came second in this year`s UK Nationals

C Richard, people probably think you sailed a Fifteen for the first time this year, but the truth is that you’ve been sailing the boat on and off for a bit, haven’t you?

R Yes, I’ve sailed a few times down here at Parkstone Yacht Club, including two or three Poole Weeks with Patrick Keats - we managed to win it a few years ago.

C ...that was mostly as crew...

R ...Yes, I enjoy crewing, and feeding into the boat. I enjoy sailing the Fifteen, I like the way it sort of glides around which gives you slightly diff erent things to think about, with its momentum and turning circle. I went to the 2016 Nationals at Hayling, as you know, and I sailed with my mate Dave - that was bit more of a social week...

C What did you take away from that mostly windy week?

R Probably the same things as I’ve taken from the event this year. Coming from the Merlin, a smaller, more nimble boat, the Fifteen is more about momentum. Then there is the turning circle, so you have to be mindful when you’re tacking that people are going to glide up underneath you, and watch your transom as you’re tacking, because it’s going to kick out. In the lighter conditions which we had at this year’s champs it’s vital to keep the boat going, keep that momentum rolling, and not pinch.

C At what point do you decide to change gear and go for prebend in the light stuff ?

R The shape of the sail, really. We’ve got decent camber lines on the mainsail, as well as the perception I have in my head, and it’s just as the sail starts to look deep, and the camber lines are getting distorted. Then I’m looking either to let the ram off or pull it forward to get a nice smooth shape.

C You sail with North Sails. Have you been involved in the sail shape or is that all designed back at the loft?

R The design guys back at the loft, Rory Scott and Richard Bell, do the design work. I’m not particularly technical myself, but I offer feedback on how it felt and what I was having to do to the sail and they translate that into the design. So, yes, I have been involved in development, probably when we went over from the cross-cut mainsail to the radial main, which holds its shape really well, and gives the sail extra longevity. Since then there have been a few tweaks, such as shortening the top batten to enable a smoother shape and allow it to open up a bit more in the head, but the basic design has remained similar. However, at Hayling Island we had an extra deep mainsail, and since then we’ve come back halfway to the flatter sail out of the two that we have in the portfolio now.

C So Norths offer two mains, a medium and a flat?

R It’s all subjective, isn’t it? I don’t know how it compares to other mainsails, but we’ve got one that’s flatter and one that’s fuller.

C And the one you used in Poole Bay this year was the flatter one?

R Correct.

C Whereas we used the fuller one of the two P&B mainsails we have. I don’t know which mainsail Graham and Chris used, but I know that Ian Pinnell told me he uses the fuller main all the time.

R Interesting, but it’s difficult to gauge, isn’t it, because it’s all subjective. Unless you get the 3-D shape you can’t even lie it out on the floor to get the luff round very easily...

C Ironically, this year in Poole Bay we were mostly sailing in flat water, so it was pond sailing really, wasn’t it?

R Indeed, which probably suited me!

C What’s your future in the class, or will you keep just dabbling in it?

R Just dabbling, really. I enjoy sailing here on Saturdays and Wednesdays - there’s good competition, even on a Wednesday there’s a decent fleet, so I enjoy doing that, it suits me. I’m still campaigning the Merlin [Richard won Salcombe Merlin Week for the fourth time this year], which occupies most of my time, so it’s trying to fit it all in.

C You spent some time sailing close to Graham Vialls and Chris Turner: did you learn anything from that experience?

R Yes! They’re really good at starting, really good at boat-handling in close quarters. With limited practice opportunities (Ben and I had been out five times before the event) we were all right, but they always had a bit of an edge. One start, there was less than a minute to go, and they were reversing, with the genoa furled still, just to clear the weed off the foils, while everyone else was in full start mode! They’re always on it, and always going in the right direction, but their starts - if you get a clean pair of heels off the start line, you’re difficult to catch.

C What have you carried from the Merlin into the Fifteen? For example, one of the questions I have here is twin poles or single pole?

R I borrowed Graham Scroggie’s boat. Graham and his son Ben are ex-Merlin sailors, and they have set their Fifteen up exactly as they have their Merlin, which was good for me, as I was essentially stepping into a 20ft Merlin! We had some good teamwork, again because we come from similar backgrounds; Ben was really easy to get on with. I do like the twin-pole system for the hoists and gybes. It takes a little bit of setting up and getting used to the technicalities of the poles and the downhauls, but once it’s set up and working correctly, it’s just so quick to hoist and gybe. If you’re doing anything like the courses in the harbour here, going round the cans, it’s a must, but even on championship courses, if you’re close behind somebody, it’ll just give you that half boat-length. Along with the twin poles, I also think there’s an advantage in chutes. Obviously if it’s choppier conditions, then water over the bow is the only downside. Sailing here in Poole Harbour, it’s not going to be that wavy most of the time, the combination of twin poles and a chute make it easier for the crew to do consistently good hoists and gybes, so you can sail with a greater range of people who may not necessarily be hotshots at crewing.

C Until Vialls and Turner came along, those at the front of the fleet had bags, but now chutes seem to have come back into fashion.

