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The weather improved for the second race with the light rain stopping but unfortunately no increase in the wind strength. Toby Woodcock (10171) showed his years team racing at university had not been wasted by making an excellent start in this race forcing both Peter and Tim head to wind as they tried to squeeze in at the committee boat end of the line where space was not available. In fact Toby nailed all of the race starts but unfortunately lacked the boat speed for the rest of the racing to take advantage of this.

Race three followed a similar pattern to the first two with Peter and Tim stretching away to take first and second again. In the final race Peter was a DNS as his crew had to rush away for another engagement. This led to the closest race of the day with the remaining four boats very close together for the first lap. Tim slowly pulled ahead on the second lap to win by 30 seconds with the other three boats in close order behind.

This is only the second year Hickling have held a Wayfarer Open and attendance was improved on the first year. With nearly 40 boats in the home fleet and positive feedback from those who attended this year the club is hoping for improved attendance in coming years on what are the largest, most scenic and ecologically important sailing waters of the Norfolk Broads.

-Malcolm Mellor

This will be event #6 of the Craftinsure sponsored UKWA National Circuit and Travellers Series 2019 (NCS). The Wayfarer fleet is no stranger to Arun YC which hosted a very successful class National Championship in 2017 and the competitors will look forward to contending with all that open sea sailing can throw at them; clean winds, big waves and strong tides. At the recent International Championships at Greystones, Co. Wicklow, the Wayfarer proved once again what a great all round racing boat it is with most of the series sailed in winds of around 20 knots or more. This will also be the first NCS event since the end of July following the unfortunate cancellation of the open meeting at Swarkestone SC earlier this month because of flooding. Even more reason for the Wayfarer sailors to be champing at the bit.

The wind forecast for this weekend (as I write this) is for force 4-5 south westerlies on Saturday and a gentle force 2-3 north easterly on Sunday. And did I mention rain? Not on Sunday (and not much on Saturday either by recent standards).

To date, 62 boats, representing 23 different clubs, have competed in one or more of the open meetings and championships included in the NCS. The National Circuit Series, where the best three results (including at least one at a fresh water venue and one at a salt water venue) count, is currently led by Michael McNamara and Simon Townsend, followed closely by Andrew and Tom Wilson and Brian Lamb and Sam Pygall. In the Travellers Series, where all events count, it is the Wilsons who lead from Brian Lamb and Sam Pygall/Sue Risbridger. The Swarkestone team of Mike Weighill and Carl Martin hold third place.

Several of the leading competitors will be at Arun YC this weekend. Some other long standing Wayfarer racers are also threatening to travel to Littlehampton having recently traded up to the current MkIV model (and rather liked it).

In addition to the silverware, participation in the NCS events counts towards the end of season prize draw where there are great prizes on offer from the sponsors, Craftinsure, Hartley Boats, McNamara Sails, Allen Brothers and Pinnell & Bax. The greater the number of events attended the greater the chances of having your sail number drawn from the hat.

-Tim Townsend

Sponsors

We’d like to thank McAfee for their support of our event and are pleased to announce that they have also been extremely generous to supply us with 30 annual software licenses for their LIVESAFE product, worth £89.99 each, a fantastic total value of almost £2,700. These will be awarded at our prize-giving for various categories of competitors.

On the subject of sponsors, our regulars will know that we have enjoyed the support of Pusser’s Rum for eight years now; they are our longest-serving supporter, for which we are very grateful. Their highly-prized bottles are much enjoyed by the winners and have become synonymous with the event.

If you know any organisation that might be interested to join our limited group of elite sponsors of the event, it’s not too late to get their name added. Please contact me ASAP to learn more of what we can do for them…!

Want to borrow a boat..? 

There may be a couple of International 12s available for the event. If you fancy borrowing one please contact Bosham SC member Doug Branson via Mob: 07801-600960 or [email protected]  for further details.

And finally, please see attached the 2019 A3 poster which we’d be grateful if you could display in your local club or sailing venue.

Cheers

Andrew Young

John Mellor gave outstanding advice on ‘sailing without argument’ and ‘landing on a lee shore’, whilst Peter and Liz Bones organised a wonderful range of off-the-water entertainment including ‘Wayfarers’ Got Talent’ and the incredible ‘Junk Boat Race’, where the children and some young-at-heart adults made racing boats purely from rubbish found around the camp.

