You can now enter online for the 2013 GBR Open and National Championships to be held at Pwllheli SC on 10th -13th August 2013 with prize giving and the traditional black tie dinner on the evening of 13th August 2013.

Please note it is our intention to start racing on Saturday 10th August 2013.

In order to help planning get your entries in as soon as possible.

Congratulations to Annabel and Bryony on winning the 2013 Spring Championships. Neil Marsden and Kirsty Urwin came in a very close second with Tim Riley and Luke Burywood in third. Thank you to everyone involved in running the event and to CurraDinghy for the prizes. A full report in Yachts and Yachting can be viewed via the title link.

The sailors in the attached notice have been invited to form the GBR 420 Class Association 2013 Teams for the 420 World Championships and 420 Junior European Championships.

Hayling Island Sailing Club has been in touch with the Class to let us know that it is holding an Open Day on Monday 6th May and would warmly welcome any of our members to come and see what the club has to offer.

If you want to show you are part of the 420 Class you can now buy clothing with a choice of 3 Class logos at Wave Clothing. On some lines you can also get a printed illustration of a 420 on the back. Take a look on their website via the title link.

Registration

Registration will be open from 8.30am on Saturday 20 April. Please bring the following:

1 RYA measurement certificate
2 Sail button numbers for the sails you intend to use for the event
3 Signed declaration form (a copy will be emailed to you)

Sailing instructions

The Sailing Instructions are available on the event website. If you require a hard copy please print your own as only limited copies will be available at registration. A copy will be placed on the official noticeboard.

Volunteers

Volunteers are needed to help with registration, tallying and some on the water roles. Please e-mail 420sailingsec@gmail.com or 420treasurer@gmail.com if you can help. The event can't happen without help from everyone.

Trackers

It is intended that trackers will be used at this event so you will be told where to collect and return them at registration.

Parkstone Sailing Club has organised for 2 420's to be available to sail over the weekend of 20th and 21st of April 2013. If you are a recent 420 sailor who could help out at the event by talking to potential new sailors about the boat or the class, or even taking them for a sail, or you are a sailor interested in trying a 420 please contact Matt Hardy on matt@sublimeyachts.com

Congratulations to Tim Riley and Luke Burywood and Annabel Cattermole and Bryony Bennett Lloyd on being selected as the 420 teams for the ISAF Youth World championships to be held in Limassol, Cyprus in July 2013.

Full story via title link.

Tim Riley and Luke Burywood sailed well all week to take the win at the RYA Youth Nationals in Largs. Scott Wallis and Josh Voller were 2nd and Annabel Cattermole and Bryony Bennett Lloyd were 3rd and first girls. Read all about it on the news page of the event website.

It was a great weeks sailing and it was good to see such close racing.

The rolling results from the 2013 Selection Series are available from the title link.

Note that results queries about the Youths should be addressed to the Event Race Office. Queries about the SELECTOR SERIES results should be addressed to the Class Results Officer, Iain Airlie.

At this years AGM a new Results Officer will be needed to take over responsibility for allocating bow numbers and producing result for each event. It isn't particularly onerous - all the hard work is done by the results software (we use Sailwave). The only event that presents a slight challenge is the Selection Series, as each event in the series (except the Youths) needs both event results and series results producing. Anybody that thinks they might be prepared to take on the role (it couldbe shared) should discuss the role with Iain. The Youths would be an ideal opportunity - it forms part of the selector series, but we are not producing the event results. Iain will be in the Bridge at the Youths, and will provide a 'master-class' to anybody interested. No computing or web expertise is required, although it helps to know your way around the keyboard!

Need to get in some time on the water before the Youths?
Neil Marsden will be running some daily sessions at Largs over the Easter weekend.
Sign up for one or both of the sessions on Friday 29th and Saturday 30th March.

Former 420 & Cadet sailor and Artemis Offshore Academy member, Nikki Curwen, just completed her first solo race, the Solo Roma-Solo Race. See Y&Y story, Artemis Offshore Academy and her website.

