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12/09/2020
RELOCATED Volvo Noble Marine National Championship

CONGRATULATIONS TO THEO GALYER 2020 RS700 NATIONAL CHAMPION!

The lucky winner of the RS700 spinnaker generously donated by Hyde Sails was Andrew Wright from Queen Mary SC.

Matthew Conner, also from Queen Mary SC, won the sports bag donated by Noble Marine.

Apprentice: Liam Willis from Lymington Town SC

Fidelis Trophy: Ian Swann from HISC

1st Silver: Graham Blake from Queen Mary SC

Master: Jerry Wales from Windsport

5th: Matt Carter from Lancing SC

4th: Pete Purkiss from Brightlingsea SC

3rd: Rob Higgins from Chew Valley SC

2nd: Jerry Wales from Windsport

1st and National Champion: Theo Galyer from HISC

Day One report by Rob Higgins

Day Two report by Pete Purkiss

Day Three report by Matt Carter

Day Four report by Rob Higgins

Day One of Volvo Noble Marine RS700 National Championship in Association with Hyde Sails

Day one of the rescheduled RS700 nationals and the fleet were welcomed with a warm September sun at WPNSA. After plenty of boat prep and catching up the fleet launched into a 10-11 knot breeze.

Race One:

The fleet got away at the first time of asking with the majority of the fleet heading out to the left hand side of the course. Pete Purkiss, with some blistering upwind speed, soon headed the fleet with Theo Galyer hot on his tails. Pete and Theo rounded the windward mark together shortly followed by a compact group of Rob Higgins, Liam Willis, Matt Carter and Jerry Wales. Pete now showed some great downwind speed to pull away from Theo. He continued to pulled away from the fleet leaving Theo to look over his shoulder at the constant position changing from the chasing pack. This carried on for the next lap with Pete leading, Theo holding onto second and the next four chopping and changing places. The final lap saw Pete round the windward mark with a comfortable lead, followed in second by Theo, with Rob close behind. Pete had decided it wasn’t important to read the sailing instructions and rounded the leeward gate to head off for another lap. Theo and Rob, with some on course conformation about the number of laps, decided to blast down to the finish handing Theo the win. Rob was a close second with Matt Carter pipping a now gybing Pete to the finish line.

Race Two:

The wind swung around and built to 14 knots leading to a short delay. The start was a similar story with the fleet wanting to head left. Theo and Liam made good starts at the committee boat end and held an early advantage. Pete, Jerry and Rob all made solid starts further down the line. Theo nailed the port lay line to just tack inside Jerry who had played the shifts well up the first beat. These two were followed by Rob, Liam and Pete. Theo gybed off early with Jerry, Rob and Liam heading off to the right. At the leeward gate Theo, Jerry and Rob came together leading to find Theo calling a bold but legal late shout for room involving a super late gybe drop. This sent Jerry wide leaving the door open for Rob to round up inside. Theo continued to hold the advantage. Rob had now moved into second and Jerry was third. Theo took a comfortable win, Rob second, Jerry third and Pete fourth. So Theo has taken two bullets to start a solid defence to his national champion’s crown.

After sailing the class held a socially distanced raffle. The lucky winner of the RS700 Spinnaker generously donated by Hyde Sails was Andrew Wright from Queen Mary SC. Matt Conner was the winner of a smart kit bag kindly donated by Noble Marine.

Report by Rob Higgins

Up on Y&Y here

Day Two of Volvo Noble Marine RS700 National Championship in Association with Hyde Sails

Race three:

The fleet got off in marginal trapezing conditions. Jerry Wales made the most of the shifty wind conditions to round the windward mark just ahead of Pete Purkiss. After a close downwind tussle Pete Purkiss was forced to tack off to clear his wind, caught a lucky shift on the right-hand side to take the lead from Jerry. Pete won the race, Jerry was second and Rob Higgins took third. However, while they were battling a course move flag was misunderstood for shortened course. The Pied Piper Matt Conner led a group of fellow Queen Mary SC members incorrectly to the finish.

Race four:

The race started in a falling breeze. The first beat was sailed in shifty conditions and Pete, after being buried at the start, took a flier and went hard right only to round the windward mark first. He was followed by Liam and Jerry. These three boats had a close battle downwind with Liam displaying superior speed despite Jerry’s attempts to catch him. Liam went on to win the race, followed by Jerry and Pete. Ian Swann was fourth. Graham Blake had a good day coming fifth.

