The National 12 class had a highly unpredictable day on the water at Burghfield Sailing Club. It was an excellent start to the N12 season, with no time to hang onto any winter cobwebs. The sprint racing format led to tight, competitive racing... and some much-needed starting practice.
We went from breezy to genuinely frightening, to sunny and peaceful, finishing with some rather dramatic hail, all in the space of just a few hours. This led to more than one hairy moment across the fleet.
With a building forecast, we were all keen to get onto the water. The breeze, blowing directly over the clubhouse, proved tricky. One boat capsized almost immediately, and it quickly settled into the classic shifty Burghfield wind that we all know (and love?). As a result, the fleet was generally split across the beat on every leg, with Burghfield locals favouring the right and the East Coasters (Tom + Isobel and Ian + Alex) preferring to tack up the left.
Ultimately, despite the locals' insider knowledge, the left seemed to pay pretty consistently, with the two East Coasters finishing first and second overall.
There were plenty of standout moments, with unpredictable gusts causing issues on all legs of the course. One of the more memorable came on a planing reach, looking back to see the aftermath at the gybe mark, where it seemed current national champions Graham and Blue had ended up with their bow inside Jonno and Charlotte's boat. For a more accurate account I would recommend consulting those involved, but I heard that Charlotte's knee was the only thing that stopped Graham and Blue going any farther. After this, Ian and Alex managed to sail through to a comfortable second place and went on to put together a series of consistent podium finishes.
After a day that kept us on our toes, we came ashore to some of the biggest hailstones I've seen (Burghfield keeping on theme). The Camms brought delicious homemade cakes, and we sheltered in the warm clubhouse while the worst passed.
Thanks to our sponsors Blood Red Clothing, we had some great prizes for both the winners and a few well-deserved spot prizes. It was great to see everyone at Burghfield. Our next event is at Salcombe Yacht Club, 2nd-4th May, you bring your boat - we'll provide the sunshine!
Overall Results:
Pos Helm Crew Boat Name Sail No Club R1 R2 R3 R4 R5 R6 R7 R8 Pts
1st Tom Stewart Isobel Stewart Whitebait 3544 Waldringfield SC 1 1 1 1 ‑2 1 ‑2 1 6
2nd Ian Gore Alex Gore Mog 3525 Up River YC ‑5 2 2 2 1 ‑4 1 4 12
3rd Graham Camm Felix Camm Very Hungry Caterpillar 3530 Burghfield SC 2 3 ‑4 ‑5 3 3 3 2 16
4th Jon Ibbotson Charlotte Stewart Atomic Kitten 3540 Burghfield SC 3 ‑10 5 4 ‑6 2 4 3 21
5th Zoe Camm Blue Camm 3484 Burghfield SC 4 5 3 3 4 ‑8 ‑8 5 24
6th Tre Jacobs Jax Jacobs Fools Gold 3429 Upper Thames SC ‑9 9 (DNC) 6 5 6 5 6 37
7th Thomas Lee Trudie Fell A Wood and a Sheep 3545 Burghfield SC ‑10 4 ‑10 7 7 5 7 RET 39
8th David Harris Martin Cock Dr de Soto 3290 Whitefriars SC 8 8 8 (RET) 8 7 6 (RET) 45
9th Steven Burgoine Austin Burgoine Radical Edward 3489 Banbury SC 7 7 7 9 (DNC) RET (DNC) DNC 55
10th Nigel White Chris White Capricciosa 3445 Burghfield SC 6 6 6 8 (DNC) (DNC) DNC DNC 56
11th James Ruddiman Nicola Pepe The Woozle 3522 Spinnaker SC 11 11 9 10 (DNC) (DNC) DNC DNC 71
12th Lyla Jacobs Guy Jacobs 342x Upper Thames SC (DNC) 13 11 RET (DNC) DNC DNC DNC 82
13th Ed Willett Sarah Robinson Water Nymph 1833 Whitefriars SC 12 12 (DNC) (DNC) DNC DNC DNC DNC 84
14th Trystan Leonard Hope Halstad Up Yours 3458 Whitefriars SC (DNC) (DNC) DNC DNC DNC DNC DNC DNC 90
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