420 sailors have been strong competitors in the National Match Racing (NMR) Series over the years, with many Youth and National Champions. Ian Williams, currently No. 1 in the World returned to win the National Finals in 2012 and many of our sailors have won the Youth and national titles previously. The age limits have been changed this year, to bring them in line with ISAF at the top end, but a year younger to start! Whilst some subsequently very well know Champions started in the Youths when just (about) out of Oppies and as very small fifth hands, the weight requirements for the 3-person Elliotts have affected the age range too this year. Our Phil Sparks, Mark Lees and Annabel Vose were in the top two boats last year. It will be great if current 420 sailors get back into Match Racing this year, a great base for winning Olympic Gold (according to Ben Ainslie), and keelboat and other sailing disciplines at university. For more information, see RYA Match Racing

After a hard and cold winters training, forty teams arrived in Weymouth to take part in the 2013 British 420 Winter Championships over the weekend of 2nd and 3rd March. The 420 Winter Championships was also the first of three “International Selection” events to confirm the teams for the 2013 420 World and Ladies World Championships in Valencia, Spain from 22-30 July and the 2013 420 Junior European Championships being held on home waters in Pwllheli from 14-22 August.
For full report click on title link

The final results from the Winter Championships have now been published.

Not able to make it to Weymouth? well this weekend you will be able to follow the action at the 420 Winter Championships being held at WPNSA LIVE!! As well as the usual Blog, each boat will be carrying a tracker and there will be on the water filming from the start boat and around the course which will be streamed live on the event website. Put your feet up in the warm and watch the action!

One week left to apply for RYA and UK Etchells Class Association racing programme. Sailors wishing to apply for season-long access to a number of fully race-prepared 30ft Etchells keelboats have only one week left to enter before the applications process closes on Monday 4 March 2013.

The RYA and UK Etchells Class racing programme is now in its second year and is designed to give talented young sailors the experience of top level one design keelboat racing, giving them the resources and training to push their sailing to the highest level. The objective is to bring two young teams up to the highest level possible, with the aim of helping them to maximise their chances of winning the 2013 British Etchells Nationals in September.

Thanks to the generosity and support of volunteers within the UK Etchells Class Association, up to two selected teams can benefit from the use of their own boat for the season and participate in a full programme of well-organised and competitive racing, with entry fees, boat-yard costs and a small maintenance budget all covered by the class. Some assistance towards accommodation may also be provided. Much of this support is made possible by the kind generosity of Ted Fort OBE.

To support the sailors' progression and development, Race Training and Coaching will be provided the UK Class Association volunteers and top Solent supremo's David
Bedford and Graham Sunderland, who will support the selected teams and offer both formal and informal coaching on board the boats and from RIBs.

The opportunity is available for 18-24 year olds, and is particularly aimed at graduating RYA Youth Programme sailors and British Keelboat Academy Members although
applications from other sailors are welcomed. All racing will be in the Solent from Cowes and subsidised accommodation may be provided either at the UKSA or at owners' homes on the Isle of Wight.

Applications are invited from individuals but pre-formed teams of three or four sailors are encouraged (the class maximum weight limit is 285kg

RYA and BUSA National Ladies’ Team Racing Championships were held at Spinnaker over the weekend. ‘Society’ won the RYA Nationals with the leadership of our Claire Lasko, with Sarah Hickman helming another boat. ‘BUSA White’ was 2nd with Anna MacKenzie and ‘BUSA Pink’ 3rd with Charlotte Lawrence & Rosie Sibthorp. And the leading all-student team, 4th in the RYA Nationals and BUSA Champions were Cambridge University, with Milly Stephens helming another boat.

Following discussion with the RYA we have finalised the event calender for 2013 and dates are now on the website. The remainder of 2013 training dates will be added shortly. Plans are already in progress to agree the 2014 dates and venues.

