Dart 18 Nationals at Worthing Sailing Club

Four weeks after the first attempt at holding the Dart 18 UK National Championships at WPNSA (which were abandoned due to strong winds), 49 Darts converged at Worthing Yacht Club who had hastily turned the previously booked GP event into the re-run Nationals.

Midday on Saturday 23 June saw what can only be described as perfect Dart sailing conditions. Sunshine and a F3-4 had all crews out on the wire and the boats (generally!) under full control. Despite dipping many boats as Garreth Owen and Jo-Jo Pierce cut down the start line on port, they made the most of the following clear air and stormed home first for the opening race. A convincing second from Jamie and Jamie of Newhaven and Seaford with Dave and Louise Roberts of Stokes Bay coming in third concluded this scene of sailing perfection…before the wind strengthened substantially as the second race began.

A handful of less experienced, but certainly very sensible, sailors made for home as the wind picked up. A display of some lively pitch poles and capsizes kept the rescue boats busy and Dan Norman/Mel Rogers of Whitstable came in with a convincing win, followed by David Lloyd/Catherine Farthing of Stokes Bay and the Jamie(s) in third. Seeing the wind strength continuing to build, the Race Officer Mark Howell decided to call it a day and sent the fleet back to start the typical Dart festivities somewhat early. Mark’s decisions, together with those made the following day were absolutely exemplary. He judged the weather, the courses, the timings and safety of competitors in a very professional manner and might be considered one of the best R.O.’s we have had.

Sunday started with wind speeds well into the 20 Kts range and the first start was delayed one hour to wait for the anticipated weather window. This duly arrived and the fleet were launched. Fighting back from their disastrous first day, Alan and Fiona Kernick won the first two races of Sunday with Owen/Pierce, Lloyd/Farthing and the Roberts’s putting in similar strong performances. As the last race of the Championship began, the title was well and truly up for grabs with anyone in the top five was in with a chance. A huge wind shift on the second beat totally threw those who were headed by it, taking away Owen/Pierce’s chance of a victory and giving the Roberts’s a break. They made the most of it and came in first over the line with Matt Ambrose/Sarah Wren (Flixstowe Ferry) second and Geoff/William Sherwood of Parkstone third. This gave the Roberts’s overall victory and kept them up with their excellent winning streak of recent years.

Worthing Yacht Club cannot be thanked enough for the excellent event they organised. Great location, very friendly members and well organised sailing and off water hosting.

Overall Results: