2023 Championship results – RYA National Hornet Association

Hornet National Championship 2023 at Mumbles Yacht Club – Overall

DAY 1

The fleet were greeted with a warm welcome at Mumbles with sunshine, beer and the wind following the forecast (combined with drills and an angle grinder in the dinghy park)… at least until it came to launching when all hell broke loose and rigs were raked for the featherweight teams.

Race 1: With a solid force 3, a clear start saw Jo Powell have a cracking start and the fleet were off. Following a close beat, Curtis/Poulloin rounded just ahead of Garry/Woolner and closely followed by Jo & Richard in 2115. Few place changes followed as the angles downwind made overtaking, or indeed being overtaken, tricky. However, a minor sailing instruction reading error (potentially the fact they weren’t paying enough attention in the comprehensive briefing) meant the 3 lead boats decided they were going to finish early and headed to the line after lap 3, only to look back and realise they shouldn’t have done.

Three laps of carnival procession and space had suddenly turned into something more similar to a Formula 1 sprint race for the final lap and Curtis/Poulloin took the bullet. After a downwind tussle, Skudder/Hills went round the outside of McNnamara/Chatterton and Garry/Woolner at the final leeward mark to take second and the others finished retrospectively.

Race 2: The forecast shift to the right and tide change ment there was no clear choice of which side of the beat was favoured. Another clear start and off we went with the breeze softening and swinging.

Terry & Gavin popped out to the mark first, closely followed by Garry and Woolner then the Scottish pair of Storky & Mark. The following 4 laps were a constant changing of places with a particularly notable masterclass in tactical manoeuvres from McNamara over Garry up the 3rd beat and the top 7 boats changed constantly with a swinging and dropping breeze. This making the angles downwind critical and the crew weight the difference between flat wiring and sitting on the side.

Nigel Skudder lead the fleet towards Swansea looking for small orange buoys, incredibly closely followed by 6 other boats when Uncle Tim Coombe and Nephew James (taking advantage of their wind range) spotted the mark to leeward to take a literal run off into the lead.

After much place changing and a few close calls on the rules, the fleet followed suit from the first race, Curtis and Poulloin wiggled through to take the gun, Skudder and Hills second, Mike Mac & Harry third and Garry/Woolner fourth.

With all to play for and the most consistent results in the top 4 for many years, bring on some breeze tomorrow!

DAY 2

The sunshine dwindling and the breeze building, the fleet assembled in the dinghy park. A 2 mile run to the start line in a 20 knot south westerly gave Skudder & Hills the best opportunity, having seen the forecast, to demonstrate capsize drills to the fleet, something that a lot of the class found most useful later in the day.

Race 3: With no messing around, our honourable and most efficient race officer Richard set a generous beat (later to be shortened) and again “All Clear” were off.

A split off the start saw boats go left and right. On this occasion (and indeed for the rest of the day) right was right, a port lift turned into a starboard lift and McNamara & Chatterton capitalised on this to take a commanding lead around the first mark. The Flying Scotsmen Storky & Mark Taylor followed a little later, chased by Garry & Woolner then Curtis & Poulloin trying to continue their streak of bullets.

Fortunately for the multiple class champions, they had practised their gybing skills well and (by gybing more times than in the average Oppy downwind training day) mastered the reaches and runs to beat the competition to the line taking the win. McNamara & Chatterton followed closely and Garry & Woolner took third place from Skudder & Hills rounding out the same top 4 as the day before.

Race 4: A little keen after 3 clear starts, approximately 95% of the fleet were over the line caused by Floozie hammering down the start line at a rate of knots to match the wind speed and a strict black flag followed. This forced the fleet into limp mode and the second start was all clear by a line sag comparable to an equilateral triangle. Curtis & Poulloin with 3 bullets under their belt knew best, but they weren’t right as they pushed out to the left hand side of the course.

McNamara again rounded the mark comfortably in the lead, followed again by the Scotsmen, the youngsters in the borrowed 2190 to the frustration of its owners behind them. Skudder & Hills followed on their way to the magic roundabout after a minor Port/Starboard issue and Curtis & Poulloin followed in a humble sixth.

Sadly their generosity didn’t last and they punched their way through the lead boats over the next 3 laps into the lead.

A close run on the final lap saw them take the lead by the leeward mark and a battle was on behind. Coombe & Beer had niggled through with McNamara & Garry chasing them down. By the rounding, McNamara pushed in front and Garry caught a lucky wave and gained mark room over Coombe taking his second third of the day.