Carla Stanley, until recently the class's representative on the RYA Youth Steering Group, has taken up the position of that group's Chairman. This is a honour for Carla and reflects the hard work and involvement she has put into junior and youth sailing over the years, and acknowledges her leadership skills and commitment.

Carla's three daughters sailed Optimists and 420s and during that time, spanning many years, Carla supported both classes and they benefited greatly from her involvement in various roles as a parent and committee member, chair of our association and as a selector for the Optimist Class.

The committee, parents and sailors all wish Carla well in her new role which we are certain will benefit all the classes involved in youth sailing.

Michael Butterworth
Chairman

The National Mark Laying seminar is two days of intensive training, ashore and afloat, that aims to deliver all the skills needed to work as part of a mark laying team at major events.

The course concentrates on team working, setting the whole trapezoid course as part of a team and within that an individual’s accuracy and positioning of their own marks is important. Different techniques for setting courses are practiced, timed and discussed to maximise the efficiency of trapezoid course setting. The seminar then concentrates on managing a team of Mark Layers on that course to deal with different scenarios. This can involve coordinating the team, signalling to competitors during racing and moving marks, at the same time. Each rib plays a lead role organising the rest of the team to solve the problem they are presented with. For many this is the best aspect of the course and we try and work as closely to “real time” as possible which keeps up the pressure to perform. As the scenarios used are all taken form real life this adds to the realism and benefits of the training. There is a 30 question multi-choice examination to be completed with a pass mark of 70%. In addition to the written examination the on the water element forms part of the overall assessment

After completing the seminar candidates are required to have worked in a mark laying capacity at four major events and provide a performance reference from a Race officer to the RYAs Race Management Committee for approval and appointment as a National Mark Layer. Candidates attending this National seminar must be a Regional Mark Layer or a National Mark Layer (attending as a refresher) unless there are exceptional circumstances.

Contact details, information and application forms are available for both the Dinghy Event Safety Workshop and National Mark Laying seminar, on RYA website under Race Officials, Want to be a Race official then, Training courses and seminars

The Racing Rules of Sailing confirm that a boat accepts that it is entirely responsible for her own safety. Nevertheless, the RYA has reviewed and developed its own operating procedures for events. As the entry for the RYA’s Sail for Gold Regatta exploded after the announcement of the London Olympic Games, event safety was reviewed. It became the largest dinghy event this country has ever seen with over 1,200 competitors sailing more than 800 boats, spread over 7 miles, It was dinghy sailing on a scale never seen before and the eyes of the world were watching.

Having spent a lot of time considering the safety issues, pulling best practice together from around the UK and developing and testing procedures it was immediately obvious that it made sense to share the best practice that had been developed. These huge events did not actually affect the robustness of the safety plan, but merely the quantity of the resources needed to implement it. The sharing of this safety plan would benefit anyone or any club involved with event safety.

The RYA Event Safety Workshop includes access to all the documents and presentations that were produced; Safety Briefings, Risk Assessments, Contingency Plans, Tactical Positioning, Event Structure, Communications and scenario planning. All these have been produced in a generic way so that people with a responsibility for their own event safety can adapt them and use them for their own needs.

Clubs and Classes have been running events for many years this is not a lesson on how they should be doing things. This is lot of valuable ideas and resources that have been produced that are available for sharing through the workshop, the intention is you take away lots of ideas and best practice and lots of resources to help you. The Safety Workshop is relevant to anyone involved or connected with safety at their events, from the Race Officers to Beachmasters, rib crews to safety leaders, volunteers and helpers, anyone ashore and afloat.

Opportunity for under 25s (and still so on Saturday 10 August) have the chance to race at Aberdeen Asset Management Cowes Week 2013 with the costs of entry covered by Aberdeen. First 15 teams to apply. See Press Release and Aberdeen Asset Management Cowes Week website.