R Bags require forward thinking - dropping windward or leeward mid race, setting it up before the first beat.

C Any moments that will stick in the memory from this year’s championship?

R Nice fleet, welcoming people, enjoyed sailing off Bournemouth. We were drifting out to one of the races - it might even have been the one that we won - the beautiful Scottish boat Vamoose with wooden decks, came gliding past us on the way out, which didn’t do my head any good at all: we had to re-check all our settings! It was lovely to see it sailing so well, but not at that moment.

C That will make Bobby Salmond’s day! Finally, the new jibany thoughts?

R It seems to have encouraged people to experiment with their rigs a bit more, coming to an understanding rather than just following the trends. There are people with floating blocks and barber-haulers to try and make the most of it. The fleet obviously wanted a change.

C Last question: when it’s over 20kts, what advice do you have on sail trimming?

R Look at the mainsail, to see if there’s any backwinding. If there is, flatten the mainsail off. Think about the slot and what’s happening there. The foresail is all about sheet tension and car position; I’d probably be moving the car aft, and probably easing the sheet tension a little in gusts to open up the slot to let the excess wind through.

C Final thoughts?

R I really enjoy sailing the Fifteen. I’m not particularly bothered whether I’m at the front or the back of the boat. It’s a lovely fleet here at Parkstone, fantastic water to sail on a regular basis. I hope to continue sailing in the boat and doing the odd event.

C Thank you!

It had been 5 years since the Nationals were last held at Parkstone Yacht Club when the fleet enjoyed a windy four days and the championships were won with a day to spare by Graham Vials and Chris Turner. What would 2019 bring?

The day before the sailing started dawned hot and sunny for the registration and sail stamping. Some keen competitors went out for a practice sail.

The 47 boats entered were looking forward to four days of racing in Poole bay with competitors from around the country including Scotland, Blackpool, the Lake District, many of the central lakes and the South Coast. There was also a competitor from Durban in South Africa practicing for the World Championships. The largest contingent was from the home club with 16 boats taking part.

The entry list included World Champions, National Champions and regular club sailors.

The weather gods were kind for the Mar-Key Group race day with two races planned and Bryan Drake and his team set windward leeward courses for both races.

Graham Vials and Chris Turner, in their new boat 4071, stamped their authority on the fl eet and took the lead in both races to be the lead the championships over-night, was it going to be a rerun of 2014?

Local boats 4020 Richard Whitworth and Ben Scroggie and 4052 David Tabb and Chewy Sherrell were second and third, respectively in the first race and in the second race 4030 Greg Wells and Andrew Jameson and 3994 the father son team of Chris and Tom Waples were second and third.

The crews returned for the daily prizegiving and social sponsored by Magic Marine and Ringwood Brewery. In true Parkstone style there were several raffle prizes kindly given by Magic Marine and other one-off prizes given by P&B, Goacher Sails, Selden and Ovington Boats.

For the Bournemouth Digital race day, three races were scheduled on what was expected to be the hottest day of the year. By the time the fleet had arrived on the racecourse the light breeze was fading and swinging by anything from 110 to 150 degrees. After a delay the race officer managed to start race 3 and the local boats managed to take advantage of the big right-hand shift. 4020 Richard Whitworth and Ben Scroggie held their advantage winning race three followed by 4052 David Tabb and Chewy Sherrell. The rest of the top five, 4002 Richard Lovering and Matt Alverado, 3793 Pete and Jo Allam and 3875 Brett Dingwall and Tim Scarisbrick all had their best results of the championship so far.

The race officer managed to get a second race away under a U flag. With the breeze fading the race was only one lap and again the local boats prevailed with 4054 Simon Spolton and Grant Murphy holding off 4052 David Tabb and Chewy Sherrell to win. The podium was completed by another local boat 3914 Tattersall and Popper. 4033 Justin Waples and Jackie McKellar finished fourth with 4071 Graham Vials and Chris Turner finishing 5th. Campbell Alexander and Jeremy Kriek from South Africa in their new boat 4009 finished sixth.

The race officer abandoned any more racing and the fleet were towed ashore to be greeted by the team offering chocolate and tea for the crews de-tallying before heading to the bar for beer and lager put on by Ringwood Brewery and the Magic Marine daily prize giving. The competitors then enjoyed a four-course championship dinner sponsored by UK Global in the club house and an opportunity to enjoy the first of the Poole Quay summer fireworks.

At the halfway stage 4052 David Tabb and Chewy Sherrell led the regatta by one point from 4020 Richard Whitworth and Ben Scroggie leading 4071 Graham Vials and Chris Turner by another point.

In a change to the normal format the UKFFA AGM was held on the Friday morning prior to the Hyde Sails race day, with four races scheduled, and the competitors arrived to enjoy the breakfast and coffee options put on by the club before attending the AGM.

The fleet then took to the water for what was looking like another tricky tactical day on the water. The first race got away just after noon under the U flag which caught out regatta leaders 4052

David Tabb and Chewey Sherrell. Ironically the breakaway leader was 4002 Richard Lovering and Matt Alvarado from race day sponsor Hyde Sails who managed to lead around the three-lap course to take a comfortable win from 4070 Nathan Batchelor and Richard Riggs. 4030 Greg Wells and Andrew Jameson came third followed by local team 4020 Richard Whitworth and Ben Scroggie in fourth and 4071 Graham Vials and Chris Turner were fifth.

