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ILCA 4 Rooster / Noble Marine Qualifier 5 at the WPNSA

by Alex Jones 24 Oct 01:37 NZDT 19-20 October 2024

"WATER"...That was close, I only had seconds to spare, squeezing an opponent to go round the outside. It felt like I had just called 'Check mate', I love a good game of chess.

Patience, a great quality in chess but also a much-needed quality at the ILCA 4 qualifier. The Saturday saw westerly winds of 10 to 15 knots. It was an oscillating shift day, but the oscillations were quite long. Having patience was essential.

Like chess, waiting for your opponent to complete their move, the oscillating shifts sometimes felt like forever, but when it moved (the wind shifts) I tacked. If you found yourself making your move and heading out to the right and wanting to get back into the middle, you had to commit to that position until the wind shifted back to make maximum gains in the upwind. Staying connected to the middle was crucial so that any random shifts could be capitalised on, keeping you in the top percent of the fleet.

When I could, I'd line up a few set moves, tactically covering and tacking on top of people, then ducking inside at the marks. I stuck to my plan, patience with tactics paid off. I was consistent, no bullets but I had 3 thirds and a fourth. Others around me were going for gold, Kat Gunn, Ollie Atkin, and Thomas Saunders who all had a bullet (1st), but couldn't put consistent results in. I took the overall win by just being consistent at the top. Kat Gunn with her 1st, 5th and 10th managed to hold off Jess Powell and was the overall female winner.

Unfortunately, on Sunday, the wind called checkmate on us, with 50knts of wind. But predicting the opponents move, the race committee very sensibly decided to cancel the racing on Sunday earlier and did an amazing job of scheduling 4 races for all 3 fleets in the harbour on the Saturday. Excellent race management.

Shout out to all the other volunteers, without you the sailing game of chess couldn't take place. For me personally, I love a good snack on the water, so a special shout out from me to the food rib. For those new ILCA 4's, I've seen a few of you laden with dry bags and juggling water bottles in your boats. Next weekend, load them up, but this time take them to the racecourse but give them to the food rib, it has a white flag with 'FOOD' on it. Don't forget to put your name on it, otherwise I might be tucking into some extra snacks!

ILCA 4 male
1st Alex Jones
2nd Ollie Atkin
3rd Thomas Saunders

ILCA 4 female
1st Kat Gunn
2nd Jessica Powell
3rd Amelia Nuttall

A big thank you goes out to all ILCAuk's sponsors and a special mention to Rooster and Noble Marine who sponsored the weekend's racing.

Overall Results:

PosSail NoHelmClubR1R2R3R4Pts
1st217303Alex JonesParkstone Yacht Club‑43339
2nd211111Ollie Atkin 5‑234110
3rd197632Thomas SaundersWarsash15(BFD)814
4th213140Katherine GunnNotts County SC / Draycote Academy101‑19516
5th211078Jessica PowellDraycote Water Sailing Club312‑15217
6th222567William MossBarnt Green SC2‑2611619
7th220151Ethan RhodesWarsash Sailing Club‑1286923
8th225637Robin WrightTynemouth Sailing Club1547(BFD)26
9th186111Thomas Knight ‑20149427
10th222788Harry MillsSaltash Sailing Club811‑141231
11th187036Kit LesterRoyal Harwich YC‑26722332
12th224335Thomas SemmensBrixham YC / Paignton SC13138‑1534
13th212233Amelia NuttallNeyland Yacht Club‑282251138
14th215413Holly ColeThorpe Bay Yacht Club7(SCP)26740
15th224296Chloe GraytonNotts County SC91516‑1840
16th209134Tristan HardingFrensham Pond Sailing Club624‑321747
17th222568Olivia DembinskaUllswater Yacht Club376(SCP)649
18th216958Callum AldridgeHISC199‑242149
19th223826Sara GoujonHunts Sailing Club1121‑281951
20th222576Finley MossBarnt Green SC17‑40122453
21st212055Ava Harris‑ScottElton SC‑3120211354
22nd219830Gethin KellyLlyn Brenig21‑2810.52556.5
23rd216391Jacob Jull ‑3218132657
24th189093Noah MathersBurnham Sailing Club‑2525231058
25th208712Harry WhelanWeirwood SC‑4030171461
26th221852Ollie RawlingsLyme Regis Sailing Club241720‑3461
27th207296Zachary ChappellParkstone Yacht Club23‑38182061
28th219091Jasmine Pillon‑SimpsonHailing Island Sailing Club181038(BFD)66
29th209216Oliver SmithHISC‑412910.52766.5
30th213658Alexa AtkinsCardiff Bay Yacht Club and Barry Yacht‑443653172
31st198964Merry LewisHayling Island Sailing Club16‑32312875
32nd206192Felix HarleParkstone Yacht Club2919‑413381
33rd212946Ben AngellDraycote Water Sailing Club‑4831362289
34th216402Jake DaviesWarsash SC144234‑5090
35th222485Charles Wood 38‑55223090
36th184840Lottie EyrePoole YC3516‑544091
37th222777William SwannGrafham Water Sailing Club333530‑4698
38th212026Ellie ThwaitesNorwich School223939‑43100
39th204005Max Guiguet‑Belcher 34‑412739100
40th221799Emily ShearerClyde Cruising Club2737‑4232101
41st199495Alanna StarkieDerwent reservoir sailing club‑45274037104
42nd210611Kate ShelleyLargs SC303445‑48109
43rd206428Sebastian SittonWarsash Sailing Club‑52463529110
44th221322George HutcheonBurnham‑on‑Crouch Sailing Club / Corinth36‑454436116
45th173537Ryan Surguy 46‑532942117
46th212232Aedan Hadaway 4933‑5041123
47th125470George HunterRoyal Harwich Yacht Club‑55474735129
48th183038Ellie BonarRutland Sailing Club39‑494645130
49th180956Tayah GilboyPaignton sailing club4343‑4844130
50th215613William HainesGurnard Sailing Club425237‑53131
51st185966William AdamsHISC‑54505238140
52nd173611Meg WebbWarsash sailing club474451‑52142
53rd204720William MurphyCayman Islands Sailing Club53‑544347143
54th206881Rory MurphyCayman Islands Sailing Club504849‑51147
55th209991Dexter CorkinIsland Barn Reservoir Sailing Club5651(RET)49156
56th212430Henry MossDowns Sailing Club51‑565354158

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