A daysail to Aira Force with barbeques and picnics saw newly-gained skills put into practice in good winds as nervous helms and crew gained confidence and experience in a range of conditions.

The Tuesday night Quiz was another highlight with the unassailable ‘Wandering Wayfarers’ winning once again.

On Wednesday evening, the Stone Trophy was fiercely contested for the seventh time. In light to moderate winds, Mark and Connie Foreman took the coveted prize from Brian White and James and Barnaby Emson for the first time after a strong lift brought them over Pepper on the beat to the line.

Thursday was spent local to the Yacht Club enabling younger and older Wayfarers alike practise capsize and man-overboard routines. The children approached this with significantly greater energy and enthusiasm than their elders, with 8 children recovered in Red Fox at one point!

These are just some of the highlights, look out for the upcoming magazine write-up for a better understanding of the charm and character of this wonderful event.

Many visitors like to make a weekend of it and come down Friday afternoon. Registration is open from 5pm and there will be relaxed supper available on Friday, which will require pre-booking. On Saturday evening we will be having some live music and a casual supper. The bookings for supper will open once the menus etc are finalised. Breakfast will be available on both Saturday and Sunday morning.

Full details of the event, including the Notice of Race (also attached), are on the Classic Boat Revival website.

We are using a new online system for entering & paying for the event along with ordering our 2019 branded shirts and ever popular art posters.

We would therefore be grateful if you could confirm your participation as soon as possible.

Through the generosity of some club members, we have a limited amount of free local accommodation available for those visitors participating in the event. if you are interested in this, please contact us via [email protected]

For those of you active in club and class associations, please feel free to encourage others to participate. We are hoping to evolve the event and to this end are looking for themes & ideas for future years by working with class associations or other organisations. So if you are a class with a strong vintage or historic element, we would be very happy to discuss building an event around you, in addition to our wider fleets.

Cheers

-Andrew Young

To date, 62 boats, representing 23 different clubs, have competed in one or more of the open meetings and championships included in the NCS. The National Circuit Series, where the best three results (including at least one at a fresh water venue and one at a salt water venue) count, is currently led by Michael McNamara and Simon Townsend, followed closely by Andrew and Tom Wilson and Brian Lamb and Sam Pygall. In the Travellers’ Series, where all events count, it is the Wilsons who lead from Brian Lamb and Sam Pygall/Sue Risbridger. The Swarkestone team of Mike Weighill and Carl Martin hold third place.

Several of the leading competitors will be at Arun YC this weekend, when fresh to strong winds are expected.

In addition to the silverware, participation in the NCS events counts towards the end of season prize draw where there are great prizes on offer from the sponsors, Craftinsure, Hartley Boats, McNamara Sails, Allen Brothers and Pinnell & Bax. The greater the number of events attended the greater the chances of having your sail number drawn from the hat.

-Tim Townsend

Wayfarer International Championship 2019 © Alan Jones

The 2019 International Championship was promising a resumption of this intense racing at the head of the fleet but it was possible there would be stronger competition this year from the rest, led by Andrew and Tom Wilson and Bill Whitney and John Shelton from the UK if the wind was strong and any number of good Danish teams who had been improving during the past few years. Good and experienced Wayfarer sailors from Ireland (North and South) and from Canada and the USA would add to the mix.

Monday 22nd July – After a weekend of measuring and registration racing got under way on with a practice race and Race 1. The forecast was for winds from the south averaging windspeeds (measured in knots) in the teens and topping out in the low 20’s. Numbers were depleted a little in the practice race and there were a number of capsizes and retirements as winds topping out at 24 knots coupled with a confused chop over a swell took their toll.

Wayfarer International Championship 2019 © Alan Jones

The practice race and the Idlers Bucket was won by Andrew and Tom Wilson who were laying down an early marker of their form and were followed home by the Danish team of Niels Alslev and Anders Pjetursson, who revel in strong winds, and Bill Whitney and John Shelton.

