Sailors from USA, Canada, Netherlands, Denmark, Poland and France joined with those from Ireland and the UK to experience the wetland habitat of the Norfolk Broads. The fleet relished the challenges presented by sailing twisting, narrow and reed lined rivers, tidal flows, low bridges, river traffic and sudden wind gusts between trees and buildings.

Comments were made that Broads sailing requires a high level of skill, persistence and patience as well as quick reactions. Many of the Wayfarer sailors had never tacked quite so much and felt that their tacking skills were well honed by the end of the week.

The event was based at Clippesby Hall and boats were berthed at Thurne. A selection of destinations each day ensured that the fleet dispersed but that the UKWA members and the visitors could enjoy sailing in company and sharing insights and experiences. Westerly winds made for fast passages to Hickling Broad and Horsey Mere but required determination (or a motor) for the return.

Some boats went down to Stokesby and swept back on the flood tide. Many snaked up the River Ant to How Hill visiting the wherry Hathor or went for a spin on Barton Broad. A succession of destination broads and villages along the River Bure made for shorter trips and cultural visits while most people visited Ludham Village and enjoyed the heritage of Hunter’s Yard at some time.

Norfolk pubs were particularly popular with the overseas visitors looking for authentic experiences and warm beer.

Off the water, a hog roast and a talk by a Broads Authority ranger kicked off the week which was followed by music making led by the Danish delegation. Michael McNamara came to demonstrate how to get the most out of your cruising boat and then hosted two evenings at his sail loft making up and finishing a Wayfarer genoa each time.

An evening of foot tapping music was provided by the Shanty Buoys from Lowestoft and the week ended with a dinner at Dunstan Hall, Norwich to which transport was provided by two Routemaster buses.

We were delighted to be joined by Ian Proctor’s son Roger, who spoke about his father and his remarkable lifetime designing boats and also presented special centenary awards to three Wayfarers who have made the Wayfarer Class or the International Wayfarer organisation and rallies the success they are today.

£40 for the weekend includes camping, electric hook-up, evening meal on Saturday and a barrel of beer (Haversham/Bough Beech-style) and live music.

£35 for those pre-paying; please email [email protected] for a payment link and the Hartley discount details.

We have ample hard standing and grass for campers in our own secure grounds. Make a weekend of it, we will be open from Friday right through. For the adventurous type, use us as a gateway to the North!

Local places to stay:

Across the road from the entrance: https://www.creweharpurpub.co.uk/

About a mile away: http://www.johnthompsoninn.com/

Melbourne is a 5 min drive away, Derby close by and Castle Donington 10 mins away has ample hotels serving the airport.

The first start had to be stopped at 4 minutes as the wind flicked left giving excessive port bias to the line, but at the second attempt the fleet got under way in good order with the race being won by Andrew and Tom Wilson (Datchet), with Bill Whitney and John Shelton (Shoreham) and John Clementson and Paul Grace (Chipstead) second and third respectively. This race showed the eventual outcome of the championships as these three competitors had a most consistent set of results over the six race series to their credit. Simon Winn, by far the most senior racer in the fleet was going well despite the brisk conditions but capsized and with increasing winds, wisely did not compete further. All credit to him for entering the regatta in such windy conditions.

Race 2 got off to a clean start with Tim and Jacqueline Townsend (MYC) leading the way for most of the race but they were just unable to hold onto the lead at the end being overhauled by the Wilsons and Bill Whitney to finish a fine third. The windward marks were laid close to the Kingsnorth Jetty and it proved difficult to decide whether to go left into the strongly ebbing tide and get a clear wind or right and face disturbed wind from the obstruction of the jetty. As usual, the top boats made the correct calls.

For race 3, the Race Officer set a triangle/sausage course with Bill Whitney getting a win. John Goudie (Wilsonians) had an excellent race battling for line honours until the final mark, when he tripped over. Despite this setback, he and his crew showed that it is possible to right a Mark 4 Wayfarer in double quick time as they still managed to finish 14th.

The beat home after racing was long against a strong ebbing tide and we were all glad to return to the MYC for free beer sponsored by Shepherd Neame followed by a champagne reception hosted by Len Jones, unable to race following a hip operation the week before. The MYC gave an excellent dinner in the evening with a quiz compèred by the MYC Commodore, Mark Penny, where the wide ranging set of questions particularly on Kent topics proved a bit challenging for some of the visitors.

