2021 Nacra 15 UK National Championship at Weston Sailing Club
by UK Nacra 15 Class Association 14 Sep 2021 02:13 NZST
11-12 September 2021
The 2021 Nacra 15 UK National Championship was held at Weston SC as part of their Catamaran Open Meeting, alongside Fast & Slow Handicap and Nacra 20 fleets. Racing took place on the flat waters of Southampton Water, making for some close racing and high speeds!
A 13:30 start time allowed plenty of time for rigging and catching up between competitors before racing on Saturday, with a light south-westerly breeze filling in as the first boats launched. Race 1 got under way in 5-10 knots, with gusty, shifty conditions causing several lead changes and even a capsize on the first upwind leg, as Jasmine Williams & Alfie Cogger were caught out by a sudden gust! Ben Harris & Annabel Luxton lead round the first windward mark, with father and son duo Pete & Josh Jary close behind. A big shift downwind saw Jasmine & Alfie catch back up with the fleet, rounding the leeward mark in second place! Ben & Annabel went to take the win in Race 1, with Jasmine & Alfie a close second and Sam Steward & Izzy Smith in third.
The wind gradually increased to around 10-15 knots for Race 2, however sudden gusts and big shifts kept the racing close! Sam & Izzy took an early lead, followed around the first windward mark by Ben & Annabel, however a problematic spinnaker hoist meant that it was Jasmine & Alfie who took second place behind Sam & Izzy, with Albie Cutbill & Alex Hamel taking third place.
By the start of Race 3, the wind had built to 15-20 knots, making for some high-speed racing. Sailing fast and smooth was key, with a high-speed chase on the first downwind between Ben & Annabel and Jasmine & Alfie. The flat waters made for some great downwind runs, and the leeward mark just in front of the clubhouse provided great viewing for the parents, supporters and even members of the public watching the action from onshore! It was Ben & Annabel who took the race win, again followed by Jasmine & Alfie, with Albie & Alex taking another third place.
With very light winds forecast for Sunday, the race committee opted to run a fourth race, which saw very similar conditions, and the same finishing order for the Nacra 15 fleet. It was great to see some of our newer teams sailing well in the breezy conditions, with great boat handling, speed and racing throughout the fleet, and the sailors returned ashore after a great day of racing.
Sailors arrived to a very hot and sunny boat park on Sunday morning, however the race area of Southampton Water remained glassy calm all morning. With no wind forecast, and no sign of any wind filling in, AP over A was displayed at midday, with Saturday's four races making up the series.
It was therefore Ben Harris & Annabel Luxton who claimed the 2021 Nacra 15 National Championship title after almost 4 years in the boat. Recently selected Youth Sailing World Championship representatives Jasmine Williams & Alfie Cogger finished in second place, with the most consistent scoreline of 2, 2, 2, 2. Sam Steward & Izzy Smith took third overall, just ahead of Albie Cutbill, who has recently switched from crewing to helming, sailing with experienced Nacra 15 crew Alex Hamel. In fifth place was the new sibling pairing of Tara & Jacques Scully, with the father & son team of Pete & Joshua Jary a close sixth.
The race committee gave special mention to Tara & Jacques, who aged 15 & 13 were racing the Nacra 15 for the first time together, being only Jacques' second time on a Nacra 15! Josh Jary was also awarded a special prize, sailing in his first ever nationals and crewing on a catamaran for the first time this weekend at age 11!
It was great to see so many young sailors on the water enjoying catamaran sailing, as well as some of our Nacra 15 parents and many of our former Nacra 15 sailors who were racing too. The event showed the strength of the catamaran racing community in the UK, and the Nacra 15 fleet felt very privileged to be racing alongside some of the most experienced cat sailors in the country. Huge thanks must go to Weston SC for another amazing event, to our race officer Tim Johnson and his team on the committee boat, to GP Sails, Zest Boatworks and Nacra UK, who provided prizes, and to photographers Lotte Johnson & Georgie Altham for capturing the action!
There has never been a better time to join this exciting, dynamic class, with lots of young, talented sailors developing their skills in the most exciting youth class, supported by the experience of our older teams and our world class coaches! There are both second-hand and newer boats available at great value in the UK, as well as charter and demo options available throughout our winter training programme! If you are interested in Nacra 15 sailing, please do not hesitate to get in touch with us, either at or by sending a message to @nacra15gbr on Instagram.
Overall Results:
| Pos | Sail No | Helm | Crew | R1 | R2 | R3 | R4 | Pts |
|---|
| 1st | 20 | Ben Harris | Annabel Luxton | 1 | ‑4 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| 2nd | 184 | Jas Williams | Alfie Cogger | ‑2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 6 |
| 3rd | 163 | Sam Steward | Sophie Raven | 3 | 1 | ‑4 | 4 | 8 |
| 4th | 129 | Albie Cutbill | Alex Hamel | ‑4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 9 |
| 5th | 70 | Tara Scully | Jacques Scully | ‑6 | 5 | 6 | 5 | 16 |
| 6th | 74 | Pete Jary | Joshua Jary | 5 | 6 | 5 | (DNC) | 16 |