National Championship 2007 at Sunderland YC

Report by David Matthews

Bright summer sunshine and a fresh northwest wind welcomed the fourteen competitors to the 2007 Sonata National Championships hosted by Sunderland Yacht Club. Title sponsorship from Hartlepool Marina insured an impressive prize list including a brand new suit of Goacher sails. As a prelude to the National Championships a number of visiting boats took the opportunity to sharpen their boat handling skills by competing in Sunderland’s annual Roker Regatta over the August bank holiday weekend.

Day 1 (27/08/07)

The morning’s north-westerly force 4 to 5 wind moderated to force 3 to 4 just before the first race of the championship series. Sonic’s over eagerness on the start line resulted in OCS for race one. The wind was slightly shifty. Eric the Boat demonstrated how to play the shifts, leading at mark one, closely followed by Blue Tack and these initial positions were held to the end of the race. Race two saw High and Dry OCS, but re-crossed the start line without losing too much ground to the opposition. Those boats that went up the left side of the beat moved into the new breeze first and gained significantly. Eric the Boat went on to win race two followed by Point Five and Stratagem. Day one finished with a welcome party for the competitors with wine and nibbles at Sunderland Yacht Club, followed by a horse-race night in aid of the RNLI. A substantial sum was raised largely due to the sailor’s poor choice of horses!

Day 2 (28/08/07)

Racing was postponed until noon to allow the gentle breeze to fill in from the south. Race three started in force three with a developing swell providing a new experience for Point Five sailing on the sea for the first time with great success following Eric the Boat to finish in second place. Race four saw close racing with places gained and lost depending on the downwind strategy against the tide and clean leeward mark roundings. Eric the Boat continued his winning ways with Blue Tack coming second followed by Point Five. Following requests from the competitors before the series started the Race Officer took the opportunity to hold an additional race due to the good conditions. The final race of the day saw a good battle develop between Blue Tack and High and Dry only slightly astern of Eric the Boat at the finish. The AGM was held after the racing on day 2.

Day 3 (29/08/07)

Due to the Race Officer’s expectation of sea breezes cancelling out the gradient breeze it was agreed to hold shorter races in preference to the scheduled long distance race. Racing started on time with a force 4 northerly wind with a choppy sea. Eric the Boat showed her dominance in these conditions to win convincingly, with Point Five second. The next race saw the wind ease slightly but Eric the Boat still excelled in the conditions, followed home by Point Five with So taking third. After a reasonable wait in sunny conditions the predicted sea breeze filled. The over eager fleet brought about two general recalls encouraging the Race Officer to produce the Black Flag. When the race got way Peg lead the fleet off the line from the favoured end, however, High and Dry soon passed Peg and was battling for the lead with Eric the Boat. High and Dry were just pipped by Eric the Boat by one second at the finish and with A Sharp Exit finishing third. The Curry and Quiz night was held on the evening of day 3 which finally saw Eric the Boat beaten for the only time during the championship – trounced by a team from Sunderland Yacht Club.

Day 4 (30/08/07)

The forecast brisk north-westerly arrived with racing starting on time. Only a few brave souls opted to use the No.1 Genoa. The wind was at its strongest down the first run making good spinnaker handling a premium. The usual boats appeared at the front of the fleet holding their positions to the finishing line. The next race saw the wind ease a little, encouraging more of the fleet to change up to their No.1, although finishing positions remained similar to the first race. The final race of the day saw most boats with No.1s at the start but the wind freshened producing some exciting moments down the run. Bad luck aboard Spindrift resulted in a broken spinnaker pole causing her retirement. Eric the Boat had done enough to retain the National title with a day to spare but other places were still to fight for. A terrific days sailing was rounded off with the Championship dinner held in the clubhouse which was well supported by all the competing crews.

Day 5 (31/08/07)

The final day was started in over 30 knots of north-westerly breeze which encouraged some of the visiting boats to lift out on the club crane ready for a quick getaway. The reduced fleet was lead by Blue Tack followed by the improving Kallista revelling in the conditions with Sonic third and White Magic fourth, enabling her to beat Miss Elainey Us by a small margin. The pizegiving was held promptly to allow the travelling competitors to get away early afternoon. Particular thanks were expressed to Hartlepool Marina, the events title sponsor along with Keels on Wheels, Storrar Marine, and Goacher Sails as daily race day sponsors. A special award was made to Mrs Alison Kirkham (Storm in G Cup) for best placed pregnant helm at this years National Championship. Steve Goacher thanked Sunderland Yacht Club for the warmth of their hospitality, the quality of their race management team, the high standard of the club’s facilities, and for an excellent event all-round.