UK Nacra 15 class Summer Championship at Warsash Sailing Club
by Roger Cerrato 5 Jul 17:14 NZST
29-30 June 2024
As the Nacra 15 fleet were rigging on Saturday morning over at MDL Hamble Point Marina it was obvious that one critical ingredient for the weekend was missing! We had plenty of sunshine but minimal wind.
Undeterred the sailors headed over the Warsash SC's recently extended Shore House pontoon for the 10.30 briefing from RO Peter Knight who sensibly decided to hold the fleet ashore under AP.
By 1pm there was sufficient sign of wind rolling in from the West for tbe AP to be lowered and the fleet headed out of the Hamble towards to race course situated off Solent Breezes.
Four of the planned five races were sailed in predominantly light conditions with the occasional gust allowing the Nacras to show their speed. Eloise & Ollie demonstrated that they are peaking at the right time in preparation for the Youth Worlds by scoring 3 x 1st places with Tom & Maddie getting the other 1st.
By now it was nearing 5pm so the Race Officer called it a day and most of the fleet sailed home whilst 3 boats stayed out for another hour to offer prospective Nacra 15 sailors a test sail. Judging by the smiles on the faces of the current Topper and ILCA sailors we'll have some new members in Nacra 15 fleet very soon!
After sailors and supporters had enjoyed a great Saturday evening social at Warsash SC, Sunday dawned with a grey sky but a decent wind of 10 to 12 knots. The fleet launched promptly and were racing by 11am. Peter and his experienced race team did a great job of turning the races around quickly and managed to squeeze in 6 races before the 3pm time limit!
Eloise & Ollie again led the charge winning the first 3 races of the day. I'm not sure what Sam & Grace had for lunch but by Race 8 onwards they were on fire scoring 1-2-1 for the last three races of the event!
When the results were calculated it was a clear overall win for Eloise and Ollie (Starcross YC). Marcus & Matt (Warsash SC) were second with Sam & Grace (Weston SC & Warsash SC) in third.
The UK Nacra 15 Class Association is keen to hear from Junior and Youth sailors and parents who are looking to transition. Please make contact via the UK Nacra 15 Sailors Facebook group and we'll be happy to try and organise a test sail for you. With good value, race ready, used boats available in the UK and a full programme of Racing and Training planned there's never been a better time to join this fast, fun and friendly fleet. There's still plenty of time to get up to speed before the Nacra 15 Worlds in Barcelona this November!
Overall Results:
| Pos | Sail No | Helm | Crew | Club | R1 | R2 | R3 | R4 | R5 | R6 | R7 | R8 | R9 | R10 | Pts |
|---|
| 1st | GBR161 | Eloise Smith | Ollie Laker | Starcross YC | 1 | 1 | 1 | ‑2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | ‑3 | 9 |
| 2nd | GBR126 | Marcus King | Matthew Emerson | Warsash SC | 2 | ‑6 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | ‑4 | 3 | 2 | 19 |
| 3rd | GBR074 | Sam Turner | Grace Buckley | Weston SC & Warsash SC | (RET) | 5 | 2 | ‑7 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 24 |
| 4th | GBR330 | Anna Cox | Charlotte Cox | Exe SC | 6 | 2 | 4 | ‑8 | ‑7 | 7 | 5 | 3 | 6 | 4 | 37 |
| 5th | GBR070 | Patrick Hill | Ffion Cerrato | Swarkestone SC & Warsash SC | 5 | ‑8 | ‑7 | 4 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 4 | 6 | 37 |
| 6th | GBR079 | Tom Jones | Maddie Jinks | Restronguet SC | 3 | 3 | 5 | 1 | 4 | 5 | (DNC) | (DNC) | DNC | DNC | 39 |
| 7th | GBR184 | Thomas Peace | Emilia Laker | Warsash SC | 7 | 4 | ‑8 | 5 | ‑8 | 8 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 45 |
| 8th | GBR166 | Finn Caddy | Ella Harris | Weston SC | 4 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 3 | 6 | (DNC) | (DNC) | DNC | DNC | 50 |