 226. Bronze fleet are away first time.
12:20 - CS Race 4. Gold fleet have reached the windward mark - leading boats are 266, 277, 40, 346, 131, 198, 407, 609, 645, 392. Silver fleet have just had a general recall but expect to be underway shortly.
12:00 - All sailors at the race course and ready for the first race of the day - wind is 10mph on the race course.
*** 12:00 - There is a boat leaving the marina at 12:00 for visitors to go out to the race area - £20 per person ***
11:30 - All sailors on the water from main and regatta fleet. Competitors are now so laid back with the launching procedure it looks like the youth squad had fallen asleep and had to be called to leave the compound and get down to the beach... With the sun shining and people sitting out on the beach, it does actually feel like summer here now.
10:30 - At the briefing Charles Glover spoke about the starts of yesterday and how many boats were over the line. He reminded sailors that although the PRO will try and start with the I flag (around the ends) today, like yesterday he will go to the black flag if needed in the interests of keeping the racing moving - with three fleets to get off the line each race it needs good discipline. The forecast is for the breeze to drop some more and move from SW to W in the afternoon. Today china mugs were handed out to the race winners of yesterday in each fleet. Charles also reminded all sailors that there is now quite a collection of lost property in the ITCA race office. He also said that Peter Newton, the event photographer, had taken 10,000 pictures on Sunday and a further 3,200 yesterday - he will have these on display in the marquee today and tomorrow.
Coaches tip of the day from Paul Syms: To deal with the pressure make sure you have a set routine for all races and stick to it - be prepared; for starting you don't have to be at the favoured end to get a good start, just on the front row - witness all the black flags yesterday from the big clump at the favoured end; drink lots, smile and be happy - set a realistic goal for each race and have fun.
There were a huge number of worthy nominations for the Sailing Solutions spot prize of the day, but it was finally awarded to Henry Cunnison (who received lots of nominations) for helping a competitor whose boat had capsized after hooking a floating trolley whilst leaving the beach. The boat didn't have its daggerboard in and so the sailor was struggling to right it. Henry left his own boat, went to assist the sailor right the boat and then took the wayward trolley ashore before going back to sorting out his own boat.
*** 10:00 - Morning briefing in the Marquee ***
09:00 - Good news - it's another dry and bright start to the day with a nice breeze blowing at the moment and so looks like we should get in some more good sailing through today. Three Championship races are planned.
Wednesday, 5th August 2009
18:00 - All sailors now ashore and filling up with pasta. Forecast for tomorrow is for a dry day with lighter winds - around 8 knots SSW turning SW later in the afternoon and a more settled sea state.
16:40 - Gold fleet now coming ashore. Most Silver fleet finished and so will be ashore in about 10 minutes. Last of the Bronze fleet will be finished in about 10 minutes.
16:15 - First boats from Gold fleet are just finishing CS Race 3 and so will be ashore soon.
16:00 - CS Race 3. All fleets are away and racing in the final race of today. Gold fleet now approaching mark 3 and so should be returning ashore in around 30 - 40 minutes. At the start, Gold fleet settled down for this race with no-one over the line. Silver fleet had 3 over and Bronze fleet 4 over.
15:20 - Seems that this blog has also been attracting a lot of interest from those around the country who aren't able to be at the event - hello Richard C - we know you are watching...
15:10 - Gold fleet just about to finish CS Race 2. Silver fleet leading boats at the windward mark were 566, 600, 505, 643, 147, 75, 106, 49, 458, 207. Bronze fleet leading boats at the windward mark were 18, 560, 167, 73, 220, 382, 76, 337, 387, 539.
14:45 - All three fleets are away for CS Race 2. Gold fleet had 19 boats OCS in this race... Silver fleet 1 boat OCS and Bronze fleet showed them both the way to start a race with no boats OCS in CS Race 2. Races are running well at around 52 minutes for lead boats per race. Conditions in the race area are that the wind has picked up again having dropped off a bit earlier.
13:20 - Gold fleet leaders are approaching the finish line after 50 minutes of racing. A total of 12 Gold fleet were OCS in CS Race 1. Silver fleet are away for CS Race 1 under black flag with only one OCS. At the windward mark Silver fleet leaders are 238, 410, 287, 100, 78, 356, 468, 550, 106, 177. The Bronze fleet are also away under black flag for CS Race 1 and this time 21 sailors in the Bronze fleet were OCS.
12:55 - Championship Series (CS) Race 1. Gold fleet are just rounding the windward mark - the pressure is growing on the sailors though as a number were black flagged at the start. We were unable to record the leading boats at the windward mark, but will try and get them at the mark 3.
