The Rooster Elite One Design UK National Championships kicked off in Hayling Bay with dark clouds looming over the Isle of Wight. Winds flicked 30 degrees depending on which side of the course the rain clouds rolled. With one minute to go a 20 knot squall caused an extra lumpy sea state & both the committee boat & pin end boat dragged their anchors. Matt Stein, the Race Officer blew the AP at 30 seconds before the start giving the fleet an unexpected but welcome practice start. The wind had swung right with the squall so the line was re-laid & the fleet go away 20 minutes later .
Race one was a tussle between last years National Champion, Russell Peters, crewed again by Greg & Zeb; with David Nicholls (3rd as a crew in 2025) crewed by Watty & Nic. The wind dropped after the squall, the course was shortened & moved left resulting in some place changes with Adrian Williams, crewed by Tim & Andrew moving up; Mike McIntyre crewed by Andre & Rob plus Matt Abbiss, crewed by Rosie & Alain slipping back. In the end as the wind picked up again Russell took the win; David 2nd & Aids 3rd.
Race two & again the sequence of the clouds dictated that the course was set left. This time the majority of the fleet headed out to the left. Those with speed in the lumpy sea & a clear lane gained from the pack. There were different ‘faces’ at the front with Tom Hewitson, crewed by Mike & Jo well ahead at the first mark. Joe Llwellyn crewed by Matt & Jerry rounded 2nd just ahead of Eddie Warden-Owen crewed by Martin & Andy. The next black cloud held off until after the finish allowing for a more consistent wind bearing but the wind strength varied from leg to leg. At the first gate James Yearsley crewed by Anna & Jonny had pulled up to 3rd, whilst by the final windward mark Mike Mc had pulled up 3rd. Just as we thought Tom had the win in the bag Joe pulled an aggressive move at the final leeward mark to blanket Tom’s wind & sail over the top to win by a boat length.
The forecast for day two was rain & wind. The RO decided to get ahead of the big winds by starting an hour earlier so that the fleet would be heading home before the ‘bar’ (not the clubhouse bar) got too gnarly.
The fleet headed out of the harbour in a lumpy 20 knots but by the time the first race of the day started it had dropped & held at 12 – 15 with some lovely surfing opportunities downwind. Two boats were caught OCS but Martin Jones crewed by Jimmy G & Chips, found their mojo to lead at the windward mark. Russell & team rounded 2nd; Joe in 007 rounded 3rd. By the 2nd beat Russell gained a place & took his 2nd win of the series. Martin in 2nd with Joe in 3rd.
The wind picked up for the 2nd start averaging 20 knots with the odd gust over 25 knots. Martin was again fast off the line & lead at mark 1. Things got a little ‘hairy’ at the leeward gate but it was the same bunch chasing the leader. Joe, Russell & Mike Mc were all in with a chance but it was Simon Childs crewed by Kato & Chris who pulled through to 2nd leaving Russell in 3rd.
The RO had been monitoring the wind coming up from Portland to the Solent & sent the fleet home just before the wind increased from 25 – 35 knots.
Team Musto got their race skates on for day three. Martin Jones has owned a share of Elite #113 for a number of years but rarely gets the chance to sail her. After a tricky first day not helped when Chips fell out, he’s now got her firing on all cylinders.
The day started with dark cloudy skies & a very lumpy ride out to Hayling Bay West in 20 knots of breeze. Three boats turned back into the safety of the harbour straight away, then #33 joined them when their main halyard broke. The first race of the day started in 20 -25 knots & Team Musto lead at the windward mark followed by Mike Mc with Aids in 3rd. By the first gate Mike had sailed over Team Musto & Joe Llwellyn had pulled up to 3rd. By the 2nd lap Team Musto had dropped back to 4th & Russell had climbed through from 6th to 3rd Joe in 2nd.
The wind dropped to 15 -18 knots for race 2 & a wind bend & stronger tide skewed the course making it difficult to judge; resulting in lots of place changing. Joe lead at the top, Team Musto 2nd & Mike in 3rd. With everyone gybing onto port it was easy to lose a clear lane so at the gate Russell had the lead with Mike in 2nd & Joe in 3rd. By the 2nd beat Team Musto had pulled back up to 2nd just behind Russell so it was all about keeping clear air on the final downwind leg. There was a 4 boat tussle to gain the inside on the final corner to the finish. Team Musto got the win closely followed by Russell & Joe & Mike dropped to 4th.
The windward mark was reset for the final race & the fleet split more evenly upwind & downwind. The wind stayed in the upper teens & the sun started to break through. Again it was Team Musto blasting upwind with Adrian Williams in #76 2nd at the top & David Hitchcock crewed by Fraser Elms & Ian Nicholson in 3rd. At the gate Simon Childs in #15 had powered through to 2nd with Team Musto still in the lead, positions they held to the finish. However, there were lots of ‘snakes & ladders’ for the rest of the fleet with Ossie in #67 moving up from 5th to claim 3rd.
Points were tight going into the final day with 5 points between the top 4. Champagne conditions prevailed & with steady-ish winds ranging from 8-15 knots the quality of the racing didn’t disappoint.
Russell, Greg & Zeb knew they needed to stay consistent to keep the pressure off, as the others had a worse discard. They rounded 2nd at the top mark, in front of Team Musto, & behind Simon Childs in #15. By the gate Russell in #20 had taken the lead with #15 in 2nd & 007 in 3rd. Positions stayed the same until the last run when Team Musto overtook #15 to claim 3rd.
The 2nd race of the day started in a 10 knots & Team Musto knew that they had to beat Russell to have any chance of taking the title. They were out in front at the windward mark but 007 & #20 were just behind. It was super tight at the gate with Joe & team 007 just in front of Team Musto. Eddie Warden-Owen in #33 crewed by Martin Hughes & Andy Gray pulled up to third just in front of #20. The place changing continued & as the breeze built again Team Musto came out on top followed by 007 & #20.
The final race of the championship was all about getting Russell, Greg & Zeb to finish below 5th whilst Team Musto & 007 had to win as both had discards in the ‘teens’. It was a tall order but Martin & Russell engaged in a pre-start ‘dog fight’ with Martin incurring a couple of penalties & doing some ‘spins’. The result was that they crossed the start line last, & last but one. Martin climbed through to 12th but the championship was lost & #20 sailed home from the top mark. The fight was now on for the final podium places. Mike in #46 took his chance & lead from start to finish to secure 3rd overall, whilst 007 close on his heels for the first lap dropped to 4th by the finish, this was enough to take 2nd overall. Toby Straus crewed by Rob Cruilshank & Aidan Mitchell won the start by a whisker & ended the regatta with their best finish in 2nd. Eddie in #33 finished 3rd , one of 6 top 10 finishes & had it not been for gear failure on day 3 his team would have made it into the ‘chocolates’.
HISC hosted a prizegiving dinner in the evening which topped off an excellent tightly contested championship. Russell said ‘this was one of the toughest championships he’d ever raced’. Testament of the quality of the racing & caliber of the competitors. Next year we are joining the Royal Thames Regatta in Cowes for our UK Nationals – can’t wait.
https://www.sailwave.com/results/hisc/26eliteonedesignnationals.htm