For Sunday, the wind was fresher, averaging 15-20mph. The RO set the course in Pinup Reach again giving good windward/leeward courses with no particular bias to the windward leg; reading wind shifts was important as ever. For race 4, there was a strong flood tide running and unsurprisingly, half the fleet were over the line and there was a general recall. With the U flag displayed, the fleet were more disciplined and got away cleanly at the second attempt. The Wilsons won the race but the run proved to be important as going straight up the course led to big gains and inverted the race positions for many of the competitors. Race 5 was again won by the Wilsons showing great consistency with John Clementson a fine second. The requirement to sail through the line on each lap caught out a number of competitors over the weekend including this author to his annoyance.

The wind increased for the final race and this was won convincingly by Guy Marks and Mel Titmuss (Bough Beech). There was then an easier sail home through Hoo Creek for a late lunch, boat packing and the prize giving. The Wilsons were the overall winners followed by Whitney/Shelton and Clementson/Grace. The best placed home boat was sailed by Richard Stone and Catherine Gore in sixth place overall

Thanks were expressed by the competitors for the excellent Race Management team headed by Jamie Blair before the drive home to rest weary limbs and backs.

Thanks to all the travellers and local boats for participating in an excellent weekend of sailing.

This area championship at Medway Yacht Club was the sixth in the eight boat Craftinsure Wayfarer National Circuit and Travellers Series. Leaders at this stage are the Wilsons with Whitney/Shelton in second place and Marks/Titmuss in third. With two events left the Wilsons will be difficult to overhaul but lurking outside the top ten at this stage is one team which could come into the reckoning if the stars are aligned.

The next event in the National Circuit Series will be the open meeting at Swarkestone Sailing Club, Derby (a new venue for the Wayfarers) on 6-7 October 2018.

-Stewart Coltart

(results table on Racing Results page)

Saturday morning arrived with a very respectable 17 entrants at Waldringfield, many with trepidation of what the day may have awaiting for them. The decision was made to go down river towards Felixstowe Ferry and race in the area known as “The Rocks”. This proved to be a wise decision resulting in a good course with long beats, runs and tight reaches. This race started as the weekend continued with Andrew and Tom Wilson (W11093) taking an early lead and quite quickly stretching this out to a good lead. Matthew Lake and Rachel Parkinson (W8200) were in second place closely pursued by Tony Geary and Keith Vincent (W11107) until Roger Challis and Mark Johnston (W10992) overtook during the third leg when they went lower on a spinnaker reach.

As promised race one winds were a good force 5 gusting 7 and by the end of the race Brian Lamb and Sam Pygall (W11170) managed to wriggle through to third place with Roger Challis and Mark Johnston holding second place and the Wilsons remaining in the lead. The weather resulted in only 10 of the 17 entrants starting the race and only 8 finishing, with 2 capsizes.

Race 2 started back-to-back and to the delight of everybody the winds were slowly increasing, especially the gusts! Roger Challis and Mark Johnston got the perfect start being only inches away from the Committee boat. Their lead was quickly taken by the Wilsons who were able to point extremely high, forcing Roger Challis and Mark Johnston to tack off and lose first place. Brian Lamb and Sam Pygall were close behind with very close racing taking place on the beats going through “The Rocks”. Competitors quickly learnt that avoiding the relatively short tacks to stay out of the tide as much as possible did not pay off with one mistake losing one or more places.

By the end of the race wind speeds were at the very top of force 5 and into 6 with gusts of force 7 and bottom end of 8. Race 2 only had 6 competitors finish and the rescue boats were again kept busy with capsizes.

Before Race 3 there was a well-earned break where the Race Officer canvassed views on what to do for Race 3. The decision was to give it a go and because of the more extreme forecast for Sunday hold 2 short races rather than the single one on the programme. Eight boats made the water for the 3rd race with some turning back almost straight away. The wind was now a lower force 6 gusting 8 with the tide having turned, so there was wind against tide, making sea conditions very rough and short. All the competitors that got to the race area saw the conditions and headed back home before the Race Officer had a chance to declare the race abandoned. There were no casualties getting back and everybody had earned the extremely delicious BBQ they would get in the evening.

