RS 400 Northern Championships 2023 at Notts County Sailing Club Sponsored by Trident UK and Rooster

Read the report on Y&Y here

The Rooster National Tour and the Trident UK Northern Tour combined at Notts County Sailing Club over the weekend of 2/3 September for the Norther Championships.

Forecasters predicted a welcome return of sunshine, unfortunately it was accompanied by light and fickle winds, but this didn’t deter the 13 visiting boats joining the 7 home boats who rigged under cloudless skies.

The fleet launched with the intention of completing three back-to-back races around a trapezoid course.  The fleet got away (just) cleanly in race 1.  Big shifts and big holes meant there were big shuffles in the fleet during the first lap, until things settled down with Chris Pickles and Matt Sharman (Bassenthwaite SC) taking the win in front of Hamish Gledhill and Ross Southwell (West Riding SC) and Chris and Nicki Webber (Pevensey Bay SC) in third. 

As the last boat crossed the finish line the wind swung to the left and then to the right more than a drunken wedding party attempting the Cha Cha Slide.  Factor in a few flat bits, and after half an hour of attempting to set a course the OOD made the call to send the fleet ashore allowing the competitors to cool down and change into something more comfortable.  After an hour or so the fleet returned to the water with what appeared to be to be a steadying breeze, though as we know appearances can be deceiving.  As the fleet set off up the first beat Pickles/Sharman and Gledhill/Southwell looked to be favoured up the left side, and then seconds later Tom Hallhead and Paul Hilliar (Llandegfedd) looked to have a lead up the right-hand side, but it was the left side that prevailed allowing Pickles/Sharma and Gledhill/Southwell to pull out a decent lead to finish in first and second place again.  Behind them the fleet scrapped over the zephyrs of wind, with Gary Knott and Amy Hinsliff-Smith (Notts County SC) finishing 3^rd.

The OOD made the popular decision to call a halt to proceedings for the day allowing the fleet to head for the shore for a cold shower and colder beer.  Most people chose to eat there evening meal watching the setting sun, before being summoned to the bar for competitive games organised by James and Philipa Logan.  To say the rules were pushed to the limit of sportsmanship is an understatement but after fierce competition the best team still won, and we’ll leave that there.

As the sailors ate breakfast and drank tea on the terrace it was clear that the wind had swung nearly 180 degrees and was blowing down the lake allowing the OOD to set a windward/leeward course. 

As the fleet got away it hokey-cokied in an out of the flat patches, and boy they were flat.  Chis and Nicki Webber managed to navigate through the difficult conditions to take the win ahead of of Hallhead/Hilliar with the consistent Pickles/ Sharmen in 3^rd.  The next race was away quickly with the Webbers taking the lead again and sailing away to take line honours.  However, the places behind were settled on the final short beat from the leeward gate to the finish, with Pickles/Sharman and Knott/Hinsliff-Smith sailing round the unlucky Hallhead/Hilliar to finish in that order.  Once again the OOD sent to fleet ashore to dunk heads in buckets of cold water to cool off and seek to clear minds from the fuzz rolling around the from the trauma of the fickle conditions.

Once again the fleet was called to arms with both Pickles/Sharman and the Webbers in contention for the event.  However, after missing the finishing gate on an upwind leg the Webbers’ chances vanished with a DSQ. Hallhead/Hilliar were now getting to grips with the conditions finishing in first place ahead of Knott/Hinsliff-Smith and then Pickles/Sharman, who took the overall honours for the weekend ahead of Chirs and Nicki Webber and then Knott/Hinsliff-Smith.

At the Prize Giving, Chris Pickles thanked Notts County for an excellent weekend and remined everyone that the Trident UK Northern Tours concludes at the Great Northern Asymmetric Challenge at Bassenthwaite SC in a couple of weeks.  The bar has been stocked and evening entertainment has been booked.

Trident UK vouchers were drawn at the prizegiving – the winners were: Alistair Rimmer, Paula Ken and Seb Parkhurst.

Hamish Gledhill

Link to full photo gallery by John Sears and David Eberlin