11:35 - All sailors (main and regatta fleet) afloat in excellent sailing conditions. Everyone is settling into the launching procedure and it's great to see how well ordered and calm all the sailors are.
*** 11:30 - Chris Atherton, High Performance Manager at the RYA will talk about RYA and ITCA squads in the Marquee ***
10:30 - Briefing completed, sailors readying to launch. Compound gates will be opened at 10:45 and sailors launched when all have cleared the compound, tallied and are on the beach. Sailing conditions look excellent - 3 Championship races planned for today.
In the briefing, Charles Glover announced that the Human Table Football was won by InterFC - the Intermediate National Junior Squad team. He also announced race winners of yesterday who all received their rubber ducks. Bill Brassington thanked all competitors for their perseverence and behaviour during yesterdays racing when sailors had to come ashore and then re-launch again due to the issues of visibility. Also he thanked all competitors for the orderly launching and in particular the Youth Squad who each day had stayed in the compound and been last to leave bringing an air of calm to the proceedings.
Coaches tip of the day (in fact it was quite a few tips) from Adam Cockerill: Check drift rate in the tide to make sure you can start on the line - don't want an OCS; try and better yourself by just 3 points a race - it makes a big difference to your overall result in the series; empty your boat of water before a start so long as you don't try and do it once in the 4 minute sequence; try and catch and ride the waves downwind by making sure that when you get on a wave you sheet in with a few armfuls as the apparant wind change may be more than you think as you speed up; and last but not least, now the fleets are decided (Gold, Silver, Bronze) just do your best in whatever fleet you are in and enjoy your sailing.
There were many worthy nominations for the Sailing Solutions spot prize of the day, but it was awarded to Joanne Foster for racing off-line to help a fellow competitor in trouble and summoning a support rib over to help.
*** 10:00 - Morning briefing in the Marquee ***
09:50 - A bright, dry and breezy morning. At the harbour office it's showing 10 - 15 knots SSW, forecast to be decreasing through the day. The barometer has risen significantly since yesterday and so all looks set for some good sailing today for the start of the Championship series of races.
Tuesday, 4th August 2009
19:00 - All boats ashore and pasta being consumed. Human table football and bungee running are the order of the evening.
Wednesday is promising to be dry (even maybe with some sun...) with 13 knot SW winds. Although waves are forecast to be around 1.5M the wind direction should reduce the choppy conditions a bit.
17:40 - Red flight starting to finish. Yellow flight have just got away under black flag and so will be finishing in around 45 minutes.
17:25 - First boats of Blue flight are just finishing Race 5 and will be returning ashore. Red flight is on their last downwind leg of Race 5. Yellow flight have still not got away. They had an abandoned start sequence - believed to be due to a wind shift. They are now in sequence again, but unconfirmed report of a black flag.
17:10 - Red flight away for Race 5 but there has been a slight delay with Yellow flight. Blue flight 266, 303, 626, 609, 222, 247, 361, 331, 40, 517 leading at the windward mark. Red flight 404, 291, 244, 458, 504, 342, 108, 666, 557, 306 leading at the windward mark.
The PRO has said that there will only be two races today.
16:50 - Regatta fleet are ashore.
16:45 - Last boats of the Yellow (3rd) flight are just finishing Race 4. Blue flight have just got away for Race 5. Conditions in the race area are reasonably bright with around 15knots of wind - the sea is still choppy.
16:10 - All flights now away for Race 4 and around the windward mark. Blue flight 517, 303, 431, 233, 609, 361, 514, 222, 143, 407 leading at the windward mark. Red flight 404, 458, 244, 306, 227, 342, 620, 118, 525, 504 leading at the windward mark. Yellow flight 149, 146, 55, 201, 279, 10, 571, 101, 131, 310 leading at the windward mark.
The PRO is certainly planning on running Race 5 and still hoping to complete Race 6 this afternoon, conditions permitting.
15:30 - Bring and buy sale now on in the Marquee - sails, wetsuits, clothing - anything goes - sell your old gear now and kit yourself out with some more...
15:10 - Regatta fleet are preparing to launch for an afternoon of sailing.
15:00 - All sailors launched again. The visibility keeps coming and going. In the race area there is still a brisk wind and the sea is quite choppy - so some challenging conditions. The PRO is happy with visibility at the moment, so fingers crossed we will get some racing in this afternoon. The first race will be Race 4 - i.e. the same as the one that was abandoned. If the weather holds, then the sailors can still complete three races - i.e. Races 4, 5 and 6 today.
