News

Ellie Ratusniak 12/17/21 Ellie Ratusniak 12/17/21

Happy Holidays

The UKLA Team would like to wish all members, their families and friends Happy Holidays and Happy New Year.

We hope you enjoyed sailing with us this year and you are looking forward to more racing and training next year!

I would like to thank the committee who have devoted their time to the class and make things happen in the background.

We are very lucky to have an exceptionally knowledgeable and enthusiastic team that leads this fantastic class to successes.

I would also like to thank the sailors, parents, officials and all volunteers for their continuous support - the class could not function without you!

THANK YOU

From Ellie

ILCA UK 12/16/21 ILCA UK 12/16/21

RYA Volunteer Awards 2021

You may have seen the news about the RYA Volunteer awards this year in the RYA article, but if not, here are some extracts.

Massive congratulations to all those that have been recognised and this include at least three people that contribute to the successes of UKLA:

Rob Cage - Our Chairman!

“Rob has been instrumental in leading the UKLA (formerly UK Laser Class Association) over the last four years, through a very challenging period, initially as Vice Chair and now Chair. He has transformed the Committee, rewriting the constitution and updating the website and electronic media. He has been influential in rekindling strong relationships between the association and the RYA, [the builders - Ed], and other organisations. His open, inclusive style has created an environment where a broad base of volunteers readily supports UKLA events. The committee is now motivated to drive forward positive initiatives to re-engage with the grass roots membership and increase participation in sailing, while maintaining the achievements of the high-performance end of the class. He has led several initiatives to help club sailors, including UKLA-led club training. WhileCovid-19 severely impacted racing throughout 2020, he nevertheless led a hugely successful ULKA National Championship. Rob’s outstanding leadership and effort over the past four years has resulted in the class’s continued success. 2021 has seen its 50th anniversary and thanks to him, the foundations are set for the next 50 years”

Mike Butterfield - Jury Chair

“Mike has volunteered for over 50 years ago and has been involved with the Welsh Yachting Association (now RYA Cymru Wales) since 1973. Initially as the Anglesey representative on the Management committee, he has served continuously on the Board and currently holds the position of Chair. He is also RYA Race Management Coordinator for North Wales. Always available to help with all aspects of club and association administration and governance, he has also provided invaluable assistance with race management, and in particular racing documentation. He has supported many local, national and international events over the years, and continues to volunteer as an International Race Officer, International Umpire and International Judge. He supports the RYA Environment and Sustainability programme by advising on planning and strategic implementation of Welsh Government policies, and is a trustee of All Afloat, the charity partner to RYA Cymru Wales. Mike’s passion for, and dedication to, the sport and his knowledge of all things legal and boating have been of great value to the Board throughout the many years he has dedicated to it”

Ken Porter - WPNSA

“Ken has volunteered at Weymouth & Portland National Sailing Academy (WPNSA), and Chesil Sailability, since 2013. He is known to thousands of competitors in his role as lead operator of the ‘Bridge’, radio room, providing the vital link between on the water and ashore. Typically, the first volunteer on site each day, it is not unusual for him also to be the last to leave. His calm, level-headed and diplomatic approach is one of his greatest attributes at the many events hosted at WPNSA, including the Youth Nationals, Olympic Class regattas and RYA Sailability events. He is always fully in tune with the academy’s procedures and expectations. At the heart of the Bridge team, Ken is a reassuring presence, with the ability to keep ahead of incidents, making sure that the entire race management team can maintain awareness of developing situations. His reassuring voice over the PA system is instantly recognisable.”

Awards Booklet

ILCA UK 12/16/21 ILCA UK 12/16/21

UKLA Shop - Last Minute CHRISTMAS PRESSIES?

We now have our very own UKLA shop!

You can purchase anniversary hats, hoodies, and t- shirts via the online store at Stitchprint:

Home UKLA (stitchprint.co.uk)

ILCA UK 12/16/21 ILCA UK 12/16/21

New Podcasts!