On the Sunday morning the weather was as predicted, and a decision was made to have two races back-to-back. As the race started the wind was just touching a force 6 but although the gusts were a good 7 they did not feel quite as bad as the previous day. A total of 7 boats set out to race including Liz Feibusch and Will Cleverley (W11000) with cut-down sails. The Wilsons started in the lead with Roger Challis and Mark Johnston hot on their tail. This time Roger Challis and Mark Johnston managed to hold onto the Wilsons for a large part of the first beat before the Wilsons again pulled away. Going into the windward mark the Wilsons appeared to have severely misjudged the transit line so Roger Challis and Mark Johnston took the opportunity to tack for the mark much earlier only to find themselves sail into a large hole. Perhaps the Wilsons had not made a mistake! This resulted in Roger and Mark losing a lot of ground against Matthew Lake/Rachel Parkinson and Brian Lamb/Sam Pygall, with Roger and Mark then having to do a turn as they clipped the mark. This resulted in Matthew/Rachel and Brian/Sam moving into second and third place before Roger and Mark regained second place on the reach.

The positions remained the same with the Wilsons and Roger/Mark having considerable gaps between themselves and the next competitors until the leg before the penultimate leg where a huge gust came through just as Roger and Mark needed to gybe which they knew they would not survive. Instead they tried to drop the spinnaker which proved to be difficult and ended up on the Deben mud watching Brian/Sam and Matthew/Rachel sail by. Finishing position were 1st the Wilsons, 2nd Brian Lamb/Sam Pygall, 3rd Matthew Lake/Rachel Parkinson and 4th Roger Challis/Mark Johnston. Liz and Will came in 7th, meaning that Liz won the First Lady Helm award.

The Race Officer was intending to do the 4th race but less than a minute after finishing more big gusts came through resulting in Matthew/Rachel and Roger/Mark capsizing. With the sudden increase in wind and gust strength the Race Officer decided to cancel further racing. A very good decision as gusts were now up to force 8!

Final positions for the competition are given in the version of this report in the Racing Results section of the website – it is good to see that three different clubs were in the first 3 positions. 

As well as sailing on all but one of the days, Thierry arranged special tours of the museums and cemeteries, which proved to be a moving experience. It seemed as though wherever we went Thierry had friends in high places who were able to lay on everything needed to make our visit very special!

With Brexit on-going, we were all amazed by the demonstrable gratitude shown by the French after so many years. They are very keen to keep alive the memory of the sacrifices made for future generations. Our visits included the English cemetery at Bayeux, Pegasus Bridge at Ranville (Film: ‘The Longest Day’), the American Cemetery at Omaha beach, and the Canadian museum at Juno Beach. It was especially interesting to sail in and around what remains of the Mulberry Harbour (Port-Winston) at Arromanches.

We also were lucky enough to be able to visit the Bayeux Tapestry, prior to its forthcoming loan to England for a few months while they re-develop the museum where it lives, in the historic town of Bayeux. Great sailing in light winds, and lots of French food and of course ‘Cidre’. Thank you Thierry, and hope you can make it to the International Rally in September!

– Jerry Norman

Your intrepid reporter wasn’t so intrepid (again) and watched proceedings from the shore.

The equation was simple. If Mogens Just won both races he would win the title from Mac on countback repeating his victory from Heeg a couple of years ago.

Boats were rigged (some of the fleet with reefed sails and masthead buoyancy) and the fleet launched into a breeze which was in truth, by then, a touch less than the previous day.

Mac and Simon had their serious heads on. Mogens was seen doing some serious stretching before he launched.

Not long before the scheduled start a lone Wayfarer was seen sailing back into the harbour. This was Mogens whose back (injured while sailing a Melges) was causing too much pain for him to race. Indeed, Anders, his crew had helmed the boat home with Mogens sitting as still as possible and in obvious pain.

This could have been an anticlimax but Mac and Simon stayed afloat and delivered a masterclass in heavy weather dinghy racing, winning both races and with them the Championship. The boat-handling of all the boats who ventured out, especially those who flew spinnakers, was exemplary. It was a joy to watch.

Congratulations to Mac and Simon for retaining the European title.

Well done, also, to Brian and Liz McKenzie who sailed all the races and finished 6th overall and second placed UKWA boat.

-Tim Townsend 

Almost half the fleet thought discretion was the better part of valour while a couple of the fleet ventured out with reefed or cut down sails.

