Rooster 4000 National Championship at Mumbles Yacht Club - Overall

Rooster 4000 Nationals at Mumbles © Colin Jenkins

Rooster 4000 Nationals at Mumbles © Colin Jenkins

As the stronger winds filled in, the sailors prepared themselves for another two days of racing. Following on from the results of the previous two days, there was everything to gain.

Day 3

With building wind, the OOD wanted to include an extra race to make up for the some missed in the previous days. The close racing continued with most boats finishing in different positions in each race. The only exceptions were Steve and Sarah, who were still battling to maintain their winning streak, and new-comers Jo and Meg, who were able to come 10th in each of the races. With the competition as close as ever, the starts were sometimes a real test of timing and nerves, particularly when Richard and Jo decided to cross the fleet on port in the final race of the day. Although it was sometimes dryer in the boats than on land, the rain didn't chase the wind away and we were able to get four races in before heading to shore.

Day 4

As if the sailors weren't tired enough, the final day of racing saw the strongest winds of the event, in addition to big waves and, of course, a little rain. Although some crews elected to stay ashore, the majority of the fleet braced themselves against the wind and waves and started the first race on a closely contested start line. Unfortunately, Richard and Alex lost their way a little when the rudder detached itself, but at least they were able to find their way safely back to shore (with some help from the rescue boat). As the last of the fleet came through the line the wind and waves gave no sign of diminishing and so we continued to battle the elements. The second start saw the youngest crew of the event, Callum and Alex, storm off into the lead and the boys were the first boat round the windward mark, holding off Tim and Harry who weren't far behind. Although there was some good capsize practice on the race course, the race finished with Tim and Harry clinching that final first place.

After four days of good racing, the sailors can now reflect on this event with a mixture of quizzical looks and childish grins. We have had great fun spending time catching up with friends and getting to know new faces, while sustaining hard fought, competitive racing.

Rooster 4000 Nationals at Mumbles - photo © Colin Jenkins

A big congratulations to Steve and Sarah Cockerill who held out for the overall first place, closely followed by Tim and Harry Litt in second and our Italian visitors, Anna and Andreas, in third. We would like to say massive thank you to Mumbles Yacht Club for the warm reception and to Rooster for supporting the event.

More photos can be found on the Mumbles YC website here.

Overall Results: