Astral Azure 2000 class National Championship at the Royal Torbay Yacht Club - Update
by Pete Vincent 7 Aug 23:18 NZST
5-9 August 2024
Astral Azure 2000 class National Championship at Torbay © Tania Hutchings /
www.50northphotography.co.uk
The Astral Azure 25th anniversary 2000 Nationals at the Royal Torbay Yacht Club has been action packed with eventful high quality racing and much fun on shore with a full programme showing exactly why the class has gone from strength to strength in the last 25 years.
On Monday and Tuesday highly respected coach Adam Bowers videoed the racing and gave very well received de briefs after racing in Adam's unique joyous style.
Monday saw an excellent dinner hosted by the club and the West Country Boat Repairs now legendary alternative quiz which featured competitors acting out great British sporting achievements of the past 25 years. Tuesday was the Lakes Mortgages ice cream day with all competitors getting a very welcome hard earned ice cream when they came off the water.
The well-oiled superb Royal Torbay Yacht Club race team have set excellent course with spot on race lengths and some very nifty work laying new replacement windward marks during races to cope with some variable directions.
Sunday saw 8-12 knot southerly with Ed and Andy Connellan laying down an early marker leading race 1 throughout just ahead of a fast finishing Joanthan and Louisa Ching with Ollie Groves/Esther Parkhurst 3rd. Ollie/Esther were the form team in the second race to win from Pete Vincent/Sophie Bentley who just got the better of Jaye Whitehead/Alice Moore on the final run.
Monday saw 10-14 knots from the SW and Ollie/Esther were well clear in race 3 from the Connellan's and Pete/Sophie. Race 4 in more pressure saw Adrian/Ros Stell be a tiny dot right in Torquay have a massive lead at the first mark to win from Ollie/Esther and the Chings.
Tuesday was held in a variable wind strength Westerly. The Connellans scored another impressive win in race 5 with a starbar result from Juliet Barnes/Steve Long in 2nd and Ollie/Esther.
Race 6 was very eventful with Ollie/Esther literally tied up with the pin end boat. Matt Sargent/Zak Mitchell sailed an excellent first beat to have a good lead but half way down the first run the breeze went very soft as the leading group wallowed in the middle of the course rather frantically looking at boats on both edges coming down in new breeze. Somehow Matt/Zak got to the leeward gate 3rd and then sailed a top race to score a well deserved win from Jaye/Alice with the Connellans thirds as boats finished full speed spray everywhere plains.
With crews now on a well deserved lay day the Championships are wide open particularly with the promise of fairly fruity breezy conditions tomorrow.
Results after 6 races:
| Pos | Boat | Sail No | Helm | Crew | Club | R1 | R2 | R3 | R4 | R5 | R6 | Pts |
|---|
| 1st | | 2321 | Ollie Groves | Esther Parkhurst | Beaver SC | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | ‑8 | 10 |
| 2nd | tbc | 22667 | Ed Connellan | Andy Connellan | RNSA & MNSC | 1 | ‑11 | 2 | 5 | 1 | 3 | 12 |
| 3rd | the good the petite and the ugly | 22713 | Peter Vincent | Sophie Supercrew Bentley | Llandegfedd and Lee on Soloent | 4 | 2 | 3 | ‑8 | 7 | 5 | 21 |
| 4th | Two Peachy Cheeks | 22722 | Jonathan Ching | Louisa Ching | Weirwood SC | 2 | 7 | 7 | 3 | 6 | ‑10 | 25 |
| 5th | Maverick | 22663 | James Whitehead | Alice Moore | RNSA & EXE SC | 10 | 3 | 5 | 7 | ‑11 | 2 | 27 |
| 6th | Juliette | 22504 | Adrian Stell | Ros Stell | HISC | 9 | ‑10 | 4 | 1 | 5 | 9 | 28 |
| 7th | | 2355 | Matt Sargent | Zak Mitchell | Army Sailing Association | ‑13 | 8 | 6 | 10 | 4 | 1 | 29 |
| 8th | | 22676 | Matt Hartley | Caitlan Andrews | Army Sailing Association & Halifax SC | 8 | 5 | 8 | 4 | ‑12 | 4 | 29 |
| 9th | Shapeshifter | 22696 | Juliet Barnes | Steve Long | Hooe Point Sailing Club | 12 | 13 | 10 | 6 | 2 | (OCS) | 43 |
| 10th | Resilience | 22674 | Kev O'Brien | Laura Holmes ‑ Short | RAFSA / Snettisham SC | 5 | ‑14 | 9 | 11 | 8 | 12 | 45 |
| 11th | Ship Faced Again | 22656 | Natalie Johnston | Chris Keatley | RNSA | 6 | 6 | 11 | 17 | ‑18 | 6 | 46 |
| 12th | Dr Lavender | 2204 | Iain Yardley | Sarah Yardley | RYA | 7 | 4 | 13 | ‑19 | 9 | 15 | 48 |
| 13th | | 22673 | Edward Dodwell | Ruben dodwell | RAFSA | 15 | 12 | (OCS) | 9 | 14 | 17 | 67 |
| 14th | | 22698 | Oliver Thompson | Elliott Thompson | West Riding Sailing Club | 14 | 9 | 18 | 16 | ‑20 | 11 | 68 |
| 15th | Swordfish | 22564 | Helen Phillips | Andrew Phillips | Cardiff Bay Yacht Club | 19 | 15 | 14 | ‑21 | 10 | 14 | 72 |
| 16th | Nemesis | 2598 | Iain Walker | Luca Mitchell | PSC | ‑23 | 16 | 15 | 12 | 16 | 13 | 72 |
| 17th | Recycled Harp | 2615 | Martin Elms Elms | Martin Elms and Emily Elms | Thornbury SC / CVLSC | 20 | 22 | (OCS) | 13 | 13 | 16 | 84 |
| 18th | | 21277 | Jim Ledger | Kate Ledger | Tankerton Bay SC | 21 | 17 | 17 | 15 | 22 | ‑31 | 92 |
| 19th | Oxsana | 2214 | Magnus Lee | Claire Lee | Keyhaven Yacht Club | 17 | 19 | 20 | 14 | 23 | ‑24 | 93 |
| 20th | | 22658 | Imogen Cage‑White | Darren Kirkham | Army Sailing Association | 11 | ‑25 | 24 | 22 | 19 | 22 | 98 |
| 21st | | 22730 | Dirk Meyer | Leif Meyer | Hunts SC | ‑32 | 24 | 22 | 31 | 15 | 7 | 99 |
| 22nd | | 22653 | James Clapham | Harry
Beth and Emily Clapham | RTYC | 27 | ‑28 | 12 | 23 | 28 | 19 | 109 |
| 23rd | Bunwoo | 22694 | Alistair Rose | Nicola Copley | Killington Sailing Association | ‑33 | 27 | 21 | 18 | 27 | 21 | 114 |
| 24th | Chilli | 21059 | Jacob Allen | Clare Allen / Stuart Allen | CBYC | 28 | 18 | 16 | ‑34 | 30 | 26 | 118 |
| 25th | State of Mind | 2375 | Andy Martland | Julia Martland | Scaling Dam | ‑31 | 21 | 25 | 30 | 25 | 20 | 121 |
| 26th | DragonFly | 2587 | Guy Boswell | Julie Boswell | Llandegfedd Sailing Club | 30 | ‑32 | 29 | 20 | 17 | 28 | 124 |
| 27th | John Russell | 21608 | John Russell | Ian Dickinson | Red Wharf Bay Sailing Club | 22 | 30 | 27 | 24 | 21 | (DNC) | 124 |
| 28th | | 22619 | Michael McEwing | Alex Wilby | RAFSA/Rutland SC | 16 | 23 | 26 | 29 | 31 | ‑32 | 125 |
| 29th | | 22734 | Trevor Bradley | Mirren Froggett | Thornton Steward Sailing Club | 25 | 20 | ‑31 | 25 | 26 | 29 | 125 |
| 30th | Really hummin | 21348 | Alan Goule | Cathy Stevens | Paignton Sailing Club | 18 | ‑38 | 28 | 27 | 29 | 25 | 127 |
| 31st | Mercury Rising | 2248 | John Best | Susy Addington | LOSSC | 26 | 31 | 19 | 26 | 33 | (DNC) | 135 |
| 32nd | | 2217 | Edie Carter | Jeremy Carter | Bough Beech Sailing Club | 29 | 29 | 23 | 28 | ‑32 | 30 | 139 |
| 33rd | | 21718 | Mike Osborne | Cheryl Osborne | Hayling Island | 24 | 26 | 30 | 32 | ‑34 | 33 | 145 |
| 34th | | 2999 | Tim Morgan | Morag Aiken | Paignton sailing club | 34 | 33 | (DNC) | DNC | 24 | 18 | 152 |
| 35th | Equinox | 21405 | Christopher Wallis Wallis | Nina Wallis | Wilsonian | 36 | 35 | 36 | ‑37 | 35 | 27 | 169 |
| 36th | | 22700 | Jacob Harrison | Amy Manning | Army Sailing Association | (RET) | 36 | 38 | 35 | 38 | 23 | 170 |
| 37th | | 2259 | Simon Phillips | Mike storey | Port dinorwic sc | 38 | ‑40 | 33 | 33 | 37 | 35 | 176 |
| 38th | Peachy Cheeks | 22612 | Rebecca Smith | Amy Ching | Weir Wood Sailing Club | ‑41 | 37 | 32 | 36 | 36 | RET | 181 |
| 39th | Still Smiling Too | 2305 | Nik Antoniades | Rosie Brown | Wilsonian | 37 | ‑41 | 34 | 38 | 40 | 34 | 183 |
| 40th | Villian | 2762 | Paul Smith | Charlotte Smith | Sutton Sailing Club | 39 | ‑42 | 35 | 39 | 39 | DNF | 192 |
| 41st | | 2523 | Zoe Ralph | Rachel Sheridan | Wilsonian Sailing Club | 40 | 39 | 37 | 40 | ‑41 | 36 | 192 |
| 42nd | | 2817 | Valerie Hague | Paul Hague | Bowmoor SC | 35 | 34 | (DNC) | DNC | DNC | DNC | 198 |