The latest episode of an Hour with Flower is now out - this time Ben checks up on what top sailor Lorenzo Chiavarini has been up to- Part 2.

LISTEN TO THE PODCASTS HERE

ILCA UK 12/16/21 ILCA UK 12/16/21

Join the Team

The UKLA is looking for enthusiastic people to join our ever growing team - In particular at the moment we’re looking for people to help with:

Marketing Officer
The National Grand Prix Circuit co-ordinator
Newsletter helper
Safety Leader

Please email Ellie at the office if you can assist in any way - even one morning a month would be great!

Tony Woods 12/16/21 Tony Woods 12/16/21

Coach Yourself to Win - Jon Emmett Ferhurst Books Extra

BOAT HANDLING

Extract from Coach Yourself to Win by Jon Emmett

The phrase ‘boat handling’ refers to any skills that are not directly related to straight line speed.

These can often be practised on land where the boat is securely tied to the trolley, and you can analyse very carefully what is best to do with your hands and feet with no risk of a capsize.

The important thing is to be able to perform near perfect boat handling maneuvers under pressure as this gives you lots of tactical options. For example, if you know that you can tack under someone without being rolled, or if you can gybe quickly making it hard for someone to cover you (or easier for you to cover them). You do so many tacks and gybes over the course of a race: if you can make each one just one third of a boat length better, cumulatively that is a huge distance by the end of the race, and many fewer points at the end of a series.

It is also worth noting that slow speed boat handling skills, like those required pre-start, are very important too. It is not all about achieving rapid acceleration: being able to slow down, hold position and turn without going over a start line are all very important.

Practice

Practice makes perfect so, if you think of all the boat handling that you do during the course of a race, it is obvious that boat handling drills are an essential part of any campaign. When sailing high performance boats for the first time, just being able to get around the race course in the upper wind range can be a real achievement (and it is perhaps worth making sure that your first couple of sails are done in light to medium breezes!).

It is advisable to get your boat handling to a reasonable level before you hitch your boat up to go to your first open meeting as you cannot race effectively if your boat handling is not up to scratch (your strategy and tactics will be compromised if you cannot tack / gybe or get around the marks efficiently).

That old cliché: ‘time on the water’ is definitely true when it comes to perfecting boat handling but remember that the more specific and demanding you make your training exercises, the greater the potential improvement. By doing a good range of exercises (rather than simply going out and tacking and gybing) it is possible to keep motivation high, and old skills can soon be remembered again with intensive practice. In fact, practising boat handling can be an excellent way of developing specific fitness (like doing fast spinnaker hoists and drops).

Don’t Apply the Brake

Using the rudder to correct the steering of a boat (forcing it to sail in a straight line when it wants to luff up or bear away) makes the rudder act as a brake. Therefore, any boat will probably be sailing at its fastest when using minimum corrective steerage.

Even in classes like the Laser, where you do lots of downwind turns, you still want to do this with minimal rudder movement (instead using the crew weight and sheeting to get the boat to turn).

Remember that when you are sailing in a straight line the boat needs to be kept flat. You can prove this to yourself by (briefly) letting go of the tiller and seeing if the boat carries on in a straight line.

When the boat is turning corners, you will, of course, need some rudder movement, but as much as possible you want the rudder to follow the boat’s turn (which is caused by crew weight and sheeting) rather than aggressive pushing or pulling of the tiller! Often the more body movement the better, as this is your opportunity to put some energy into the boat. You need to be controlled but aggressive – so big movements but remember to keep them smooth.

TACKS & GYBES

The first thing we need to do is define what a good tack is (much like before the days of sat navs we used to have to look at a road map to decide the best route to take before setting off). A good tack is simply one where you continue to make maximum progress upwind. For example, if you try to tack too quickly, then you are likely to lose speed in the tack.

There will be times when you simply need to tack as quickly as possible, perhaps because you overstood a layline, or you needed to tack to cover or break cover, but this is always for tactical reasons and normally you want to do the best tack possible (although you may go into footing or pinching mode later).