Young aspiring keelboat racers (18 – 24 years) have opportunity to apply for season-long access to fully race-prepared 30ft Etchells keelboats and top coach-support The objective is to bring two young teams up to the highest level possible, with the aim of helping them to maximise their chances of winning the 2013 British Etchells Nationals in September. Former 420 sailor, Bleddyn Môn was one of last year’s successful participants and took 2nd place in the UK Etchells National Championships. Closing date 4 March. For further information and links, see RYA Press Release.

A 420 team from Munich (Bavaria-South Germany) have contacted us with a request for a "sailor exchange". They would like to take part in some training in the UK and live with a UK family for a 2 week exchange to get more global contact and improve their English skills. They would also like to improve their sailing skills and want to do both at the same time.

In return the hosting sailors could visit them in Germany or maybe go to Austria for a ski trip. The family had a chalet in a ski resort and both sailors are really good skiers and coach skiing as well.

If you are interested please feel free to contact the German 420 coach or the mother of the sailors. Details below:

Michael Grasse (Coach)
Email: Sailcoaching@gmail.com
Phone: +491795473153

Heike Northoff (Mother)
Email:Heike northlumpi@t-online.de
Phone: +49 1739553003

We are organising half term training for Thursday and Friday 21st and 22nd February with coach Nikki McGregor at Stone Sailing Club. This may be extended to include an additional uncoached race day on the Saturday if there is sufficient interest. Accommodation is provided chez Ayre so sailors can be dropped at SSC in the morning on Thursday, and collected on Friday afternoon (Saturday if we run the race day).

Total cost to be divided equally by the number of boats, probably around the £100 level, could be as low as £70 depending on costs and numbers!

We are limiting the entries to 6 boats. 2 places are left. If you are interested, please contact me for further information or to book a place. First come first served basis.

Duncan Ayre
Duncan_ayre@yahoo.co.uk

The Class is pleased to announce that CurraDinghy have once again agreed to Sponsor the International Team selection series. The first event is the Winter Championships being held in Weymouth on the 2nd and 3rd March 2013. Get you entries in as soon as possible.

In the 20 years since John Merricks and Ian Lovering won the Tiger Trophy, the event has been the highlight of the winter for 420-alumni and, in most years, the current Fleet. The 420 has won seven times (the last time was Jonny McGovern & Stu Bithell in 2004), and no less than 21 of the 39 winning sailors have been current, or former, 420 sailors. But there have not been many years, especially in the last ten, when the 420 has figured so strongly in the results as in 2013.

As the Rutland website recognised on Saturday night, the conditions were certainly favourable in the handicap racing that day to the 420, and 420s dominated the leader board, duelling with the Fireballs. As Rutland predicted, the Fireballs could be anticipated to make headway in the Sunday Pursuit. The outcome was a pretty cool triumph for 420 sailors, current and former. The event was won by our Ian Dobson & Sam Brearey in a Fireball, while the Saturday leaders, Craig Dibb & Matt Wallis were 3rd overall in the 420 – a great result! Our Tom Gillard was 5th in a Fireball, and Callum Airlie & Joe Butterworth were 6th. Ben Hazeldine & Rhos Hawes, Annabel Cattermole & Bryony Bennett-Lloyd and James Taylor & Tom Lovesey were all in the top ten! And, in a field of 185, with many of the UKs best sailors, we had another four boats in the top 30. Well done, guys!

Ian Dobson and Sam Brearley came through in their Fireball to win the Tiger Trophy but Craig Dibb and Matt Wallis came through in 3rd overall. Annabel Cattermole and Bryony Bennett-Lloyd were 8th overall and 1st girls. With the wind dropping throughout the pursuit race, the 420s sailed well to fill 5 out of the top 10 places. Callum Airlie and Joe Butterworth were 6th, Ben Hazledine and Rhos Hawes were 7th, and James Taylor and Tom Lovesey were 9th.

James and Tom also won the new Tony Everard trophy presented for the best results on day 1 without a discard.

Full results attached.

Well done to all and hope to see you at the Class training in Cardiff next weekend.

