2004 Worlds Team Selector 3
Weymouth September 13-14
Beautiful sunshine and a moderate south easterly breeze gave the fifty teams contesting the third selection meeting a serious test of concentration. The event hosted by the Weymouth and Portland Sailing Academy completed the races necessary for selecting the team for the International 420 class teams for the World Championships that is to be held in Melbourne in January. Joanne MacDonald and Laurie Marsden sailed a very good weekend to finish this event in first place ahead of Charlotte Savage and Harriette Trumble with Lucy and Nicky MacGregor in third. This third successive second place overall made Savage and Trumble comfortable winners of the selection series as a whole from the MacGregor sisters and Alison Martin and Bethan Carden. The boys were then represented by Luke Patience and Adam Wagner in fourth place and Callum Macdonald and Stuart Bithell in fifth. Over the series the wind has been mainly 7 to 11 knots. Although Patience and Wagner were dominant in the races sailed in winds above this strength, the leading girls have been substantially more consistent throughout the series.
Over the weekend the 420s shared Portland Harbour with the RYA match racing selections. The race officer set inner loop trapezoid course to make best use of the remaining space in the harbour. This gave the fleet the difficult problem of a run while still tightly bunched. A good first run was essential.
In race 1 Savage and Trumble crossed the fleet on port soon after the start and sailed away to win by a large margin. The new pairing of Jonny McGovern and Jonathan Fraser held off Oliver Dix and Oliver Gray for 2nd 3rd positions. In Race 2 MacDonald and Marsden got the first of their three wins of the weekend from the MacGregors and Savage and Trumble. Newcomers Hannah Mills and Peggy Webster led for the first lap in race three, but on the long second beat Savage and Trumble slipped past and stayed ahead for first place. Mills and Webster were able to comfortably hold off Patience and Wagner for second place. In race 4 the MacGregors took a comfortable lead from Nathan Bachelor and Joe Crabb and MacDonald and Marsden.
Despite a lot of serious praying for more wind by the boys, Sunday was exactly the same sun and a moderate south easterly breeze. As on Saturday Savage and Trumble took a good lead in the first race of the day from McGovern and Fraser.. In race 6 a left shift on the first beat picked out MacDonald and Marsden, McGovern and Fraser and Martin and Carden. The run was tense but all three hung on to hold their positions to the finish. Race 7 was taken by MacDonald and Marsden from Savage and Trumble and then Batchelor and. In Race 8 MacDonald and Marsden just squeezed around the first mark ahead of Mills and Webster. This time they were unable to hold onto their position. The McGregor�s slipped through on the second beat to win their second race of the day ahead of Mills and Webster.
The team for the World Championships still has to be confirmed, but the selection series has ensured that strong teams will be sent.
Results: 1 � Joanne Macdonald and Laurie Marsden 16 pnts; 2 - Charlotte Savage and Harriette Trumble 26 pnts; 3 � Lucy MacGregor and Nicola MacGregor 35 pnts; 4 � Jonny McGovern and Jonathan Frazer 43 pnts; 5 � Oliver Dix and Oliver Gray 48 pnts; 6 � Nathan Batchelor and Joe Crabb 49 pnts; 7 - Alison Martin and Bethan Carden 54 pnts; 8 Callum MacDonald Stuart Bithell 73 pnts