In their defence, neither McNamara nor Just troubled with the practice race but they both took the stage for Race 1 which was sailed in similar conditions. Just led from the start with McNamara close behind and they finished in that order. Game on. The Wilsons maintained their good form from earlier in the day by completing the podium and sending a message to the leaders not to expect it all their own way.

With the conditions showing no sign of easing the PRO, Tom Rusbridge, made the sensible decision not to run a second points race and sent the fleet home.

On Monday evening there was a welcome social with Irish music and dancing including a guest performer in the band of Danish concert violinist (and W sailor) Meike Fomsgaard.

Tuesday 23rd July – Tuesday dawned still windy and with a difficult sea state which the PRO thought might deter the less experienced or confident racers from racing and a decision was taken to postpone for a couple of hours and see if the wind would moderate which it was forecast to do. Race 2 eventually started at about 1400hrs with a full fleet in attendance and a triangle/sausage course of three rounds was completed in a moderate but slowly softening breeze. The winners of this race by a comfortable margin were Mike McNamara and Simon Townsend followed by Just and Friis. The Wilsons finished third. Race 3 got under way under a black flag in a hiking breeze but by the time the second beat started all but the lightest teams were now underpowered. Bill Whitney and John Shelton had led from the start but as the fleet sailed down the run the wind shut off completely leaving the PRO no option but to abandon that race and racing for the day.

Two days had passed therefore and just two series races had been completed.

Wednesday 24th July – This was designated catch-up Wednesday with up to 4 races planned in a forecast 13-18 knots.

Race 3 was re-sailed under the previous day’s black flag with a few boats prohibited from taking part under the black flag rule. The main protagonists were at the front again but this time joined by Bill Whitney and John Shelton who seemed not to have been too badly affected by the frustration of leading the abandoned race. The conditions for this race were perfect at the start with most of the fleet enjoying fantastic three sail reaches. The wind built as the race progressed, however, making the reaches on the final lap more challenging. Just and Friis stumbled a little in their challenge at this point because the race was won by McNamara and Townsend followed by the Wilsons. Whitney and Shelton completed the podium with Just and Friis only in fourth place.

Wayfarer International Championship 2019 – photo © Alan Jones

Race 4 was sailed in about 20 knots of breeze and the confused sea state had properly returned. This race was led from start to finish by the Wilsons who demonstrated some blistering speed upwind and down. They were followed home by Whitney and Shelton and by Just and Friis. This time it was the turn of McNamara and Townsend to falter somewhat as they finished fourth. A few of the Bronze fleet boats went home in this race and there were a few capsizes and retirements for other favoured teams.

By the time Race 5 started the wind was gusting at over 20 knots and the sea state was deteriorating once more (more difficult in both Mike Mac’s and Mogens Just’s views than Monday’s conditions). This time it was Just and Friis who got away at the start and went on to win followed by McNamara and Townsend. The Wilsons finished in third to complete a successful day for them. There were more casualties in this race with several boats capsizing on the final run to the finish. Fortunately the support boats were well manned and all teams and their boats were successfully recovered.

With the conditions as they were the PRO chose not to start Race 6 at this time and the fleet was sent home.

Wayfarer International Championship 2019 – photo © Alan Jones

Overnight with five races completed and one discard, McNamara and Townsend led the event with 6 points, followed closely by Just and Friis with 7 points and the Wilsons with 9 points. It was looking like the winner would come from one of these, although Whitney and Shelton were lurking not far behind as an outside prospect.

Thursday 25th July – The forecast for Thursday looked marginal at best with 25-30 knots of breeze forecast. The PRO chose to call a lay day leaving battered sailors the chance to recover and/or go sightseeing. Trips to Dublin, to visit the gardens at nearby Powerscourt House or to follow the cliff walk to Bray seemed to be the order of the day.

Friday 26th July – This was the last day of the championship. Another windy day was forecast and with the points so close the top competitors were wanting at least one more chance to seal victory.

The forecast, as briefed, was for winds of 15-20 knots to decrease during the day to 9-11 knots. The PRO indicated an intention to sail three races, possibly the maximum of four, to conclude the event.

As it happened the forecast gentle Irish breeze turned out to be a fruity 15-24 knots with the rough and confused seas we had to deal with all week and only two races were completed before the PRO called it a day. Once again there were several capsizes and retirements.