The exact actions of a tack are, of course, dependent upon the class. A heavy keelboat may well maintain its speed very well, whereas a catamaran may lose its speed dramatically, and this will be reflected in the speed of the turn. Different classes of boat will have different optimum pointing angles (and top speeds) in different conditions.

A good run-to-run gybe follows the same principle: you need to continue to make maximum downwind progress. So the speed, and indeed turning angle, may vary widely from class to class as well as across the wind speed range.

A good reach-to-reach gybe is simply about getting the boat going as fast as possible in the new direction, as quickly as you can! When rounding a mark, a wide entry will allow a narrow exit so, assuming you have room, this is the preferred method. If it is extremely windy (and you are in safety mode) you may want to do a run-to-run gybe first, then head up slowly.

In both tacks and gybes there are really three points:

A slow smooth turn directly up or downwind: although the boat is slightly slowing, it is now pointing very close to the direction of the next mark (up or downwind).
A large roll when the boat is either head to wind or directly downwind: the amount of roll is dependent upon the class of boat and the wind strength.
The second half of the tack / gybe needs to be fast: rolling the boat flat, sheeting in and moving the crew weight to the normal racing position as soon as possible. Exiting the tack the rudder must be straight, so that it does not act as a brake.

Remember: the tack or gybe does not need to look pretty. It doesn’t matter if you are not clipped onto the trapeze or whether you are holding the mainsheet hand right up in the air. As long as the boat trim / balance and sail setting is good, you will have good speed. You can worry about putting the tiller in the correct hand and tidying away the sheet later (as soon as you reach full speed).

CHANGING GEAR

Tacks and gybes actually have much in common: the movements of the hands and feet are to control the speed of the turn and the power in the boat. As the wind speed and rate of turn increase, these movements also increase, and the exact movements of the hands and feet will remain similar. In light winds you need to use lots of roll to power through the turn, whereas in strong winds you need to move across the boat very quickly to control the power.

If the conditions of the day change, you not only need to adjust your rig for straight line speed but also to think about changing your boat handling. Sometimes (class dependent) it is not possible to change the rig during the race, so you may have to make large changes to your boat handling to compensate for being very over or underpowered.

The key area is transitions which may happen in a race. For example, in 25 knots you may ‘tack as normal’ whereas in a gust of 30 knots it may be sensible to do a ‘safety tack’. Likewise, if the wind drops you need to remember to use more roll in the middle part of the turn. Training in extreme conditions (very light or very windy) is an excellent way of improving boat handling and will of course make things seem much easier (when not sailing in extreme conditions).

TOP & BOTTOM TURNS IN WAVES

When sailing downwind you are always looking for the route of least resistance and this means looking for the gap in the waves, so that you can carry on surfing without loading up the rig by turning into the bottom of the wave in front. The better the conditions, and the better the sailor, the more time you can spend surfing and often your speed is determined more by how many waves you miss than by how many you catch. Remember it takes far less energy to continue to surf than it does to get the boat to surf in the first place.

Even if it is possible to go over the waves, you are always looking for the lowest point to cross. When you start going over the waves you may start to jump clean over, so you need to be even more careful not to bury the bow in the wave in front, as hitting it at speed may lead to a pitchpole. At the point when you are going straight over the waves, you are now focusing on steering a straight line to the next mark, to minimise distance sailed, just like you would in non-surfing conditions.

When you need to steer over or to catch the waves good top and bottom turns become really important, especially in marginal surfing conditions. You need to position the crew weight perfectly so that the boat is finely balanced to go in one direction but can be easily steered by a small change of bodyweight to windward or leeward.

By moving the body weight to leeward the shape of the boat encourages it to head up without having to use the rudder. When the boat is on its new course you can then roll the boat flat. This uses the energy of the crew to steer the boat rather than the rudder, which can slow it down.