After a windy first day at the Tiger Trophy, being held at Rutland SC this weekend, the 420's fill 8 out of the first 10 places! Craig Dibb and Matt Wallis are in 1st place, closely followed by Callum Airlie and Joe Butterworth in 2nd and James Taylor and Tom Lovesey in 3rd. Full results attached via the title link. Good luck to all the 420s in the non-discardable pursuit race tomorrow.

I've prepared a few notes for those of you pondering driving up and maybe flying sailors up. Largs isn't as far as you think - but remember that the border where the M6 becomes the M74 is still 2 hours away in a car. it isn't really difficult - bear in mind that sharing a double stacker can be significantly cheaper than towing two singles. YMMV (your mileage may vary).

We are pleased to announce that Kate Watkins has agreed to take on the role of 420 Class Child Welfare officer with immediate effect. If anyone has any concerns regarding a child's welfare they should contact Kate via the contacts page on the website. Details of the Class' child protection policy can be found under Class matters.

We would also like to thank Cherie Dodd, who previously fulfilled this role, for her work for the Class and wish James well with his new career as a crew of a Spitfire.

Are you planning on going to the dinghy show? Would you like to get free entry and help the Class? We will have a 420 on the RYA stand at the show and need current or Ex 420 sailors/parents to help us out by spending an hour or so on the stand to talk to prospective 420 sailors. We are aware this clashes with the Winter Championships being held at WPNSA so any offers of help will be very gratefully received.

If you can help send me an e-mail at 420treasurer@gmail.com

Entry is now open for the Winter Championships on 2/3 March 2013 to be held at WPNSA. This event is also the first event in the 2013 International Team selection series which comprises of this event, the RYA Youth Championships (Largs SC) and the Spring Championships to be held at Pwllheli SC on 20/21 April 2013. You can enter either an individual event or the full selection series, including the RYA Youth Championships, via the 420 Class event website (click on title link). To be eligible for selection to one of the teams ALL selection events must be entered prior to the Winter Championships. Please note Class membership is required for these events for your entry to be valid - apply on-line .

The weather forecast seems to be accurate so far. Taking the driving conditions and the freezing temperatures into consideration, this session has been cancelled.

Alfredo (15) is already in 420s (he sailed with another crew at the French nationale d’automne at Bordeaux in November) and his brother (14) is preparing to move on from his optimist. Their mother, Mariana Parladé, spent her childhood summers with the English branch of her family. She is keen to find an opportunity for the boys to get some sailing and English practice, but in an informal setting. Maybe potential to do some club sailing and events – Itchenor Schools, Flanders, Nationals, perhaps. Mariana, who has 4 children, would be pleased to arrange a reciprocal arrangement, though perhaps not in August, very hot in Málaga, by all accounts. If you might be interested, please, either make contact direct, or contact GBR420 membership for further info.

Annabel Vose, and her all 420 crew, Ed Fitzgerald & Sam Brearey have won the second event of the RYA Winter Match Racing Series, beating MR specialist and former 420 helm, Mark Lees, with our Piers Strong on board too. Matt Rainback’s team were in 3rd and Phil Sparks’ in 5th. Good to see our old, and not so old (!), girls and boys back on top in Match Racing. Just need to get some current 420 sailors competing when they can, so that we can sustain our strength as in past years (maybe the Youth MR Nationals next autumn?).There is a special Winter MR Series weekend for schools’ teams on 23 & 24 February. SeeRYA Match Racing for further information and watch for the 2013 national programme soon.

Congratulations to Ben Hazledine and Rhos Hawes on winning the Grafham Grand Prix Slow Handicap Class, the third event in the SailJuice winter series. It took a while to confirm the results due to the large turnout and the number of queries!

They then followed this up by being second juniors (1st 420) at the Bloody Mary. Well done boys.

Let's get a good tunrout for the 420 class at the Tiger Trophy on 2/3 Feb 2013 at Rutland.