As with Wednesday, races started under a black flag. McNamara and Townsend won Race 6 from the Danes, Bjarne Lindquist and Jan St Nielsen. Just and Friis came third. A broken spinnaker pole and capsize for Whitney and Shelton put paid to their slim chances of victory. The advantage was now with McNamara and Townsend. However, Just and Friis won Race 7 from the Wilsons with McNamara and Townsend completing the podium. With no more races sailed but the second discard kicking in after Race 7 the overall result would be close once again.

When the scores were calculated Michael McNamara and Simon Townsend had done enough to secure the championship from Mogens Just and Anders Friis by just the single point. Andrew and Tom Wilson finished in third place overall after an excellent and consistent set of results. These three teams were a comfortable distance ahead Bill Whitney and John Shelton who held on for fourth place overall pipping Niels Alslev and Anders Pjetursson who had enjoyed an excellent week with a string of fourth and fifth places.

Wayfarer International Championship 2019 podium teams (l-r) Andrew Wilson, Tom Wilson, Simon Townsend, Michael McNamara, Mogens Just and Anders Friis – photo © Merrin Froggett

In the UKWA National Championships McNamara and Townsend won fairly comfortably from the Wilsons. Whitney and Shelton completed the podium while Brian and Liz McKenzie finished in fourth place and were the best placed husband and wife team.

The Irish Championship was dominated by boats from the host club and was won by John Turner and Ken Lee from Seamus O’Cleirich and Stephen Tiernan.

The prize giving supper was well attended. Trophies were distributed along with a tally number raffle of sponsors prizes. A key feature of this Championship was the way competitors from different clubs and different countries mixed together off the water and the closing evening’s revelries were no exception. On behalf of the competitors Michael McNamara thanked the host Club, the organisers and the race team for a wonderful week.

-Tim Townsend

(This article complete with the full results table can be found on the Racing Results page)

Race 4 was sailed in about 20 knots and was led from start to finish by the Wilsons who demonstrated some blistering speed upwind and down. They were followed home by Whitney/Shelton and Just/Friis. A few of the Bronze fleet boats went home in this race and there were a few capsizes and retirements for other favoured teams.

By the time Race 5 started the wind was gusting at over 20 knots and the sea state was deteriorating once more (more difficult in Mike Mac’s view than Monday’s conditions). This time it was Just/Friis who got away at the start and went on to win followed by McNamara/Townsend. The Wilsons completed the podium. There were more casualties in this race with several boats capsizing on the final run to the finish. Fortunately the support boats were well manned and all teams and their boats were successfully recovered.

With the conditions as they were the PRO chose not to sail Race 6 and the fleet was sent home.

The forecast for Thursday 25th July looked marginal at best with 25-30 knots of breeze. The PRO chose to call a lay day, leaving battered sailors the chance to recover and/or to go sightseeing.

Friday is the last day of the championship. Another windy day is forecast and with the points so close the top competitors will be wanting at least one more chance to seal victory.

Overall results after 5 races and 1 discard (top 4):
1st Mcnamara/Townsend (6 points)
2nd Just/Friis (7)
3rd Andrew/Tom Wilson (9)
4th Whitney/Shelton (15)

-Tim Townsend

Race 3 got underway still in a hiking breeze but by the time the second beat started all but the lightest teams were now underpowered. As the fleet sailed down the run the wind shut off completely and the PRO abandoned the race.

Two days down therefore and just two races completed.

Provisional Results to date (top 6):
1st Mike McNamara/Simon Townsend, (3 points)
2nd Mogens Just/Anders Friis (3)
3rd Andrew/Tom Wilson (6)
4th Neils Alslev/Anders Pejtersson (8)
5th Bill Whitney/John Shelton (11)
6th Christian Milert Hansen/Kim Fremlev Larsen (13)

-Tim Townsend

In the evening there was a welcome social with Irish music including a guest performer in the band of Danish concert violinist (and W sailor) Meike Fomsgaard.

Three races scheduled for Tuesday. Gold, Silver and Bronze fleets determined then as well as the ProAm.