Similarly, by moving the body weight to windward the shape of the boat encourages the boat to bear away without having to use the rudder. When the boat is on its new (desired) course you can then move the weight in to flatten the boat.

When the boat is going in a straight line you should be able to let go of the tiller and the boat will continue in a straight line. Most classes of boat will sail fastest with minimum corrective steerage, as use of the rudder creates drag. So you steer the boat with body weight and sail setting rather than using the rudder.

TOP TIP

Your position fore and aft is dependent on the wind strength: the lighter the wind, the further Forward you sit; the stronger the wind, the further back you sit.

The more kicker you have, the easier it is to make the boat head up but the harder it is to make it bear away and vice versa.

Advice from Olympic Gold Medallist (Laser class) Paul Goodison

Boat handling is the one area where everybody is capable of doing well; it is all about practice and keeping sharp.

I try to break down each manoeuvre into several sections so that it is easier to analyse. For example, a leeward mark rounding would be split into entry, transition and exit. Each one of these areas can then be broken down further. It is important to master the first stage before trying to perfect the next stage, as an error early in the manoeuvre may affect the end.

There is no better way to train than just repeating the manoeuvres until they are perfect. Try to be very critical when things aren’t quite right, and aim for perfection. Each small gain in boat handling leads to a much bigger gain on the race course; everybody will make small mistakes, so it’s all about trying to minimise these errors.

Coach Yourself to Win is written by gold medal winning coach and 4 times world champion in his own right, Jon Emmett. It takes you through the 12 fundamental elements of successful sailing.

To get more of Jon Emmett’s top tips, Coach Yourself to Win can be bought here (https://fernhurstbooks.com/books/permalink/6/coach_yourself_to_win). People who sign up to Fernhurst Books’ newsletter can get 25% off the cost of the book.

ILCA UK 11/22/21 ILCA UK 11/22/21

Changes to the ILCA Constitution

The ILCA World Council and Advisory Council have approved several updates to the ILCA Constitution.

In order to implement these changes, according to clause 17 of the ILCA Constitution, approval by two thirds of the membership replying in response to a ballot is now required.

Read full article on ILCA website

Tim Hulse 11/22/21 Tim Hulse 11/22/21

November UKLA Training record!

By Tim Hulse

On a bright Autumn weekend, the UKLA regional training sprung to life, with over 70 ILCA’s at two different venues taking to the water. Lead coaches Dan Belban and Shaun Priestly ensured all sailors made the most of the conditions and opportunities each day.

The UKLA training vision is to have open training that every member can access, regardless of age or ability.

This weekend was no different, all three rigs were seen on the water, with experience ranging from new to the boat ILCA sailors, all the way to ILCA 6 World Championship Medalists.

It was also excellent to see some more ‘mature’ sailors taking to the water in Weymouth, we hope to see even more next time.

Sunday saw all sailors show their respect to those who have represented the country in conflict, with all sailors sitting head to wind during the two-minute silence as our mark of respect.

A big thank you must go to Brightlingsea Sailing Club for their excellent hospitality and fantastic sailing venue, also to WPNSA and the Andrew Simpson Performance Academy for all the vital work they do to help these weekends run.

The logistics behind running such weekends is quite something, waiting lists on entry allow us to ensure all resources are planned and booked accordingly, however frustrating this maybe, I assure you we work tirelessly to keep these too a minimum, with the November and December weekends showing our ability to ensure all sailors wishing to participate get the opportunity.

Finally, a huge thank you to the parents and coaches who make these weekends happen, without the commitment and dedication of both, we would not have such an amazing training culture.

See you on the water soon.