From the shore the leaders impressed as they flew down the run, skilfully flying their spinnakers and usually gunning successfully although even Mac and Simon managed to get one of their gybes horribly wrong; one of the Danish helms meanwhile managed to get his foot caught in the spinnaker sheet during the gybe with inevitable wet consequences.

A win and a second place apiece for Mac/Simon and Mogens/Anders means no change at the top with a couple of races to go in similar conditions tomorrow,

Top 5 after 8 races:

1st Mac and Simon (10)
2nd Mogens Just and Anders (11)
3rd Jorgen Iversen (36)
4th Christian Milert Hansen (45)
5th Niels Alslev (47)

-Tim Townsend 

Mixed results for the English boats. Mac still holds the lead after two wins and two disappointing results (when I told him I’d be delighted with a 3rd and a 4th he told me I didn’t understand!). Len and Pete had a difficult day as did the Coltarts. The McKenzies on the other hand had an excellent day.

The forecast is for stronger wind tomorrow and another 4 races because Saturday is looking very windy. Oh my!

Top 5 after 6 races:

1st Mac and Simon (7 points)

2nd Mogens Just and Anders Friis (8)

3rd Jorgen Iverson (25)

4th Bill Whitney and John Shelton (28)

5th Martin Bak and crew (31)

-Tim Townsend, UKWA Racing Secretary 

“The wind was – unusually – from the East; not the Beast from the East for a nice planing run, but a dying breeze, and only Puddle Duck managed to get the most from the favourable tide so as to avoid using their motor.

“We had 9 boats in all, with several going around for the first time. All four Tyler children (well, adults now) took part in different boats. It’s ten years since they were all sailing at a Wayfarer event – the 2008 50th anniversary year celebrations at Parkstone.

“The event won’t be held next year, as numbers were on the low side, and in two years time perhaps the up-and-coming cruising Wayfarers will want to join in.

“Alas we couldn’t find the dolphin that had been spotted by Hurst Castle – just plenty of large ships to keep us busy. A great day out!”

Chris – W28 ‘Chreselen’ 

In the event the weather did not play ball for the whole weekend but Bill Barker, the Race Officer, and his team did a fantastic job to complete six points races in challenging conditions.

Friday dawned a bit murky. The proposed schedule was to have a practice race followed by the first two points races of the Championships back to back. Because of the poor visibility the decision was taken to race in the harbour rather than in the bay. The fleet launched into a south-westerly of 8 to 10 knots. Unfortunately, as the practice race started, the weather closed in and it was difficult to see the windward mark and gybe mark. By the time the leaders were racing on the second reach of the triangular course their nearest competitors were very barely visible and the leeward mark could not be seen. The race was finished at the end of the first triangle and won (we think) by Brian Lamb and Sam Pygall who took home the Idler’s Bucket for their efforts. The fleet was then sent ashore in close company marshalled by the RIBs. Conditions did not improve and the first and second points races were postponed to the following day.

The forecast for Saturday was for better conditions and when the competitors arrived for the briefing it looked as though we may manage to sail four races and partly catch up with the schedule. In the event, a sea fog rolled in as the fleet was about to launch. The Race Officer sensibly postponed the racing until later in the afternoon. By 1600hrs the fog had dispersed and the fleet enjoyed three races before returning to the shore after 1900hrs. The first two of these races were sailed in 5 to 7 knots but by the time the third race started the wind was softening further. The Race Officer shortened the third race at the end of a very slow first reach but even then some boats failed to finish within the time limit and were given their places on the water. Most boats were towed home.

Sunday promised to have the sunniest conditions. The wind had gone round to the south east and before the fleet launched it looked as though it would be possible to complete four races by having an earlier start. Unfortunately, once again, Zephyros declined to play ball. The wind machine switched off just before the fleet launched and a further postponement was necessary. When the wind returned there was enough time to complete just three races. The first beat of the first race of the day was sailed in the strongest wind of the weekend with boats fully powered up. However, as before, the wind quickly softened and by the time third race started lottery funded conditions prevailed and several of the front runners sailed their discards.