14:40 - The visibility has improved and sailors have just been asked to tally and proceed to the beach and await the D flag before launching.
13:15 - PRO has raised AP over H - sailors are coming ashore to await further instructions.
13:00 - PRO has abandoned Race 1 due to reducing visibility in the mist and rain as first flight reached leeward gate. Sailors are heading to pre-start area to wait further instructions.
12:45 - Regatta fleet are in for lunch.
12:50 - Blue (first flight) away at the third attempt. General recall on red (second flight). Report from race area is waves are 1.5M and wind around 12 knots with a few white caps.
12:30 - Race 1. First flight still not away yet - PRO has just postponed for a second time whilst in sequence - not sure of the reason why at the moment, but the black flag has been seen... First flight about to go into sequence again.
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11:30 - All sailors afloat - again in a very calm and orderly manner. The rain has stopped and the wind has eased, although the water still looks choppy as the sailors clear the headland out of the shelter of the bay.
10:30 - Topper clinic in progress by the measurement hut - if you have any questions about Toppers they will be happy to advise.
10:20 - Briefing completed, sailors readying to launch. Coaches tip of the day from Dave Cockerill: Don't pinch when it's really windy going upwind and keep your speed up otherwise you run the risk of getting stuck in irons - pull on lots of kicker and have a flat sail and most important of all lots and lots of downhaul - get the sail down to the boom. If needed raise the daggerboard up as far as the foredeck. Also Dave mentioned about pressure - to sail well sailors should not be too laid back nor put themselves under too much pressure to get a particular result - parents can help in this by making sure their offspring are not put under undue pressure to "perform"...
The Sailing Solutions spot prize was awarded to Nina Tilley in the regatta fleet for surviving a "death roll" whilst two up in a boat which was helmed by Jack Wetherall - an experienced Topper champion and Laser Radial sailor...
*** 10:00 - Morning briefing in the Marquee ***
09:15 - The race committee has assessed conditions in the race area and the good news is that they have made the decision that we will go racing. The plan is for 3 races back-to-back, as per Monday's schedule of qualifying races. Same flight colours will be used as posted on Monday. Boats will be released from the compound at 10:45 - again, no launching until all boats are clear of the compound, tallied and on the beach. First warning signal will be at 11:55.
09:00 - Waking up to another wet and windy morning. At the harbour office the wind strength is less that yesterday though - around 10 knots gusting 15 knots direction SSE. Choppy conditions reported in the race area, but calmer than yesterday. Forecast is 12 - 15 knots with some stronger gusts coming through. The race committee are currently assesing the sea state and conditions in the race area.
Monday, 3rd August 2009
*** 19:00 - ITCA (GBR) Annual General Meeting in the Marquee ***
13:45 - Although the wind has eased slightly, the sea state still dictates that it will not be safe for the fleet to launch and race today. As such, all racing is postponed for the day. The plan is to run 3 races tomorrow in the same flights as planned for today. Morning briefing and start time as published in the programme.
The forecast for tomorrow is for the wind to drop to around 10 knots, direction S veering to SW in the afternoon, and the sea state to be calmer - so fingers crossed for racing commencing again in the morning.
13:15 - Regatta fleet ashore after a mornings training. Reviewing the afternoon at 14:00 with the hope of getting a couple of races in.
11:48 - Flags have been raised to await further instructions ashore. There will be a further formal review by the Race Committee at 1:00pm. In the open water of the race area the wind is gusting to 30 knots and waves height is 3M - sheer and breaking. It is this combination of wind and waves that is the cause for concern for the race management team leading to the postponement of racing for the time being.
11:30 - Regatta fleet are on the water, but close to shore where it is sheltered around the dunes. Smiley faces from the sailors but some anxious looks from the parents.
10:35 - Open forum taking place for all sailors hosted by 5 of the coaches.
10:30 - PRO annouced a 1 hour postponement following concerns not just about the wind but also the wave conditions. Race Commitee will reconvene at 11:00. PRO thanked all competitors for well behaved starting yesterday. Wind forecast to build to lunchtime and then fade in the afternoon.
Charles Glover announced prizes for the top 3 sailors in each fight for each race yesterday. Rubber ducks were ably bowled to the winners by Adam "Flintoff" Cockerill.
Coaches tip of the day from Dave Hivey: Don't take a risk at the windward mark if the tide is running downwind; steer straight to the leeward mark and not in a curve to gain places.
The Sailing Solutions spot prize was awarded to Nathan Ackroyd for anonymously helping a competitor as they went through measurement.
