Hayling Island 14�18 April 2003
420 Class
The 420 class in the 2003 Youth National Championship held at Hayling Island Sailing Club by the RYA produced a nail biting finish for both the top boys and girls. In both groups the last race counted. Callum Macdonald and Haakon Karlsen stayed within two places of Stuart Bithell and Jonathan McGovern to finish with a 5 point lead and the Championship. Alison Martin and Bethan Carden finished ahead of Charlotte Savage and Maia Walsh, protecting their 8 point advantage at 3rd and 4th places overall. The two winning crews were selected for the team at the ISAF Youth Worlds in Madeira in July .
Fourteen races were sailed over 5 days. The weather was almost summer with continuous sunshine and a warm easterly wind all week. Monday started with a strong breeze. On Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday it dropped off to 6 � 10knots, but on Friday it got up again to finish with a fast and furious race with white horses all over the bay.
Monday started as if it would be Callum and Haakon�s week. They led at the first mark and finished with a long lead. But races 2 and 3 went to Luke Patience and Adam Wagner, which when added to a 4th in the first race moved him into the lead from Callum and Haakon. Ben Ainsworth and Tom Heywood managed 3 races in the top 4 to put them 3rd boys overnight. The girls seemed to be struggling a bit. Alison Martin and Bethan Carden, with 3 races just in the first ten, led from Joanne Macdonald and Laurie Marsden and Rachel Wigmore and Mary Rook who were in the early teens. Charlotte Savage and Maia Walsh broke their mast on the way to the start but were luckily able to get ashore and replace it losing only one race. Pippa Wilson and Harriette Trumble decided not to sail. As they put it on the football programmes, Pippa is carrying a wrist injury. She decided to be cautious with it.
Tuesday started with a much lighter breeze. In the first race of the day several of the major contenders went deep left into a hole on the first beat and ended up with a discard. Stuart Bithell and Jonathan McGovern and Alison and Bethan shot up the middle of the beat and sailed well to finish 1st and 2nd. The wind then steadied up. Charlotte and Maia loved it taking two good wins from Oliver Dix and Philip Lasko and then from Oliver Gray and James Hughes. This was a valuable place for Ollie and James. In race 5 they had inadvertently been called back at the start by the pin end boat, losing many places. They were given redress points as average for the day and this moved then up to the lead 1 point ahead of Callum and Haakon and 2 ahead of Stuart and Jonathan. Charlottes and Maia now discarded their non start and moved into 2nd� girls, 5 points behind Alison and Bethan and well ahead of 3rd place Rachel and Mary.
Wednesday remained 6-8 knots and sunny. Race officer Barry Blaydes took his time to make sure the courses were fair and was only able to run 2 races before the wind died completely. Callum and Haakon recovered their form to lead from the first mark but not without a serious challenge from Alison and Bethan and Pippa and Harriette. The girls took charge in the next race. Alison and Bethan slipped ahead of Pippa and Harriette. Charlotte and Maia were a comfortable 3rd from Rachel and Mary in 4th. Stuart and Jonathan were the first boys in 5th.� Overall the results were now closer. Callum and Haakon were back in the lead 4 points ahead of Stuart and Jonathan and 6 ahead of Alison and Bethan. Ben and Tom still retained their 4th place 1 point ahead of Luke and Adam and 4 points ahead of Charlotte and Maia. Rachel and Mary still hung onto 3rd girl place. To beat the spring tide ebb all the 420s were towed home. We arrived in the entrance along with 150 lasers and the 29ers all sailing down sun. It was a most wonderful spectacle of colour and action.
The selectors were hoping for more wind on Thursday. It was up to around 8-10 knots, enough to get three races but not to catch up the missed race. Pippa and Harriette had a great day winning the first race and finishing 2nd in both the other two. Callum and Haakon and Stuart and Jonathan kept the pressure on each other finishing 2 and 3 in the first race and 6 and 8 in the second. Alison and Bethan took the second race and with Charlotte and Maia third, the girls competition was just as intense. At the first mark in race three, Pippa and Harriette led closely from Alison and Bethan then Charlotte and Maia. While they were trying to work out whether they were racing each other or the fleet Stuart and Jonathan put up their spinnaker and raced through to leeward finishing ahead of Pippa and Harriette and Charlotte and Maia with Callum and Haakon in 4th. The second discard now came out, and the overnight scores were still very close. Callum and Haakon had increased their lead by 1 point to 5 points. Alison and Bethan were 5 points further behind and 7 points ahead of Charlotte and Maia.� Luke and Adam had dropped to 5th but regained 3rd boy. Pippa and Harriette were now 3rd girls despite counting a did not start.
Friday�s forecast was for a rising wind. The first race started in the accustomed 8-10 knots. Alison and Bethan raced off to a comfortable win. Joanna and Laurie had a close struggle with Callum and Haakon and Stuart and Jonathan, just getting inside at the mark at the end of the last run to get second place. Despite the attention of his sister, Callum was able to hold off Stuart and Jonathan. The wind picked up a little for the next race. Charlotte and Maia took the left hand side of the first beat and roared off to a huge lead. Oliver and Philip recovered their speed to finish second ahead of Pippa and Harriette. Alison and Bethan did a 720 at the windward mark putting them well down the fleet. Callum and Haakon luffed Stuart and Jonathan around the bay on the last reach holding them off in 5th and 6th places.
For the final race the wind piped up to 15 knots. Stuart and Jonathan needed to beat Callum and Haakon by 8 places, Charlotte and Maia needed a 4th place with Alison and Bethan outside the first 13. Stuart and Jonathan made a port end start to lead early on. Callum and Haakon started at the other ended of the line and left themselves a lot to do. Alison and Bethan stuck close to Charlotte and Maia, with the result that neither started well. At the first mark Stuart and Jonathan were in the leading group with Oliver and James, Luke and Adam and Oliver and Philip. Callum and Haakon were in the group behind. Alison and Bethan rounded in the low teens comfortably ahead of Charlotte and Maia making their championship need only a conservative race. Luke and Adam raced to a long lead. Ollie and Philip moved up to a clear second. Behind them Callum and Haakon moved steadily up on Stuart and Jonathan, despite being yellow flagged by the judge and doing a 720 on the final beat. In the end Pippa and Harriette slipped past both Stuart and Jonathan and Oliver and James leaving Stuart and Jonathan in 5th to Callum and Haakon�s 7th and Alison and Bethan in 10th.
With good performances on the final day Luke and Adam moved up to 3rd boys in 5th and Pippa and Harriette 3rd girls in 6th.