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Savvy Navvy 2024

Astral Azure 2000 class National Championship at the Royal Torbay Yacht Club - Update

by Pete Vincent 7 Aug 11:18 UTC 5-9 August 2024
Astral Azure 2000 class National Championship at Torbay © Tania Hutchings / www.50northphotography.co.uk

The Astral Azure 25th anniversary 2000 Nationals at the Royal Torbay Yacht Club has been action packed with eventful high quality racing and much fun on shore with a full programme showing exactly why the class has gone from strength to strength in the last 25 years.

On Monday and Tuesday highly respected coach Adam Bowers videoed the racing and gave very well received de briefs after racing in Adam's unique joyous style.

Monday saw an excellent dinner hosted by the club and the West Country Boat Repairs now legendary alternative quiz which featured competitors acting out great British sporting achievements of the past 25 years. Tuesday was the Lakes Mortgages ice cream day with all competitors getting a very welcome hard earned ice cream when they came off the water.

The well-oiled superb Royal Torbay Yacht Club race team have set excellent course with spot on race lengths and some very nifty work laying new replacement windward marks during races to cope with some variable directions.

Sunday saw 8-12 knot southerly with Ed and Andy Connellan laying down an early marker leading race 1 throughout just ahead of a fast finishing Joanthan and Louisa Ching with Ollie Groves/Esther Parkhurst 3rd. Ollie/Esther were the form team in the second race to win from Pete Vincent/Sophie Bentley who just got the better of Jaye Whitehead/Alice Moore on the final run.

Monday saw 10-14 knots from the SW and Ollie/Esther were well clear in race 3 from the Connellan's and Pete/Sophie. Race 4 in more pressure saw Adrian/Ros Stell be a tiny dot right in Torquay have a massive lead at the first mark to win from Ollie/Esther and the Chings.

Tuesday was held in a variable wind strength Westerly. The Connellans scored another impressive win in race 5 with a starbar result from Juliet Barnes/Steve Long in 2nd and Ollie/Esther.

Race 6 was very eventful with Ollie/Esther literally tied up with the pin end boat. Matt Sargent/Zak Mitchell sailed an excellent first beat to have a good lead but half way down the first run the breeze went very soft as the leading group wallowed in the middle of the course rather frantically looking at boats on both edges coming down in new breeze. Somehow Matt/Zak got to the leeward gate 3rd and then sailed a top race to score a well deserved win from Jaye/Alice with the Connellans thirds as boats finished full speed spray everywhere plains.

With crews now on a well deserved lay day the Championships are wide open particularly with the promise of fairly fruity breezy conditions tomorrow.

Results after 6 races:

PosBoatSail NoHelmCrewClubR1R2R3R4R5R6Pts
1st 2321Ollie GrovesEsther ParkhurstBeaver SC31123‑810
2ndtbc22667Ed ConnellanAndy ConnellanRNSA & MNSC1‑11251312
3rdthe good the petite and the ugly22713Peter VincentSophie Supercrew BentleyLlandegfedd and Lee on Soloent423‑87521
4thTwo Peachy Cheeks22722Jonathan ChingLouisa ChingWeirwood SC27736‑1025
5thMaverick22663James WhiteheadAlice MooreRNSA & EXE SC10357‑11227
6thJuliette22504Adrian StellRos StellHISC9‑10415928
7th 2355Matt SargentZak MitchellArmy Sailing Association‑1386104129
8th 22676Matt HartleyCaitlan AndrewsArmy Sailing Association & Halifax SC8584‑12429
9thShapeshifter22696Juliet BarnesSteve LongHooe Point Sailing Club12131062(OCS)43
10thResilience22674Kev O'BrienLaura Holmes ‑ ShortRAFSA / Snettisham SC5‑1491181245
11thShip Faced Again22656Natalie JohnstonChris KeatleyRNSA661117‑18646
12thDr Lavender2204Iain YardleySarah YardleyRYA7413‑1991548
13th 22673Edward DodwellRuben dodwellRAFSA1512(OCS)9141767
14th 22698Oliver ThompsonElliott ThompsonWest Riding Sailing Club1491816‑201168
15thSwordfish22564Helen PhillipsAndrew PhillipsCardiff Bay Yacht Club191514‑21101472
16thNemesis2598Iain WalkerLuca MitchellPSC‑23161512161372
17thRecycled Harp2615Martin Elms ElmsMartin Elms and Emily ElmsThornbury SC / CVLSC2022(OCS)13131684
18th 21277Jim LedgerKate LedgerTankerton Bay SC2117171522‑3192
19thOxsana2214Magnus LeeClaire LeeKeyhaven Yacht Club1719201423‑2493
20th 22658Imogen Cage‑WhiteDarren KirkhamArmy Sailing Association11‑252422192298
21st 22730Dirk MeyerLeif MeyerHunts SC‑3224223115799
22nd 22653James ClaphamHarry Beth and Emily ClaphamRTYC27‑2812232819109
23rdBunwoo22694Alistair RoseNicola CopleyKillington Sailing Association‑332721182721114
24thChilli21059Jacob AllenClare Allen / Stuart AllenCBYC281816‑343026118
25thState of Mind2375Andy MartlandJulia MartlandScaling Dam‑312125302520121
26thDragonFly2587Guy BoswellJulie BoswellLlandegfedd Sailing Club30‑3229201728124
27thJohn Russell21608John RussellIan DickinsonRed Wharf Bay Sailing Club2230272421(DNC)124
28th 22619Michael McEwingAlex WilbyRAFSA/Rutland SC1623262931‑32125
29th 22734Trevor BradleyMirren FroggettThornton Steward Sailing Club2520‑31252629125
30thReally hummin21348Alan GouleCathy StevensPaignton Sailing Club18‑3828272925127
31stMercury Rising2248John BestSusy AddingtonLOSSC2631192633(DNC)135
32nd 2217Edie CarterJeremy CarterBough Beech Sailing Club29292328‑3230139
33rd 21718Mike OsborneCheryl OsborneHayling Island24263032‑3433145
34th 2999Tim MorganMorag AikenPaignton sailing club3433(DNC)DNC2418152
35thEquinox21405Christopher Wallis WallisNina WallisWilsonian363536‑373527169
36th 22700Jacob HarrisonAmy ManningArmy Sailing Association(RET)3638353823170
37th 2259Simon PhillipsMike storeyPort dinorwic sc38‑4033333735176
38thPeachy Cheeks22612Rebecca SmithAmy ChingWeir Wood Sailing Club‑4137323636RET181
39thStill Smiling Too2305Nik AntoniadesRosie BrownWilsonian37‑4134384034183
40thVillian2762Paul SmithCharlotte SmithSutton Sailing Club39‑42353939DNF192
41st 2523Zoe RalphRachel SheridanWilsonian Sailing Club40393740‑4136192
42nd 2817Valerie HaguePaul HagueBowmoor SC3534(DNC)DNCDNCDNC198

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