Tim

To know more about out training check out the training page
To book events head to the calendar

ILCA UK 11/20/21 ILCA UK 11/20/21

Noble Marine Inland Championships 2021

Great write ups in Yachts and Yachting by

Ben Flower, Alastair Brown and Imogen Palmer

Photos by Lotte Johnson, Videos by Jon Emmett

ilca 7 report

ILCA 6 Report

ilca 4 report

ILCA UK 11/19/21 ILCA UK 11/19/21

Masters Inland Championships 2021

2021 UKLA Masters Inland National Championships

Graham Water sailing Club - 16th & 17th October

ILCA 7 Fleet

By Guy Noble (UKLA)

Another year, another surprising Inlands and Alan Davis would like that trophy back, but some new faces put pay to that. Colin Leonard from Ballyholme Yacht Club managed to hold onto an overnight lead to take the title of Masters Inland National Champion with Alan Davis and Gary Knott just two points adrift in the second and third respectively.

Along with Rutland Water and Chew Valley Lake, Grafham Water is one of the best inland sailing venues in the country - big enough to fit a decent course but no tides and flat water. Mastering the skills needed to excel in puddle sailing, as it is sometime often referred as, has helped some of our greatest sailors and so 64 ILCA7 and ILCA6 sailors (32 in each fleet) prepared to do battle.

Before they set off to these open meetings and championships many sailors will look to the race reports to give them insight into the venues sailing idiosyncrasies - south-westerlies in Portland Harbour usually means going left off the start line. However very minor changes in wind direction on inland water can produce massive differences in favoured sides of the course, not to mention huge pressure differences. You've been warned.

After a short delay race 1 got underway in very light conditions, 4 - 6 Knots at 170 degrees. The fleet split with those favouring the left coming out with a slight advantage. Graham MacWhirter claimed the race win with Colin Leonard 2nd and local Phil Bevan 3rd.

Race 2 offered up similar fare but this time Alan Davis took the win with Phil Bevan 2nd and Colin 3rd. You would think a pattern was now emerging but no. Race 3 gave Alan a very bloody nose in the form of a 24th - as he commented, one of his worst results he could remember. Top dogs were new Master recruit Clive Eplett 1st, Dave Goddard 2nd and David Binding 3rd.

With the prospect of much better wind on Sunday the leaderboard looked wide open and the championships were still well and truly up for grabs.

As is now becoming the tradition with Masters weekend events lavish spot prizes and prize draws courtesy of our incredible sponsors make the evening entertainment rather trilling. Bob Draper from Stokes Bay SC walked way with the Minorca sailing Holiday, Howard Green and Alison Stevens won quality Vaikobi Bouncy aids and others won some very nice kit. Graham water sailing club laid on some great nosh and we all left ready for Sunday…

The promised 10 to 13 knots did eventually kick in. But the first race, although a massive improvement on Saturday, was still pretty tame - 6 - 8 knots southerly. Maybe Mrs. Knott had obviously given Gary a talking to because he came out fighting hard and took the win. Bill Busby (Leigh & Lowton SC) was starting to find his form with 2rd and Alan Davis bouncing back in 3rd. But Colin Leonard was now looking vulnerable with an 8th…

The wind increased for Race 5 and 6. The left was still good at the bottom of the course but depending where you were in the fleet getting in the pressure further up was crucial. Andrew Holdworth (normally seen in the USA at the Gorge and now new masters recruit ) stormed into the lead with Mark Greenstreet (Wembley SC) sailing almost perfectly, having his best race of the weekend to come in 2rd. Clive Eplett put in another good performance to get 3rd.

The Championships were now between Colin, Alan and Gary. Colin hadn’t won a race, Alan was surprisingly inconsistent and needed to win, and Gary, consistent but needed another win. In the end it was Andy Holdsworth who won the last race with Alan coming in 2nd, but this wasn’t enough. Colin Leonard just managed to do enough to become the ILC7 Inlands Master National Champion.

Notable performances - apart from those already mentioned several sailors achieved some excellent results - Tim Keighley, Malcolm Marsden, Howard Green, Peter McChrystal, Andy Fox, Michael Parker, Matthew Fletcher, Keith Videlo (former Open National Champion eased his way back, finishing 3rd in the final race - he will be a contender next season) all with a top ten result. Nick Stoten came close in several races but lost out at the last mark roundings.