Race five:

The wind by this stage was often as low as four knots so the Race Officer decided to send the fleet ashore under a postponement in the hope of a sea breeze building. The race was postponed for the day.

Report by Pete Purkiss

Day two on Y&Y here

Day Three of Volvo Noble Marine RS700 National Championship in Association with Hyde Sails
The fleet launched in a stiff Easterly breeze only for it to die off to nothing by the time we reached the committee boat. We sat for an hour waiting for the wind to fill in and. We then followed the committee boat back into the harbour just as the wind came.

Once back in the harbour Race Five started in a freshening breeze and it was all clear on the start. Jerry Wales was first to the windward mark followed by Theo Galyer and Matt Carter. Jerry stormed down the course to the RS800 gate leaving the way clear for Theo to take the lead. Theo led until the end followed closely by Matt. Any mistake would be punished. Both held their nerve to the end and Rob Higgins came in third. Jerry had recovered to fourth only be to taken by Liam Willis on the last leg.

The wind freshened even more for Race Six. Roger Taylor crossed the fleet on a port flyer whooping as he did so. Theo and Matt chased each other around the course again with Theo faster upwind and Matt screaming down wind. Jerry chased close behind in third. Theo and Matt stayed in their positions until the end but Liam was chasing Jerry hard and was just about to take Jerry on the final leg. Only 50 yards from the finish line Liam’s kite halyard came out the clear dropping the kite and rolling the boat to windward allowing Jerry to save third and Pete Purkiss to sneak into fourth.

For Race Seven the wind moderated slightly. Theo rounded the first beat first with Jerry right up his transom. After the top reach they rounded together when Theo managed to hook his trailing kite sheet around his tiller extension. Jerry sailed underneath and into Theo’s wind shadow and when he got through the other side he wasn’t ready for the pressure and capsized. Theo had to drop his kite to rectify the sheet situation allowing Pete and Rob to storm off down the first leg in the lead. Pete led until the final lap when he banged right. Rob went left making a huge gain and beating Pete. Theo followed Pete letting Liam in to take third.

Race Eight Pete had a flying start from the linens and tacked across the fleet. He reached the top mark first followed by Theo, Matt and Jerry. Theo passed Pete on the second beat and Jerry got ahead of Matt. Matt then capsized bearing away rounding the top mark on the second lap. Jerry went on to roll up Pete downwind. Theo kept the lead to finish first, Jerry second and Pete third. James Bayliss came from mid fleet obscurity to finish ahead of Rob and Matt in fourth.

All in all an amazing day’s racing in great wind and glorious sunshine. We were on the water for over seven hours. What more can you ask?

Report by Matt Carter

Day three on Y&Y here

Final Day Four of Volvo Noble Marine RS700 National Championship in Association with Hyde Sails

Day four with two scheduled races and we were greeted with a light breeze and warm sun. An early postponement was sounded which allowed the fleet time to relax and enjoy the sun while allowing the wind time to decide which way it wanted to come from. Eventually the breeze showed signs of settling and the fleet were launched into a 6 knot breeze that would build to 10 knots.

Race Nine: The fleet got away with a general recall being sounded, the guilty party Pete Purkiss acknowledged and went back. Theo Gayler, knowing a good result would seal the event, made a solid start at the committee boat joined by Liam Willis. Theo would just tack inside Liam to round the windward mark first closely followed by Liam, Rob Higgins and Matt Conner. The chasing pack was headed by Jerry Wales. Rob managed to hoist quickly and get over the top of Liam to move into second. The final lap proved to be the most eventful. Theo rounded first with Rob in second. Rob headed out to the left joined by Liam. Jerry and Matt headed out hard right - this would greatly pay. Jerry rounded the windward mark first closely followed by Theo, and Matt who had now overtaken Rob and rounded in third. At the bottom gate Jerry decided to drop in order to head to the finish line while Theo decided he would try and hold the kite. The pair were separated by one second with Jerry taking the win. Rob had overtaken Matt downwind to take third, Matt fourth, then Pete Purkiss who recovered well to take fifth.

Race Ten: The signs weren’t good as the RS800s finished in a dying breeze. The breeze didn’t come back in and so racing was cancelled for the day.

Congratulations to Theo for successfully defending his national champion title. There was excellent racing throughout the fleet with many new faces livening up the on the water battles.

Thank you very much to the great team at WPNSA for being able to pull off such a strong racing event at such short notice. Thank you very much also to our generous sponsors Volvo, Noble Marine, Hyde Sails, RS Sailing and Rooster for supporting us so well.