Please select your home edition
Edition
Savvy Navvy 2024

Dart 18 Nationals at Isle of Sheppey Sailing Club

by Geoff Lloyd 2 Jun 2011 22:04 UTC 28-30 May 2011

This year’s Dart 18 Nationals were held at Isle of Sheppey Sailing Club over the Whit Weekend, and the proximity of the channel ports led to competitors arriving from France, Germany, Netherlands and Belgium to swell the entry to 78 boats – the best attendance for 10 years. Rigging and scrutineering took place in a very crowded boat park, but excellent organisation saw all the entries make the start line at 1 o’clock on Saturday in a breezy force 4-5 south-westerly.

The Race Officer got the first start off on time, and ex-World Champion Emmanuel Dode from France crewed by sister Marie-Candire Dode (SRU Vannes) were the first to recognise that the line bias and a big tide meant that a port end start was essential. They led throughout the race and were followed home by other ex-World Champions Dan Norman & Mel Rogers (IOSSC) in second and strong wind specialists Will Thompson & Zander Ozelton (Dee SC) third. The wind built further and race two started in an increasing force 5-6 with the tide running faster and conditions becoming difficult.

With reports suggesting stronger winds were to come the race officer sensibly shortened the course after one lap. Thompson & Ozelton led all the way around, and with Dode & Dode retiring with rudder damage the experienced pairing of David Lloyd & Joanna Jones-Pierce (SBSC) came in second with Norman & Rogers third. The fact that only 35 boats finished race two gives an idea of how difficult things had become.

That was the end of day one, which left Thompson & Ozelton overnight leaders and winners of the Exe Plate for the leaders after two races. The sailors then enjoyed a Caribbean Night at the club complete with grass skirts, palm trees and limbo dancing.

Day two saw similar conditions to the end of day one but with bigger gusts (although it was sunny!). The start was delayed at first for 2 hours, and then for four. With time running out the committee sent two “volunteer” boats out to test the conditions. They both reported difficult seas, an offshore wind with huge gusts, and a tide running out to sea. The decision was taken to cancel the days racing.

After another hard night partying from the social animals of the Dart fleet, everyone assembled for a 9.30am start on the final day, to be met by warm sunshine and a light force 1-2 from the south. Race one was won by Alan & Fiona Kernick (SBSC), who have previously won the French, Dutch, Belgian and Irish Nationals, but never the UK Nationals. They led home winners of the last three UK Nationals Dave & Louise Roberts (SBSC). Norman & Rogers crossed in third, but received the news that they had been black flagged making it difficult for them to win overall.

Light winds, wind shifts leading to a course reset, and a pushy fleet causing several recalls led to a long delay before race four, and with the latest start time 1pm (to allow our continental competitors time to get home), this race was going to be the final one. With several boats counting a high finish in their results and with the fourth race allowing a discard no less than six boats could still win. In the event Kernick & Kernick sailed a very determined race, and read the difficult conditions (shifty light winds with lots of tide) perfectly to collect their second victory of the day, which ensured their first UK National title. Second in the race was single handed sailor Paul Chatfield (SBSC) – an excellent result. Norman & Rogers, in a nearly impossible position after their black flag, gambled too often and eventually retired from the race. However, their black flag was rescinded in the protest room meaning that they eventually finished second. How different things might have been without that black flag call! Thompson and Ozelton finished 6th in race four to confirm third place overall.

UKIDA and IOSSC would like to thank the event sponsors: Windsport International (who gave full technical & repair support at the event); P&O Ferries; English Braids; Sailboat Exchange; Dinghyinsurance.com; and NBC Bird & Pest Solutions. The competitors would like to thank IOSSC for putting on a great event and for showing how well a small club can manage a big fleet. The Dart 18 fleet now moves on to the World Championships in Knokke, Belgium at the end of July.