*** 10:00 - Morning briefing in the Marquee ***
09:30 - Good morning. We awake to a blustery and damp day. Wind is currently 15 knots gusting to 25 knots SE with 1.5M waves out on the race course. The race committee are currently evaluating conditions.
Sunday, 2nd August 2009
17:45 - Excellent racing today for all competitors with the scheduled three races completed. All boats now off the water and sailors in the process of packing away, getting changed and eating pasta. Any protests will be posted by 19:00. Weather for tomorrow is forecast as overcast with some drizzle and a bit breezier than today with a F4 possibly reaching F5. Wind direction SSE turning to S though the afternoon.
16:55 - First Red flight boat has finished.
16:40 - Yellow flight have just finished Race 3 and are now returning from the race area.
16:35 - Race 3. Red flight 404, 586, 56, 10, 131, 227, 389, 291, 504, 431 leading at the windward mark.
16:30 - Wind strength maintaining a steady 12mph.
16:25 - Race 3. Blue flight 331, 458, 634, 392, 19, 618, 590, 244, 258, 55 leading at the windward mark.
16:20 - Championship numbers 285 and 406 are sailing in having retired along with 257 and 366 who are coming in on the rib having retired earlier to the mothership.
16:15 - Race 3. Yellow flight 514, 580, 299, 409, 33, 407, 303, 247, 149 leading at the windward mark.
16:00 - Last boat in Red flight is just finishing Race 2. Blue flight now away for Race 3.
15:45 - Yellow flight has just started Race 3, the last race for today. Roving supporters report that little of the racing can be seen from the shore, even with the strongest binoculars, as they are sailing well out in the bay.
14:50 - Race 2. Yellow flight 612, 303, 149, 514, 379, 409, 299, 34, 361, 407 leading at the windward mark. Blue flight 510, 55, 346, 19, 312, 458, 100, 244, 392, 544 leading at the windward mark. Red flight 291, 306, 56, 609, 40, 201, 266, 577, 404, 131 leading at the windward mark.
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14:45 - PRO reports all flights away successfully for Race 2. Course is running 4 minutes long, but racing is proceeding to schedule. Championship numbers 257 and 366 are taking a well earned rest on the mothership.
14:40 - Blue flight away for Race 2 - all clear - wind has strengthened slightly to 12mph.
14:30 - Last boat in the Red flight has just crossed the finish line in Race 1 whilst the Yellow flight is just approaching the windward mark on Race 2.
14:00 - Regatta fleet preparing to go back on the water.
13:50 - First boats in Yellow flight finishing Race 1 after 47 minutes of excellent racing.
13:40 - On water breakages reported on boats in the main fleet - including halyard loops and rudders - all being repaired on the water.
13:30 - Regatta fleet all seen in the water having a relaxing swim at lunchtime.
13:15 - Regatta fleet back on-shore for lunch - sailed for 2 hours - OD is impressed with the sailing skills of the 42 competitors.
13:00 - Three good starts to main fleet Race 1 - a couple of OCS in the Yellow flight. Windspeed averaging 11mph WSW on a beautiful bright sunny day. First sailors around the windward mark in Yellow are: 149, 514, 233, 409, 407, 299, 38, 571, 361, 612 - Blue are: 152, 244, 342, 68, 367, 570, 358, 346, 458, 222 - Red are: 291, 306, 10, 431, 131, 504, 404, 201, 144, 146.
12:20 - All 300 sailors are launched in an orderly manner - once everyone was on the beach it took only 9 minutes from the D flag being raised to all the sailors being out on the water. They are now heading out to the race course in sunny conditions and a nice breeze.
11:00 - The compound gates will be open for the main fleet to make their way to the beach at around 11:30 - all competitors will tally and assemble on the beach before launching commences. The regatta fleet are currently waiting to tally before going afloat.
*** 10:30 - Morning briefing in the Marquee ***
Sunday dawns bright with a steady wind of 9 - 15 knots forecast on the race course which should provide excellent first day sailing conditions for all competitors.
Saturday, 1st August 2009
*** 18:00 - Opening Ceremony in the Marquee ***
All sailors doing pre-event training are now back on-shore.
Registration and measurement are progressing smoothly as sailors continue to arrive through the day and are hosts, Pwllheli Sailing Club, are doing an excellent job organising boats, trailers and ribs ready for the start of racing tomorrow.
After a gusty Friday with 1.5m high waves of short chop that prevented many of the early arrivals launching for some pre-event practice, today has dawned bright with a steady F3 building to a F4. Many sailors have now launched from the beach and are getting in some good sailing prior to the first day of the Championships tomorrow. The forecast for the next few days is for some good breeze for the qualifying series of races.
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