Race 2 of the day saw the wind dropping and a new race leader led the race at the first mark 4060 Ian Pinnell and Jeremy Wise closely followed by birthday boy 3793 Pete Allam with his wife Jo. The short leg from the gate to the finish line turned into a three-way 100m dash. In a cruel act of fate, the wind shifted, and race leader 3793 Pete and Jo Allam snatched defeat from the jaws of victory having to tack to clear the finish boat and losing four places. 4060 Ian Pinnell and Jeremy Wise took the gun followed by 4020 Richard Whitworth and Ben Scroggie, 4033 Justin Waples and Jackie McKellar and 4071 Graham Vials and Chris Turner.

The start of race 3 saw four boats chanced a port tack flyer. Local boat and class stalwart 3922 Crispin Read Wilson and Steve Brown were one of those who proudly port tacked the entire fleet to lead lap 1 from 4061 Mark Weston and Andrew Weatherspoon. 3922 Crispin Read Wilson and Steve Brown held onto the lead on lap 2 taking their first bullet of the championship. Working their way through the fleet 4055 Ian Cadwallader and Steve Graham took second and 4033 Justin Waples and Jackie McKellar took another third of the day. Local boat 3914 Adrian Tattersall and Richard Popper took fourth ahead of 4071 Graham Vials and Chris Turner.

The short leg from the gate to the finish line turned into a three-way 100m dash. In a cruel act of fate, the wind shifted and race leader 3793 Pete and Jo Allam snatched defeat from the jaws of victory, having to tack to clear the finish boat and losing four places.

The fourth race saw 4071 Graham Vials and Chris Turner return to form to lead the race and take a third first of the championship. 4030 Gregg Wells and Andrew Jameson were second and for the first time during the championship European Champions 4059 Hamish Mackay and Andrew Lawson took their first podium of the championships. 3953 Robert Hogben and Noel West took fourth, their best result of the championship and 4055 Ian Cadwallader and Steve Graham were fifth.

The fleet returned to the club for the daily prizegiving and social sponsored by Magic Marine and Ringwood Brewery. With Hyde Sails as day sponsor, they had given a voucher for a new Spinnaker which was presented to Sue Bannister, the only lady helm at the championship, on 3736.

With two races left Graham Vials and Chris Turner went into the last day seven points ahead of local team Richard Whitworth and Ben Scroggie.

The final day dawned with warm sunny skies and a gentle North Westerly to provide another tricky day racing. Graham Vials and Chris Turner were on form on the final day winning the last two races in some style sealing the Championship.

Race 9 got away after one false start and Graham Vials and Chris Turner were not the only team back on form. 4021 Steve Goacher and Tim Harper had their first podium of the regatta followed by 4002 Richard Lovering and Matt Alvarado. Local boat 4020 Richard Whitworth and Ben Scroggie finished in a close fourth with 3957 Charles Apthorp and Alan Green getting their best result in fifth.

The final race of the championship took three attempts to start with wind shifts and a couple of recalls. 4021 Steve Goacher and Tim Harper popped out in the lead and held it throughout lap 1. Graham Vials and Chris Turner were breathing down their neck and they edged into the lead during lap 3. They cruised across the line to take their fifth first of the regatta. 4070 Nathan Batchelor and Richard Riggs managed to snatch second place from 4030 Greg Wells and Andrew Jameson with 4021 Steve Goacher and Tim Harper in fourth and 4059 Hamish Mackay and Andrew Lawson in fifth.

The fleet returned to the Club to pack up and enjoy afternoon tea and the overall prizegiving.

What a regatta with 6 race winners, 15 teams achieving a podium result and two local boats in the top three. Although a trickier regatta wind wise than hoped the sun shone and Parkstone Yacht Club looked after the competitors in style with a friendly welcome and socials every day.

The Classic Championship was won by Bobby Salmond and his crew Will Morris, who as the youngest competitor also won the Ovington Dryrobe, in 627.

The Ladies trophy was won by Jackie McKellar crewing for Justin Waples on 4033.

We look forward to the 2020 National Championships to be held at Hayling Island Sailing Club, 30 July – 2 August.

Hand Made In Britain

We have thoroughly enjoyed supporting the Flying Fi een eet throughout 2019 along with sending 2 ‘Ovington works teams’ to the Worlds in Ireland.

Moving into 2020 we are also looking to o er basic t hulls ready for DIY home t out, as well as complete rigged, ready to race boats.

Ovington Boats Ltd

Tanners Bank

North Shields

Tyne & Wear

NE30 1JH

Great Britain ese boats will incorporate ideas and feedback learnt in tting GBR 4070 for Nathan Batchelor and Richard Rigg (2019 Irish National Champions) and GBR 4071 Graham Vials and Chris Turner (2019 UK and 2019 World Champions).

For more information on pricing and availability, contact : Nathan.Batchelor@ovingtonboats.co.uk