6 great races orchestrated and brilliantly choreographed by Nigel Denchfield and his excellent team from Graham Water SC. UKLA say Thank you Grafham.

ILCA 6 Fleet

By Paul Heath

Saturday started dry and bright but as the scheduled midday start time approached there was next to no wind over the entire course area so a one hour postponement was signaled enabling the sailors to stock up on even more tea and cake. During this time a light 4 knot breeze filled in, which was all the excuse the OD needed to get the 32 strong fleet afloat.

With the fleet sailing an inner loop course across the width of the water it was certainly a ‘heads out of the boat’ day to spot the odd gust on the water, to avoid the holes and spot the shifts which all made for a mentally tiring day.

Race 1 saw a postponed start as into the starting sequence the wind shifted but the line was quickly sorted and away we went. First out of the blocks, and showing all the youngsters around, was Kevin Pearson (Thames SC – Master Legend) who took the win from apprentice master Jon Emmett (Weir Wood SC – Apprentice Master) with Ian Gregory (Frensham Pond SC - Master) third.

Race 2 saw Paul Heath (Leigh & Lowton SC – Grand Master) lead from start to finish although he did need some help when he headed off to the ILCA 7 set of leeward marks before realising his error (Thanks Jonesy) Ian Jones (Dovestone SC - Master) finished second with Rob Cage (Thames SC –Grand Master) third.

The final race of the day was won by Jon Emmett closely followed by Ian Jones with Kevin Pearson coming back into form with a third place finish.

After racing the sailors meet up in the clubhouse for a fabulous meal, on the spot prize giving and a draw for a sailing holiday with prizes supplied by the fleets generous sponsors . Bob Draper from Stokes Bay SC walked way with the Minorca sailing Holiday, Alison Stevens and Howard Green won quality Vaikobi buoyancy aids and others won some very nice kit.

An early Sunday morning start for the fleet but with the promise of more breeze had everybody on the water for 10.30am. The wind was in the same southerly direction as yesterday and racing got away promptly in around 6 knots of breeze but increased throughout the race and the rest of the day to make for some great racing.

After a general recall the black flag make appearance in Race 4 but all got clean away on the restart.

Ian Gregory took a convincing win from Jon Emmett with Ian Jones in third.

Race 5 saw Gregory and Jones hit the front and pull well away from the rest of the fleet so it was difficult to see whether the lead was swopped but in the end it was Jones who took the win, Gregory second and Richard Smith (Master) third.

At the start of Race 6 Emmett traded blows with Jones and sailed what he(wrongly) thought was his title rival to the farthest right of the course. While this was going on Ian Gregory headed to the left, tacked and cleared the fleet and rounded the windward mark first and was never headed. Behind him Alison Stevens (Queen Mary SC – Apprentice Master) was up there again and this time held on to finish second. Emmett sailed himself from near back of the fleet to get into, and finish, third but it was not enough overall to prevent Ian Gregory from winning the event overall.

So with 6 races over 2 days, 5 separate race winners, variable wind conditions, a helpful, friendly but competitive fleet, an organiser and committee that pulls out all the stops to make it an inclusive

event for all level of sailors, a fantastic prize giving and sponsors plus a Grafham race team that were incredible and got everything right in setting lines, courses and marks.

full results

We are proud to be sponsored by:

Sailingfast – Duncan brings his battle bus down from Scotland for most the big events, which is so ridiculously well equipped, you could replace everything on your boat. Although based in Scotland they will get anything to you super fast. He also supplied many of the prizes for the draw on Saturday evening. Website: https://sailingfast.co.uk

SouthEast Sailboats – Max brings bespoke quality at affordable prices to the class. His passion for detail has made his products a must have for anyone who wants quality. He also supplied many great prizes for the event. Website: https://southeastsailboats.co.uk

Ovington Boats - Chris Turner lives dinghies and has been a significance presence in the boat building world for decades. OB are now the official UK builders of ILCAs. A very smart new Ovington ILCA Dinghy was on display at the Masters event. Website: https://www.ovingtonboats.com

Vaikobi- a brand born on the waters of Sydney Harbour, out of a passion for all ocean sports. Across the team, we paddle, Surfski, SUP, Wing Foil and Sail. Sailing has been a passion within the business right from the start. The senior management team at Vaikobi comprise more than fifty years of marine industry and sailing experience between them. Website: www.vaikobi.com

Minorca Sailing Holidays - specialise in sailing holidays in Minorca. Whether you’d like to learn to sail, windsurf or just improve your sailing Minorca Sailing Holidays will guide you with great instructors and a perfect and safe environment. Website: https://minorcasailing.co.uk

ILCA UK 11/16/21 ILCA UK 11/16/21

ILCA 7 Senior Worlds 2021 Barcelona

British Sailing Team ILCA 7 Sam Whaley reports:

“It was a really tricky week out in Barcelona but I’m pretty chuffed to finish the event 15th overall, an improvement of almost fifty places from last year,”

“The team environment we have at the moment is brilliant and has really allowed us to level up this year. It’s pretty cool to share this success with my squad mates as well as coaches Penny Clark and Matt Howard, who have been awesome this week. I’m going to remember this one for a long time.”

Full article can be found here

Alastair Brown 10/21/21 Alastair Brown 10/21/21

Extract from “GOLDEN LILY”

THE MEDAL RACE

“One day you will wake up and it is 30th July”. (This date was the first day of racing for the Laser Radial class in the London 2012 Olympic Games.)

This was a sentence my English coach, Jon Emmett, said to me one year before the London Olympics, and he kept on repeating it every now and again. He was trying to help me prepare for this feeling at the start of this big event. And now it was here!

Since there was limited accreditation for each team, only Lima was registered as my coach and Jon wasn’t even able to enter the Olympic Venue or Athletes’ Village. My Chinese mobile phone and laptop had been confiscated by the team, just as it had been in the last Olympic Games in Qingdao. My coaches and leaders believed that I would be protected from pressure and distraction if I was not able to contact anyone in China during the event.

Fortunately, I could still use my UK phone and keep up communication with Jon. He had set his own phone on ‘outdoor mode’ 24 hours a day during the Olympics, and I knew that I could always speak to him, day or night. Every morning I would receive detailed e-mails from Jon with that day’s analysis of the weather, course area, race strategy and key words I needed to remember. Then I would give him a call for a short conversation, instead of a face-to-face meeting, before heading to the venue. He would always end the call with a few final positive words, like “I believe in you”; “We strive to do our very best, hand in hand”; “Let us make the most of the Games”; “Work hard and have fun”; Every day, in every way, I get better and better”; and so on.

After racing we would meet in the gym, doing some light aerobics, followed by a deep stretch to help my body recover quicker. In order to make it less obvious, Jon borrowed his mother’s car, rather than driving his van which had a big logo saying ‘Jon Emmett Sailing’ on it. As usual, we used that time to do our debrief, but this week it was more about psychological topics than sailing.

Annalise Murphy, from Ireland, had a brilliant start to the Games, scoring four first places in a row. After two days’ racing, I was 23 points behind Annalise and in fifth place. From the third day onwards, I consistently climbed up the leader board every day, and entered the final Medal Race with the yellow (leader’s) bib.

This race was going to be a fierce competition. Of the top four sailors (Lijia Xu, China; Marit Bouwmeester, Netherlands; Annalise Murphy, Ireland; Evi Van Acker, Belgium): whoever won the Medal Race would be the Olympic Champion. It had been a pretty dramatic series as all the medal hopes had had some ups and downs – and after ten races we would start even again, for possibly the most important race in all our lives.