In spite of all these difficulties, racing was close throughout the fleet. From the six completed races there were five different winners. The winners of the Championship overall won only two races but above all were the most consistent boat in the fleet. Congratulations go to Michael McNamara and Simon Townsend from Rollesby Broad SC who won the Championship once more. They also took home the Plymouth Trophy as winners of the fourth points race. Runners up were Len Jones and Peter Mitchell from Medway YC who also won the Aln Trophy for the second race of the Championship. In third place were former champion Guy Marks and Mel Titmus from Bough Beech SC who also won the first points race and with it the Lionel Monk Trophy.

The other race winners were Richard Stone and Catherine Gore from Medway YC who won the third points race and the Ian Proctor Trophy. Colin May and Sarah Wallis from Parkstone YC won the last completed points race and the Bill Hodshon Trophy.

It was interesting to see many new faces in the fleet this year, several of them performing very well. Not new faces, but not seen in a Wayfarer for a decade, were Geoff and Nick Hodshon who returned to the fleet for the first time since the 50th Anniversary Championships sailing their 60-year-old Wayfarer, Nipegegi, (W198). Together with their late father, Bill, Geoff and Nick have won the National Championships a total of five times in Nipegegi. Geoff, Nick and their sister Penny were delighted to present the Bill Hodshon Trophy to Colin and Sarah.

Similarly, Liz Feibusch competed in her boat and was very pleased to present the Wansfell Trophy to Monica Schaefer as the best placed lady helm overall. Monica and her crew, Miriam McCarthy from Greystones SC, Co Wicklow, also won the Hartley Boats Trophy as best placed overseas entry.

The winners of the Silver fleet and best placed newcomers were Ian Foxwell and Trevor Cox from Medway YC. Winners of the Bronze fleet were UKWA Cruising Secretary, Andrew (Boris) Morrice and Chris Yerbury from Bristol Corinthian YC. Mark and Jane Lee from Medway YC won the Pert Platter as best placed husband and wife team, Tony and Nathan Geary from Waldringfield SC won the Carrick Trophy as the best placed double generation team. Medway YC won the Club Team Trophy.

Of course, a Championship in a class like the Wayfarer is not only about the racing and taking home the silverware, although that’s important. It’s about renewing old and making new friendships, sharing stories and experiences. Frustrating though the delays might be, there were plenty of opportunities to drink tea or beer together, to visit the local area, to boat bimble or complete some more mundane chores. Datchet sailors went to watch the beach volleyball in Weymouth (I assume there’s not much sand in Slough, that’s why they went, right?), Mark Lee detuned and retuned his boat (very successfully as it turned out) and had time for a round of golf (a championship ritual) and Mike Mac managed to organise an alfresco haircut. Our hosts couldn’t have done more to feed and entertain us. The bar was often open, there were meals morning, noon and night and a live band on Saturday evening which compelled even the most dance-floor-shy to play air guitar in the dinghy park (he thought it was dark and couldn’t be seen doing the Shadow’s walk to the famous sound of Apache!). Thank you to everybody at Castle Cove SC for all their hard work. This was a fitting way to celebrate the boat’s 60th birthday.

– Tim Townsend

(To view this article with full results table included please see the Racing Results page). 

Summary. One practice race completed which was won by Brian Lamb and Sam Pygall (well done) but no points races. BBQ tonight and try again tomorrow.

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Day 2 – still foggy!

Fog persisted on day 2 of the Nationals which caused a further postponement. However, the PRO made an inspired decision to review the conditions at 1500 hours. The fog had started to disperse by then and we managed to get in three short races. Two of these were sailed in a reasonably steady force 2 but the wind was starting to soften by the third race and faded away at the end of the first beat causing the race to be shortened at the end of the first reach. Race 1 was won by Guy Marks and Mel Titmuss. Race 2 was won by Len Jones and Pete Mitchell while Race 3 was won by Richard Stone and Catherine Gore. Mike Mac and Simon Townsend finished second in each of the three races sailed.

Overall results so far (top five):-
1st Mike Mac and Simon Townsend, (6)
2nd Len Jones and Pete Mitchell (7)
3rd Guy Marks and Mel Titmuss (15)
4th Bill Whitney and John Shelton (18)
5th Richard Stone and Catherine Gore (20)

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Day 3 – final day

Sunday started early with a nice Easterly as we gathered at 9.00 ready to be released for up to four races. Unfortunately the wind then shut off and we endured yet another postponement for a couple of hours.

However we eventually got away and completed three further races before the cutoff.

