2022 DeWALT Scorpion National Championship at Looe Sailing Club - Overall

Day 5

With six races complete Thursday was always going to be the last day, but the question was: how many races could we do? The race committee changed the SIs to give themselves the option of anything up to four but the morning millpond suggested we'd be lucky to get one.

A two hour postponement looked ominous but by midday it was clear we would be going racing. The wind filled in enough to have both crew hiking but there were still some sneaky holes to avoid.

Race 1, and it was Rob Cage & John Reay in their brand new boat that dodged them best, they took an early lead and disappeared into the horizon. Gilly (Tom) & Rach followed Matt Burge & Bob Gardner over the line to all but seal the title while Debi Gibson & Sandra Smith won a close battle with Janet & Alan Ritchie (in Looe this can often be the most fought after result, just ask Pete Gray and Sam Watson who earlier in the week decided it was better to finish tenth than ninth and had a match race to decide who would finish behind the other).

2022 Scorpion Nationals at Looe day 5 - photo © Lee Whitehead / www.photolounge.co.uk

Race 2 and this time Matt & Bob went one better to win comfortably while second place was more than enough for Gilly & Rach to confirm the inevitable. With Alan Krailing & Simon Forbes taking third there was now just 1 point in the battle for second overall.

Oh yeah, and Sam Watson finally got his tenth place, a remarkable achievement in itself considering he put a big hole in his boat on the first day and his crew had to fly back to Ireland. Having dragged an early 90s FRP hull out of a garage in Plymouth and a local Enterprise sailor out of the club bar he not only managed to get back on the water but was annoyingly quick as well!

2022 Scorpion Nationals at Looe day 5 - photo © Lee Whitehead / www.photolounge.co.uk

With slick turnarounds and nice weather there was just time for a third race, and with it the second discard would kick in leaving a few people scratching their heads as to whether or not that was a good thing or not.

There were no such worries for Gilly & Rach who finished the week in style with another bullet. Behind them second for Alan & Forbes was just enough to take second overall on countback ahead of Dave Wade & Ben Rayner who finished third in both the race and overall.

Wooden boat builder extraordinaire Nigel Potter, sailing with Jeremy Stephens and a past runner-up decided to join the fun at the front with a fourth.

In the silver fleet strong last days by Debi & Sandra, and Ric & Lucy Searle were not quite enough to overhaul the week long leaders of Pete Crowther & Andy Rose as they took second and third respectively.

In the bronze fleet, Bella Fellows & Elly Pegg used the second discard to great effect and leapt up the fleet to take a convincing win. Jo Mahy & Adam Bowers held on to second ahead of Tom Daniels & Alison Sheldrick sailing 1052, a boat older than most of the fleet!

2022 Scorpion Nationals at Looe day 5 - photo © Lee Whitehead / www.photolounge.co.uk

Overall another fantastic week of racing with Looe being the amazing hosts they always are. Thanks to all the organisers from the club, the class and from the very generous sponsors DeWALT, Craftinsure, P&B, Copperfish Distillery, Ovington Boats and FFX.

Roll on Eastbourne 2023 and the mission to get 100 boats on the start line...

2022 Scorpion Nationals at Looe day 5 - photo © Lee Whitehead / www.photolounge.co.uk

Overall Results:
If you finished in the top ten at the Scorpion nationals then enter your Gear Guide information here

2022 Scorpion Nationals at Looe day 5 - photo © Lee Whitehead / www.photolounge.co.uk