The Yachts & Yachting Press Release:
The NSSA Match Racing Championships went ahead at Queen Mary Sailing Club over the 19 and 20 April. Close racing and a great experience for all was helped by cold but good sailing conditions over the weekend. The event proved to be extremely popular and several entries had to be turned away after the event was over subscribed!
This year the NSSA elected to use J80 match racing boats to give competitors a real taste of big boat sailing. They were not disappointed and the weather made the racing even more challenging, resulting in one reef being required across the fleet and a ban on spinnakers on the first day.
The Saturday morning started with a practise session and a wind gusting up to 20knots which gently eased as the day wore on. Racing on Saturday proved to be extremely close. The Burford School Team (Sam Goodchild, Rory Spriggs, Tom Altman, Sam Delo, and Nick Wilkinson) put in several good performances putting them in pole position for the racing on Sunday. The rest of the fleet, Kings & Lancs, Merchant Taylors, Ardingly School, Cambridge, Worcestershire and Derbyshire Youth Sailing, Queen Mary Sailing Club, Magdalen College School and Sevenoaks, chased hard in the to haul in the Burford team.
Sunday got of to a good start with the teams placed 7th to 10th starting their double round robin whilst teams 1 to 6 had just a single round. Racing was much closer on this second day as the teams became more familiar with the boats and with the benefit of a brief coaching session with Alan Baiser of the RYA after the first days racing. The sun even came out for the afternoon session completing the good conditions.
All races on the final day were hotly contested and there were several upsets along the way but Burford hung on to their first day form to win the gold fleet. Second place were Magdelen College School and third were Merchant Taylors. Winners of the silver fleet were Cambridge with Derbyshire in second.
The NSSA would like thank Mike Shaw from Fotoboat for his continued support at NSSA events.