Overall winners:
1st Mike Mac and Simon Townsend
2nd Len Jones and Pete Mitchell
3rd Guy Marks and Mel Titmus
4th Richard Stone and Catherine Gore

-Tim Townsend 

The plan will be to run 6 races in the harbour over the two days. Racing will be over championship style courses (laid buoys) and with a committee boat start. Those who want to stay over until Bank Holiday Monday will be very welcome to take part in a Charity handicap race around the cans.

Boat parking will be at Tudor SC which has the largest compound to accommodate visitors. Camping will be available at Langstone SC for a small fee. Socials will be shared around the three clubs.

The entry fee is likely to be in the region of £35-40 plus the UKWA levy but the entry fee will include some food.

More details to follow in due course…

In the first race of the day enthusiasm got the better of the fleet at the start which resulted in a general recall. The second start was clean. Michael McNamara/Simon Townsend led at the first mark followed by Guy Marks/Mel Titmus and Tim/Jacqueline Townsend with the peleton close behind. An incident at the first mark saw Andrew and Tom Wilson doing turns. The race progressed for a couple of laps with places at the front unchanged, but at the second leeward mark the Townsends misjudged a spinnaker drop and lost several places. Meanwhile the Wilsons were charging through the fleet and eventually got the better of Marks/Titmus. McNamara/Townsend, the Wilsons and Marks/Titmus took the first three places with Nigel/Michael O’Donnell coming through to claim 4th.

The second race got away first time. On this occasion it was Marks/Titmus who flew out of the blocks chased by the Wilsons and Len Jones/Jamie Lea. McNamara/Townsend rounded the first windward mark in about sixth place and by the time they had got past the bulk of the fleet Marks/Titmus and the Wilsons had a comfortable lead. The Wilsons eventually got the better of Marks/Titmus to take the win, McNamara/Townsend coming through to take 3rd and Len Jones 4th.

The third and final race of the day also got away first time. Now it was the turn of Richard Stone/Catherine Gore to get away well and they led for a part of the race until swallowed up by McNamara/Townsend who went on to take their second win. The Wilsons and Marks/Titmus resumed their battle eventually overtaking Stone/Gore to finish 2nd and 3rd respectively. Positions 4th-7th finished within a few seconds of each other, the nod going to Adam Wickenden/Stuart Hall.

On Saturday evening most of the fleet decamped to the Ostrich in Colnbrook, a 12th century Inn whose patrons, legend has it, had come to a sticky end in the past. Not on this occasion. A good time was had by all and we agreed to meet again on Sunday morning to see if we could improve our positions in the overall standings.

Alas, Sunday dawned with no wind overhead, little wind forecast and a mist which was turning to rain. The race officer abandoned the day’s racing and so the positions overnight stood for the Championship.

The winners of the Wayfarer Inland Championship for the twelfth time were Michael McNamara and Simon Townsend. Runners-up were Andrew and Tom Wilson. The podium was completed by Guy Marks and Mel Titmus. Michael thanked the race officer, the organising club and home fleet for the event and their hospitality.

The next event in the Craftinsure National Circuit and Travellers Series is at West Oxfordshire Sailing Club on the 21/22 April. This is an open meeting and also the Wayfarer Junior Championship.

Pos	Sail No	Helm	Crew	Club	R1	R2	R3	Pts
1st	10648	Michael McNamara	Simon Townsend	Rollesby Broad SC	1	(3)	1	2
2nd	11093	Andrew Wilson	Tom Wilson	Datchet Water SC	(3)	1	2	3
3rd	11050	Guy Marks	Mel Titmus	Bough Beech SC	2	2	(3)	4
4th	11226	Len Jones	Pete Mitchell/Jamie Lea	Medway YC	(DNF)	4	7	11
5th	11012	Tim Townsend	Jacqueline Townsend	Medway YC	5	(6)	6	11
6th	10974	Richard Stone	Catherine Gore	Medway YC	(12)	7	5	12
7th	11170	Brian Lamb	Sam Pygall	Wilsonian SC	7	5	(13)	12
8th	10710	Adam Wickenden	Stuart Hall	Silver Wing SC	(13)	9	4	13
9th	11189	Nigel O'Donnell	Michael O'Donnell	Swarkestone SC	4	(12)	11	15
10th	10686	Brian McKenzie	Liz McKenzie	Medway YC	6	10	(12)	16
11th	10921	Tony Cooper	George	Datchet Water SC	(9)	8	9	17
12th	10688	Bill Whitney	Lisa Whitney	Shoreham SC	10	(13)	8	18
13th	10994	Neil Fletcher	Sarah Northey	Waldringfield SC	8	(11)	10	18
14th	9416	Scott Hamilton	Bob Maddox	Datchet Water SC	11	15	(16)	26
15th	11183	Mike Weighill	Carl Martin	Swarkestone SC	14	(16)	14	28
16th	10828	Derek Lambert	Oliver Lanson-Gore	Datchet Water SC	(DNS)	14	15	29
17th	11129	Paul Hughes	Tracy Villa	Arun YC	15	(17)	17	32
18th	?	Simon Etter	Sue Risbridger	Datchet Water SC	16	(18)	18	34
19th	8454	Laura Hodges	Matthew Hodges	Datchet Water SC	17	(19)	19	36