-Tim Townsend

Where is Greystones and why am I going there? Greystones is a small town (but the second largest in Co Wicklow) squeezed between the Wicklow Mountains to the West and the Irish Sea to the East and lies to the south of Bray Head; a few miles north lies Dublin’s fair city. Between the 20th and 26th July 2019 Greystones SC will play host to the the biggest bonanza of Wayfarer sailing in 2019. The event trebles as the Wayfarer International Championships, the UK National Championships and the Irish National Championships, attracting competitors from Canada, the USA, Denmark, the UK, the Netherlands and South Africa, as well as Ireland.

With so many race courses (Punchestown, Leopardstown and the Curragh) just a canter away, a look at the runners and riders seems appropriate.

The much anticipated renewed competition will be between joint favourites Mogens Just & Anders Friis from Denmark (Olympians and reigning International Champions) and Michael McNamara & Simon Townsend from the UK (reigning European and UK National Champions, multiple International Champions….but runners up to Mogens & Anders in 2016 in the Netherlands). Their most recent races have been very close and they often seem to be a class apart. Don’t expect this to be a two horse race however.

From mainland UK, Andrew and Tom Wilson, who have won several of the National Circuit Series events in the last few seasons will be ones to watch especially when the going is hard as will Bill Whitney and John Shelton. Keep an eye out also for Brian Lamb and Sam Pygall and, if the going is soft to very soft, Richard Stone and Catherine Gore.

From Denmark do not discount Neils Alslev and Anders Pjetursson if the going is hard, Meike Fomsgaard and her crew if the going is soft nor Stefan Nandrup-Bus and Hans Hansen or Christian and Jorgen Iversen, all of whom raced well at the European Championships in Denmark in 2018 and may creep up on the rails to trouble the leaders. Also, there may be a late entry from former Wayfarer International Champion Peter Boje, who is happily returning to fitness after going lame shortly after the last International Championships in 2016 where he joined Mac and Mogens in the winners enclosure.

From the host Club and Country, we must not forget Monica Schaefer and Miriam McCarthy, reigning Irish Champions and also race winners at the International Championships a few years ago. Also from Ireland, do not be surprised if Margaret Hynes and Mike Hayes and Norman Lee (former GP14 Champion) and Barry Keogh have a good race.

And from the other side of the pond Rob Wierdsma (CWA Chair) is back, with Samantha as crew, hoping to improve on his Gold fleet performance in Holland. Leo and Joanne van Kampen were at the top end of Silver fleet in Holland and as recent runners up at the 2019 Canadian National Championships will be hoping their form continues to improve. Jim Heffernan (Wayfarer International Secretary) and Mark Heffernan will be representing USA and again hoping to improve on their top-end Silver fleet placing from 2016.

I would expect the race winners and the podium overall to come from the competitors listed above but there a dozen or more other teams who are capable of getting good results in individual races if their stars are aligned. Whether or not they would be consistent enough to challenge the podium remains the burning question which is why they form part of the amorphous group known as “100-1 bar”.

The field is large and not just made up of the thoroughbreds. There will be some old nags too, some of them carrying additional weight, even though they insist they’ve been on the gallops recently! As is the custom these days the field will be split into Gold, Silver and Bronze divisions (all racing as one fleet) and for the Bronze division there will be the option of cruising for a day or two. The organisers also plan to create a buddy system where a top boat is paired up with a less experienced team to share experiences and knowledge (hopefully to the benefit of both).

It won’t all be racing. A social programme is organised and there will be time to enjoys some of the attractions the Greystones area has to offer. Aside from the cafes, bars and the Theatre, there are lovely walks, cycle rides and, I mustn’t forget, golf with a plethora of excellent courses nearby including Druids Glen (the “Augusta of Ireland”). I can almost guarantee that one team may forget an important bit of equipment for their sailing (“now, where did I put the boat?”)….but won’t forget their golf clubs.

As always, the organising authority has been putting a huge amount of time into planning the event supported by its many sponsors, including Allen Brothers, Hartley Boats, and Craftinsure from the sailing world and also by Irish Ferries, Watermark (Coffee Technology) and The Beach House, Greystones. Fingers crossed that the weather is kind, that the racing is hard but fair and that the craic will be memorable too.

wayfarer.org.uk/internationals-july-2019

Wayfarer Internationals at Weymouth – photo © Richard Langdon / Ocean Images