Race 5: A clear black flag start and McNamara gave his usual masterclass in Hornet sailing (or indeed sailing full stop!); this was maintained for 3 laps until the final tight (tight tight) reach to the leeward mark caused spinnaker related complications and Coombe & Beer crept though to take the lead, sadly fishing wasn’t on the schedule for the day and Curtis & Poulloin popped into second, with McNamara giving chase once the catch was hauled in.

A tussle between Dave Edge and Garry, the former giving his best performance so far in the borrowed battleship and it looked like a clear win for Coombe. Sadly it wasn’t to be and the afterburner had been lit. Curtis showing nobody else deserves to be the bride, took the line from Coombe with a photo finish. The rest followed in suit with a short but incredibly fickle beat to the slipway.

The racing was overshadowed by the fantastic talent show demonstrated throughout the day and special mentions are as follows:

Jo Powell gave a masterclass in bikini removal while in full control of a reaching Hornet in 20+knots of steady breeze.
Trapeze swimming (a up and coming sport) was expertly demonstrated by Alex Rogers after a minor helm malfunction.
Hornet Stalwart Dave Wood showed off his amateur magician skills by turning a Hornet into a Turtle.

On the return to the shore, the Kestrels gave the Hornets a lesson on how landing on a lee shore should be done and how closely boats can work together when sharing a championship.

Sadly the forecast tomorrow looks a little grim, but the fleet are most excited about the upcoming AGM and watching England play Wales in the rugby. The class dinner will follow and the usual antics will surely come out of the hat!

DAY 3

The third day of the Hornet Nationals was never looking promising and true to forecast 30 plus Knots on the racecourse left the race committee no options but to abandon racing for the day, this gave the fleet the opportunity to explore the beautiful Mumbles coastline.

The shortest AGM in class history was held in the evening, led by Chairman Sam Woolner looking forward to building on the classes numbers and talent. Vice Chair Terry Curtis gave chat on next years events and Championships at Dabchicks SC in the depths of Essex.

Mumbles YC catering crew hosted the Championship Dinner alongside the Kestrel fleet and, going hand in hand together like cheese and wine (which was also enjoyed), beer and sailing chat followed!

DAY 4

Sunday dawned much more promising and whilst still breezy, the race team set off into the bay with conviction and the fleet followed suit. With the decision to only run two races after a heavy lay day, our new National Champions had already been declared, but more race wins were there to be had!

Race 6: In the first race of the day Skudder & Hills headed for the hills and off into the lead with the marginally lighter breeze. The boys in the borrowed 2190 gave good competition for owners Garry & Woolner and Coombe & Beer with a tussle between the three of them coming down to the final mark.

Curtis & Poulloin took their sixth win of the championship with McNamara & Chatterton again second and Skudder & Hills third after a a notable unhooking of the trapeze for Hills.

The Scottish contingent put up a great fight to stay fourth, with Coombe/Broatch/Garry in that order.

Race 7: With first and second decided the fantastic conditions in Swansea Bay drew most of the fleet to the start line for the final race of a memorable championship and there was plenty to play for in the top six: Garry & Woolner could take third but needing a race win, Coombe & Beer to move into fourth and a potential snakes and ladders further down the pack.

McNamara had one goal in sight, despite a guaranteed second place and no opportunity to build on that, he had a point to prove and the final race to win.

Curtis, having the perfect score sheet hoped to end the regatta with a clean sweep however this was plucked from his grasp and took an honourable second to McNamara, as his worst score of the week, and Garry (securing fourth place overall by a point) took third. Skudder had done enough to secure third overall.

Coombe & Beer in fifth making up a Starcross 3,4,5 for the second year in a row, more practice required for team SYC!

The scoresheet never lies, or so I am told! But in this case the racing was significantly tighter than it looks with constant place changes, close quarters manoeuvres and some of the best racing anyone has had in years.

A huge congratulations to our new National Champions Terry Curtis & Gavin Poulloin who sailed a solid regatta. And congratulations to Michael McNamara & Harry Chatterton for giving master classes around the racecourse and getting their final race win to finish second.
To potentially the lightest crew of Nigel Skudder & Keith Hills in literally punching well above their weight and showing how versatile the Hornet can be to finish third in testing conditions.

Thanks have to go to Richard Woffinden and his team at Mumbles for a well organised championships, and to the Kestrel fleet as well-mannered championship partners.

Also a big thanks to our sponsor Exe Sails, celebrating their tenth year this year and supporting the class since their beginning.

We look forward to seeing all the Hornet sailors at Rutland for our final fling in October!

Hornet National Championship 2023 at Mumbles Yacht Club – Overall

Tom Guy