29-30 October 2005
The 420 Inland Championships were held at Grafham Water on the 29th and 30th of October. This event was for many, the first time at an inland venue since the Tiger Trophy and for others it was their first 420 event. The two days were dramatically different in character.
Saturday dawned with a lightish breeze from the SE. David Campell-James set a trapezoid course at the end of the lake under the dam wall. Race 1 started under an 'I' flag and then a black flag, in a shifty breeze of 8-15 knots. The leaders at the windward mark were James and Will Rusden, Cadet World Champions, followed by James Goss and Elliot Parsons then Robin Stewart and Matthew Forrester, all of whom had gone left up the short beat. During the second lap the wind dropped to marginal trapezing with some place changing amongst the leaders. The finishing positions were James Goss and Elliot Parsons, Maria Stanley and Philip Lasko (coming out of retirement) and David Brewer and Oren Richards.
Races 2 and 3 were sailed with a lengthened course. Rob Strucket and Tom Hodkinson werre first to the windward mark with Stewart/Forrester and then the Rusden brothers. By the end of the race the shifty conditions allowed David Brewer and Oren Richards to win from Frances Peters and Claire Lasko and then Oliver Dix and Catherine Alton (a recent defector to the 29er fleet). The wind dropped further for the final race of the day which was won by the Rusden brothers who were followed by Jodie Green and Lesley Bannister then Dix/Alton.
Race 4 on Sunday was started in a shifty and gusty breeze of 10-15 knots. The Rusden brothers led all the way around the course but capsized on the top reach to be overtaken by James and Dan Ellis and Goss/Parsons with Stanley/Lasko.
Race 5 started in 17 knots and capsized boats were a feature of the race. Gusts of up top 30 kts were recorded with the right side of the course paying. The finishing order was Goss/Parsons a leg ahead of the Ellis Brothers followed by Sam Pearson and James Wade.
The final race started after the course was re-laid after a 40 degree shift to the right. Goss/Parsons led at the windward mark from Fionn Jenkinson and Galen Lowney from Ireland then Stewart/Forrester. Goss/Parsons were overtaken down the second run by Richard Mason and Dan Schieber and also by Sophie Ainsworth and Jasmine Husband. Finishing positions were Mason/Schieber, Goss/Parsons then Ainsworth/Husband.
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