 

As well as the trophies, glassware and bottles awarded to the winners of the National Circuit and Travellers Series, we will be repeating the grand end of season Prize Draw with generous prizes from Craftinsure, McNamara Sails and Hartley Boats. This was a great success in 2017 with the winners walking away with a year’s free boat insurance, an undercover and a genoa as well as many smaller prizes. As with last year you have to be in it to win it. The more events a boat competes in, the greater its chances of winning in the Draw. The (original) Notice of Race for the Craftinsure National Circuit and Travellers Series (and the rules of the Prize Draw) can be found here.

Date	Venue	Event	Fresh/Salt
7-8 April	Datchet Water SC	Inland Championships	NCS #1 (F)
21-22 April	West Oxfordshire SC	Open Meeting and Junior Championships	NCS #2 (F)
1-3 June	Castle Cove SC	National Championships	NCS #4 (S)
28-29 July	Waldringfield SC	Eastern Area Championships	NCS #5 (S)
25-26 August	Langstone Harbour	Western Area Championships	NCS #3 (S)
8-9 Sep	Medway YC	Southern Area Championships	NCS #6 (S)
6-7 October	Swarkestone SC	Swarkestone Open Meeting	NCS #7 (F)
10-11 Nov	Bough Beech SC	Season Finale	NCS #8 (F)

Diligent readers will notice there are only seven events listed (above), not eight*. This is because Shoreham SC, which was due to host the Western Area Championships in May has regrettably had to cancel the event because its new launching ramp will not be completed. The UKWA is actively looking for a club to host the Western Area Championships in mid-May or late August. If you think your club can help please email the UKWA Racing Secretary, Tim Townsend, at [email protected] Any suitable venue west of Hastings will be considered west enough to host a Wayfarer Western Championship!

Who’s competing at the Inlands? A number of the main protagonists have threatened to start the season at Datchet. These include all of the podium placed teams from the 2017 National Circuit Series, Michael McNamara/Simon Townsend, Andrew/Tom Wilson and Len Jones/Jamie Lea or Pete Mitchell. They will be joined by the enthusiastic and competitive fleet from the host club, and many visitors from the South and Midlands. It looks like it will be a keenly contested weekend with six races scheduled and a social on Saturday night.

How have the teams been warming up? The Datchet fleet has raced most Sunday mornings all winter, so is well practised. Guy Marks and others have been competing at the Bough Beech Icicle, Guy comfortably winning the series. Further north, Wayfarers have been competing in the Blithfield Barrel. Andrew and Tom Wilson have been racing at Datchet but also flying the flag for the Wayfarer Class at the GJW Direct Sailjuice Winter Series 2017, finishing on the podium at each of the three events in which they competed. Michael McNamara has been spotted cycling up and down the hills of Norfolk in a concerted effort to improve fitness levels. Doubtless, Simon Townsend has been doing something similar on the South Coast (but with hills). Bionic Len Jones has a new boat and new body parts (I’m sure titanium is not allowed on the boat) so he will be as quick as ever. No doubt the top few will be quick and well sailed but the exciting thing about each new season is that last season’s pecking order is consigned to history. The Craftinsure Wayfarer National Circuit and Travellers Series is shaping up to be a series to savour.

– Tim Townsend

* Happily, since Tim wrote this article a venue has been found, and the table reflects this eighth event