Hoosiers win the RYA National Team Racing Championship 

Mixed conditions for 2015 title chase

The Royal Forth Hoosiers were worthy winners of the 2015 RYA National Team Racing Championship, hosted by the UK Team Racing Association and Rutland Sailing Club on 21-22 March.

Twenty-four of the best teams from across the UK were competing at the event, including the recently selected GBR squad for the forthcoming ISAF Team Racing World Championships – West Kirby Hawks (GBR 1), Royal Forth Hoosiers (GBR 2), and Bristol University (GBR 3).

The ISAF Team Racing Worlds will also be held at Rutland Sailing Club from 19-24 July 2015.

The competition started in a fresh 15-20 knot breeze on Saturday, necessitating the use of cut down mainsails on the fleets of 12-foot Firefly dinghies. These were generously loaned for the event by Uppingham, Oundle and Oakham Schools and Rutland Sailing Club. All the boats remained in service throughout the weekend due to the skill and dedicated effort of the boatswain team, headed by Tim Litt. The wind eased a little in the afternoon allowing the use of the standard sail plan.

The first stage of the Championship consisted of four seeded leagues, each comprising six teams. The winners of the first round leagues were the West Kirby Hawks, Hoosiers, Itchenor and Cambridge Blue with the Hoosiers (Tim Saxton, Rob Friend, Mark Powell, Isobel Walker, George Clark, Holly Scott) showing impressive form and not dropping a race.

After 60 races, the fleet was reclassified for the second stage into Gold, Silver and Bronze leagues of eight teams each, by the end of Saturday 92 races had been completed.

On Sunday morning, the conditions had changed completely providing a light 3 – 6 knot breeze to the relief of many crews. Unfortunately, as forecast, the breeze died during the day, and, despite the best efforts of the Principal Race Officer Chris Riley, only a further 23 races were able to be sailed. This did not permit completion of the full second stage series or the final knockout heats.

The Championship was decided on the results of the second stage races that had been sailed. The Hoosiers were convincing winners, having not lost a race throughout the competition, and were presented the Prince Philip Trophy.

Runners up in the Gold league were Itchenor SC (George Yeoman, Sophie Ormsby, Andy Shaw, Pippa Horne, Rob Struckett and Rosie Sibthorp) and third equal were the West Kirby Hawks and Cambridge Blue.

Winners of the Silver league were Bristol Alumni with Manchester Purple heading up the Bronze League. Further results and details of the event can be found at: https://sites.google.com/site/uktra2015

Over the previous weekend, 14-15 March, Spinnaker Sailing Club hosted the 2015 RYA and BUSA Ladies’ Team Racing Championship.  The standard of team racing was high across the board with Society (Claire Lasko, Bethan Carden, Alexa Schuler, Nikki Russell, Rachel Jarvis, Emma Derby) taking the win after beating Spinnaker 2-0 in the final.

The next major team racing competition will be the Wilson Trophy (the unofficial British Open Team Racing Championship), which is being hosted by the West Kirby SC on the Wirral, 8-10 May 2015.

Information on the ISAF Team Racing World Championship, 19-24 July, is available at: www.rutlandteamracing.org.uk