CV Blanes write: “As usual in Blanes, with very good wind conditions, the last racing day of the International Grand Prix Vila de Blanes started this morning at 09:00. The Regatta has finished with nine races for the 420 and Europe Classes and thirteen for the 29r Class.

“In the 420 Class, the British Tim Riley/Luke Burywood (11) take the lead of the Regatta, followed by the French team Hippolyte Bessiere/Sebastien Riot (20) and the Dutch Bart Lambriex/Phillip Mayer (25) were third”.

CV Blanes writes: “This morning, at 09:00, the third racing day of the International Grand Prix Vila Blanes 2013 started. Europe Class and 420 Class finished six races each, while the 29r Class have sailed nine races with allows to discard the two worse scoring.
.....
“In 420, British Tim Riley/LukeBurywood are the leaders, with one more racing day left, followed by the French Hippolyte Bessiere/Sebastian Riot and Thomas Lecroq/Michel Clement”.

Good luck for the final day!

...tying on points with the French team, Bessière & Riot.

CV Blanes say: "03-01-2013. At 8:15 am, boats were sent on the water to start sailing on the second day of the International Grand Prix Vila Blanes 2013. We have run so far four races in classes 420 and Europe, and five in 29er, that make possible to discard one race. It has been taken full profit of the early morning wind, very common in this nice village in winter time.

"A gusty NW wind between 15 and 18 knots, has made boats flying and put the crews in the edge of their skills. Some boats retired due to some capsizes and several breakdowns, especially in Europe and 29er classes.

...."In 420 the British Tim Riley / LukeBurywood are first, tide with the French Hypolyte Dessiere / Sebastien Riot".

Congratulations to Annabel & Bryony who won the ladies fleet (beating the 2012 ISAF Youth Champions)! After 8 races, Morgan & Gemma finished 19th. In the Open fleet, after 7 races, Scott & Josh were 6th and Callum & Joe moved up to 7th. A great performance by all the GBR sailors. See Final results: Women’s Fleet and Open Fleet.

Follow how the four GBR boats are getting on at Imperia via the facebook page. Link via title. See also Results and (if your Italian is up-to-scratch!) the News.

Our man of the artistic image, Philip Alton had planned to be at the End of season on Sunday, but there you go. Instead, he has found another 70-odd photos from the Inlands. These may all be found in the Photo Gallery, and we are featuring some on the Rolling Photos on this page.

Why not take advantage of this special 20% discount on all print orders before Dec 17th.

Simply enter the PROMO code PWP12 when you checkout to receive your discount

Looking for ideas for Xmas pressies? Unfortunately Peter Newton was unable to take any photos at the EoS champs at the weekend due to lack of sailing on Sunday, but he has posted his photographs from the Youth Nationals so that you can take a look and order one if you like them. Access will only be available to these photographs until 14 December 2012 (password pwllheli).

Having squeezed in four races on Saturday, with the weather for the following day predicted to be problematic, Grafham Water was closed on Sunday as anticipated - apparently, the anemometer on top of the clubhouse was reading 30kts+.
Annabel Cattermole & Bryony Bennett-Lloyd, with two bullets and a 2nd to count, were declared End of Season Champions, Tim Riley & Luke Burywood, with a 1st and a 2nd, took the silver slot, while Sarah Alton & Molly Frost were just a point behind in 3rd, closely followed by James Taylor & Tom Lovesey. See Final Results.

The End Of Seasons are now underway at Grafham Sailing Club. Results are available via the title link, and the blog is available from the event microsite.

A number of 420 sailors dominated this event held in Plymouth a couple of weekends ago. Sarah Alton and Harry Derbyshire (University of Cardiff) won the slow handicap fleet in a 420 with Nia Jones & Freya Adams (University of Exeter) in 3rd and Meia Harnett & Ed Riley (University of Exeter) in 4th.

Craig Dibb helmed a Firefly to win this fleet for the home University of Plymouth with Phil Sparks in 3rd in the same fleet. I am sure there were many other former 420 sailors also taking part. click the title link for the full report.