DeWalt Scorpion National Championship at Eastbourne Sovereign Sailing Club - Day 1

DeWALT Scorpion Nationals at Eastbourne Day 1 © Ben Daigneault / Send It Media

Eastbourne Sovereign Sailing Club welcomed the Scorpion fleet for the week's National Championship with 60 boats taking part. The fleet was missing the Weymouth contingency this year who were in training for the championships at their club next year.

Despite the malevolent intransigence of the Eastbourne tide to cooperate, the fleet or least most of them, managed to complete a full three races on the first day, The practice race was the opener, although a number of competitors choose not to finish the race, being superstitious that winning would bring them bad luck. The winners were Sam Pascoe and Sam Barker from Castle Cove SC in Sam Squared.

Race 1

The first points race was held in a fresh force four with a slightly lumpy sea state.

DeWALT Scorpion Nationals at Eastbourne Day 1 - photo © Ben / Send It Media

First to the windward mark was Alan Grayling and Simon Forbes (aka Mr Bear), closely followed by Tom Gillard and Rachel Gray and their new Scorpion - The Essence of Wetness. Slow gybing by Mr Bear at the gybe mark nearly resulted in the loss of a transom! Third to the windward mark were Ollie Meadowcroft and Ollie Rayner setting out their stall in their first Scorpion nationals in a borrowed Scorpion, which unfortunately slowly disintegrated over the two points races. Kevin Gosling had a great start, but then went in to reverse when his mast slipped backwards due to problems with his forestay. Dave Wade in the new P&B Scorpion gave the boat a mega (legal!) ooch 10 yards from the finish line at the same time that the boat fittings for the toe strap decided that one race is more than enough for them - splash - cost him three places.

Jack Lewis and Syzmon Mat came in 10th to be pathfinder for the second race.

DeWALT Scorpion Nationals at Eastbourne Day 1 - photo © Ben / Send It Media

Race 2

This race was held in a force 3 to 4, dropping down to force two in part of the race, and then building back up to a good 3 to 4, with the waves and slightly confused sea state forming an awkward chop on the racecourse.

DeWALT Scorpion Nationals at Eastbourne Day 1 - photo © Ben / Send It Media

Up the first beat the new boat of Pete Gray - Just The Tip - was T boned - luckily it was by the chairman of a boat insurance company so no issues there. It is one thing to promote your company at the championship, it's questionable if you should generate work, new boat is on its way Pete - surprised there was no nomination for the Pecker for that.

First to the windward mark was the pathfinder 1966 They Think It's All Over (Jack Lewis and Syzmon Mat) followed by Barry Wolfenden and Matt Rayner with Alan Grayling and Mr Bear in third. The first reach was open with Alan Grayling taking the lead.

DeWALT Scorpion Nationals at Eastbourne Day 1 - photo © Ben / Send It Media

With the wind shifting and twisting, lots of places changed during the beat and then at the end of the sausage there were still a lot of boats in a close battle all being challenged by the tides and the shifts. Rob Gardner fell out of the boat and had to be dragged back in by his helm Matt 'Virgil Tracey' Burge and another incident resulted in Eastbourne steak butchers selling a whopping piece of fillet steak to John 'Horatio Nelson' Mursell looking like he had upset Chris Eubank with a lovely shiner.

The evening's entertainment was a great talk by Stick Daring, member at Eastbourne SSC, sailing in the Scorpion nationals and a complete lunatic who sailed around the UK in a beaten up old Laser raising money for prostate cancer, fascinating even to land lubbers.

Results after Day 1:

Find out more at sailscorpion.co.uk/scorpion-national-championships-2023.html