Time-Lapse Video during the Dart 18 nationals at Isle of Sheppey Sailing Club:

Overall Results:

1st 7770, Alan & Fiona Kernick (SBSC) 8pts
2nd 7788, Dan Norman & Mel Rogers (IOSSC) 8pts
3rd 7707, Pussy Galore, Will Thompson & Zander Ozelton (Dee SC) 10pts
4th 7835, Sailingbooks.co.uk, Dave & Louise Roberts (SBSC) 12pts
5th 1812, Emmanuel & Marie-Candire Dode (SRU Vannes) 13pts
6th 7724, Dinghyinsurance.com, David Lloyd & Joanna Jones-Pierce (SBSC) 13pts
7th 7777, Herve LeMaux & Catherine Alton (Le Touquet) 17pts

Other Prizes:

UKIDA Handicap: Peter & Joanna Coe (Shoreham)
Lady Helm: Nicolette Van Gorp (DE Roerkoning)
Masters Trophy: Rod Winrow & Martin Stevens (Worthing YC)
Youth Trophy: Chris Goymer & Jenni Donovan (IOSSC)
Kim Stevens Trophy (Parent & Child): Peter & Joanna Coe (Shoreham)
Best ‘Moo’comer Trophy: Patrice Gautier & Carole Peletant (France)

Related Articles

Bournemouth Digital Poole Week 2024 overall
Studies in concentration A lot happened on the final day of Poole Week 2024. The wind was in one of its light and fickle moods, the tide was ebbing for the first starts, and the harbour was busy with traffic that had been mercifully light earlier in the week. Posted on 31 Aug
Bournemouth Digital Poole Week 2024 Day 5
The wind returns It might be in the realms of fantasy to imagine that what one writes in the report of one day's racing in a regatta could conceivably have a bearing on what the weather gods dish up the next day. Posted on 30 Aug
Bournemouth Digital Poole Week 2024 Day 4
Fickle winds and fluctuating fortunes Wednesday was to have been a day of round-the-harbour courses for most of the fleets racing in Poole Week. The Dolphins and Cornish Shrimpers tend to sail round-the-harbour courses anyway - none of this triangle/sausage business for them. Posted on 29 Aug
Bournemouth Digital Poole Week 2024 Day 3
Blow the wind Southerly (sometimes with a bit of East in it too) Poole Harbour was very much a harbour of two halves on the Tuesday of Poole Week. In the top triangle, sailing area for the Flying Fifteens and ILCAs (Lasers in old money), the wind started in the south and pretty well stayed there. Posted on 28 Aug
Bournemouth Digital Poole Week 2024 Day 2
A stunning day of sun, wind and sparkle After the first day of Poole Week was blown off by winds gusting to well over 30 knots, Monday produced the sort of conditions that showed Poole Harbour at its best. Posted on 27 Aug
Bournemouth Digital Poole Week 2024 Day 1
A windy welcome to the week Has anyone noticed that 2024 has been rather breezy? Last year, some regattas and championships were struggling with lack of wind. That hasn't been a problem on the whole this year. Posted on 26 Aug
Poole Week: It's a good time to enter!
Discounted entry fees continue until the end of July With discounted entry fees continuing until the end of July, this is a great time to book yourself in for one of the south coast's biggest, liveliest and most sociable regattas for dinghies and small keelboats. Posted on 13 Jul
Dart 18 Nationals at Dee
40 competitors, despite being arranged as short notice Dee Sailing Club welcomed 40 Dart 18s to the 2024 Nationals held over the bank holiday weekend of 25th to 27th May. Despite being organised at short notice, visitors came from as far North as Royal Tay, Scotland to Sanguinet, France. Posted on 6 Jun
The price of heritage
A tale of a city, three towns but one theme, from dinghy historian Dougal Henshall The meeting in question took place down at the National Maritime Museum at Falmouth and saw the 1968 Flying Dutchman Gold Medal winning trio of Rodney Pattisson, Iain MacDonald-Smith and their boat Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious brought back together. Posted on 19 Apr
Oldest videos of racing catamarans
We start in 1965, covering Hobie, Shearwater, Prindle and C Class, then the Worrell 1000 We delve into the past, and round-up all the videos which show racing catamarans, including Hobie cats, Shearwaters, Prindles and C Class, from the 1960s to the 90s. Plus some Worrell 1000 history. Posted on 7 Apr
Maritimo 2023 S-Series FOOTERSavvy Navvy 2024