International 420 Class
Largs Selection Event
3-4 April 2004
Forty-nine 420 travelled to Largs in Ayrshire for the first selector for the 2004 Europeans and Junior Europeans Teams (well second selector technically, but the first scheduled meeting was cancelled due to gales).� Largs Sailing club laid on a very good week-end with a range of wind strengths from 8 to over 20 knots and courses set both in the Largs channel and the main channel to the north of the isle of Cwmbrae. Callum MacDonald and Stuart Bithell, who recently finished 6th in the 420 worlds Australia carried on their good form to win comfortably from consistent Oliver Dix and Ross Harvey, and then Luke Patience and Adam Wagner who excelled in the strong winds on Sunday. Pippa Wilson and Harriette Trumble sailed well to finish first girls in 7th place well ahead of Joanne MacDonald and Laurie Marsden and Alison Martin sailing with Maia Walsh.
On Saturday the weather was wet and squally with the southerly wind jumping from force 3 to force 5 under the clouds. The race officer set a trapezoid course in the Largs channel between the club and the Isle of Cwmbrae. After a number of false starts and the use of the black flag Ian Dobson and Andrew Tunnicliffe led at the first mark just ahead of the bunch. . But the gusty winds brought the fleet up behind them and MacDonald and Bithell eased through to take first place from Patience and Wagner. In Race two the wind went right on the first beat. Dan Ellis and Andrew Hall pulled out what looked like a comfortable lead. But again the gusts closed the fleet up on the last run putting Ellis and Hall under pressure. A squall on the last reach knocked them back letting Fynn Sterritt and Matthew Day through to win their first race ahead of MacDonald and Bithell.
Race 3 started with a very port line, but again it paid to go right. Jonathan McGovern and Jonny Frazer led comfortably at the first mark and pulled away steadily to win by a large margin. MacDonald and Bithell worked their way through to second ahead of sister Joanne and Laurie Marsden.
Sunday was a very hard day. With a moderate westerly wind but a forecast for more later the Race Officer took the fleet out into the main channel away from the lee of Cwmbrae. Race 4 started in bright sunshine and force 3.� Alison Martin and Maia Walsh just led at the first mark ahead of Patience and Wagner. Weight told on the first reach and Patience and Wagner pulled out a long lead. Behind him the MacDonald family had a close struggle with Martin and Walsh to finish ahead with Joanne and Marsden beating her brother this time. On the first beat in race 5 the wind jumped up a force and went left. Wilson and Trumble led at the first mark, but on the reach that was now too tight for spinnakers they were unable to hold off Richard Mason and Chris Carden who raced in to a long lead. As the race progressed Patience and Wagner and Oliver Dix and Ross Harvey made ground but were unable to catch the leaders.
By now the wind was up to force 6. Heavy weather favourites Patience and Wagner stormed away to take the race from Sterritt and Day and Ben Ainsworth and Oliver Gray. The conditions were now causing trouble within the fleet. Nothing that the rescue cover couldn�t cope with, but with cold wind and water making it nasty in the water the Race officer decided to move the course back to the shelter of the Largs Channel.� To keep the programme moving he quickly set a windward leeward course for the final race 7. Once again there was some delay from black flags that took out some hopeful competitors. When the race started it again paid to go left into the shore. After a blustery first beat the wind steadily dropped to a gentle force 3.� But this didn�t stop Patience and Wagner who won by a large margin from Ainsworth and Gray and then Sterritt and Day.
Thank you to Largs for organising the event, and to all the support crews out in the cold.