After a super barbecue meal at the host club on the Saturday evening, with a round of drinks provided for all competitors by Chris Brown and Hadron Dinghies, the competitors retired with little expectations for sailing on the final day of the event.
Day 1 had sunny periods and light winds, day 2 had drizzle and light winds, day 3 dawned with rain and no wind. So after a short deliberation by the H2s, their K1 friends and the Brixham YC Race Office, it was decided to abandon the day's racing.
It is of course a disappointment to all concerned, having to sail only four races of the scheduled eight. But the weather is not ours to control, so the results published yesterday stand as the final results but are again listed below.
That means that our new National Champion is Josh Hamer (Leigh & Lowton SC). Josh's results of 1,2,2,2 showed an amazing consistency in the very difficult conditions that Torbay offered up to us. He adds the National Championship to the Inland Championship which he won earlier this year - again in light winds. And, perhaps not surprisingly, he wins the Lightweights Trophy for the event.
In second place for the third year running, scoring 2,1,6,11, comes Ian Dawson (Warsash SC). Ian has an amazing record in major H2 events, including winning two inland championships. Ian also wins the Ulysses Trophy for the first helm over 70 years old.
In third place, with a very consistent 3,3,4,3, is Steve Hendon (Blithfield SC). Unlike Josh and Ian, Steve is no lightweight, so his is a very good achievement. If we have more wind for the Nationals next year (DV) Steve is well positioned to improve his, er, position. Steve also wins the Masters Trophy for the first helm aged 60 to 64.
In fourth place, with 5,4,10,4, is Barry Wolfenden (Bough Beech SC). Barry is another versatile sailor who does well in any conditions. And thanks for the Doritos, Barry!
In fifth place is Tom Moore (Stokes Bay SC) with results of 13,14,1,1, sailing an H2 for the first time, clearly showing that (a) he changed his technique from his normal 'RS300 mode' to 'H2 Mode' very rapidly and (b) he is a damned fine young sailor. Come and sail with us again some time, Tom!
Chris Brown finished in 8th place and wins, for the second year running, the Grand Masters Trophy for the first helm aged 65 to 69.
Richard Leftley finished in 10th place and as the first of the heavyweight contingent wins the Heavyweights Trophy for the second year in succession. Richard is another ace helm who could have been at the very front of the fleet if the weather had been different.
Newcomer to the class, Will McTurk, was given a special award for the helm with the longest driving distance. Will made the 15 hour journey from Inverurie to be with us this weekend. Have a safe journey home, Will.
The Hadron H2 Class Association wish to thank everyone at Brixham YC who helped make this event run smoothly. Sean Semmons and his race team had a particularly difficult task in the prevailing conditions and deserve our thanks for their efforts.
Our thanks go to Wessex Resins for providing some practical prizes for our event. Their Pro-Set epoxy laminating resins are a critical component of the H2's carbon composite hull. Their Technical Applications Director, David Johnson, has given freely of his time to support the initial development and manufacturing production of the H2. Hadron Dinghies Ltd and the H2 Class owe him and his company a vote of thanks for their continued support.
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