In the last briefing with Jon, he told me to sail my own race and follow my instinct. He reminded me that, as far as Rule 42 (making the boat go faster through certain actions like pumping, rocking or sculling) was concerned, there was a different penalty in the Medal Race from the rest of the regatta. Usually when you are first whistled for breaking Rule 42, you have to do two turns, and the second time it happens in a regatta you have to retire from the race. I already had received one penalty in the regatta, so normally another one in this race would mean I would have to retire from the Medal Race, with no chance of a medal. But it is different for the Medal Race and every whistle means ‘just’ a two-turn penalty.

Jon carefully checked that day’s forecast and observed that there might be some shifts to the right. His final words on the phone were “sail like a new regatta and embrace every challenge”. Jon made me laugh several times that morning, making me feel happy and relaxed. He knew it was going to be a good day, but didn’t know just how good.

The conditions for our Medal Race were very different to the previous ones. The wind had been lighter for the previous Medal Races and the left-hand side of the beat had been favoured. For our race, there was still more wind on the left, but because the wind was stronger, the extra pressure would not give more speed. Jon advised me that the shifts on the right (near the land) would be more important.

I asked Jon how windy it was, and he assured me it wouldn’t be too windy as the wind would be strongest for the Men’s Laser Medal Race after ours. Thank goodness we had our Medal Race before the wind increased.

I launched an hour before the starting time as usual. I did my normal pre-race routine, and everything was well planned. It was a westerly wind of 12-15 knots. The Medal Race was held on the Nothe course area, where it could be very shifty since it was close to the shore. After checking the course three times (upwind and downwind), and tracking the wind for about 30 minutes, I found out that there was always a wind bend on the right-hand side, but more wind on the left, upwind.

Before starting, Lima told me that, based on past data on this area and in this wind direction, the left-hand side had a higher ratio of winning upwind. Meanwhile, the starting line was biased towards the pin end (left hand side) by about 15 degrees. Now I had to make the decision about which side of the course I was going to sail, based on this information about this tricky area.

In the end, I chose to start by the pin end (left hand side) and tack onto port (to go right) at the first opportunity, to take advantage of the wind bend on the right-hand side upwind. I would then sail high after rounding the windward mark to get the left-hand side gusts on the run (which would actually be the right-hand side downwind).

I had a so-so start as I managed to position myself as the second boat next to the leeward end (pin), but my acceleration wasn’t good enough. Within a minute, I was overtaken by Marit (NED) who was the third boat by the pin.

“No problem, Lily, I can now tack onto port and head for the right-hand side of the course”, I said to myself and did so. But I was then almost last as I had to duck (sail behind) all the right-of-way boats on starboard. Despite this temporary loss, I actually felt more confident heading to the right because I was on the best lift (or heading) on port. This meant that all the starboard boats were sailing lower than the average heading, because of the oscillating wind shift to the left.

It was risky because the majority of the fleet were sailing to the left and only two boats were on the right. If my judgement turned out to be wrong, then my game was over – I would be off the podium, or certainly not on the top of it. However, my port tack angle was so high that I was convinced that I should continue on this route without any hesitation.

As I anticipated, the wind started to shift back to the right before I reached the lay line (the course to round the mark). I tacked immediately and the wind kept veering, taking me up all the way to the first mark. I was second after crossing all the other boats. Annalise (IRL) was leading the fleet and she was, no doubt, the fastest upwind in medium to strong winds.

After rounding the windward mark, I sailed to the right, as I had intended, to stay in the best wind pressure, and soon overtook the Irish boat. Suddenly I heard a whistle coming from behind. Looking back, a judge was pointing a yellow flag at me and hailed “China”! I was being penalised for breaking Rule 42. It is strange that I have rarely been whistled and got a yellow flag but did in my two Olympic Games. I am a very smooth sailor and struggle to do manoeuvres aggressively, whereas Marit and Evi’s combative sailing styles have led to them having had several whistles from the judges (including at this Olympics).

Well, it wasn’t going to matter since Jon had reminded me that it did not mean a retirement in the Medal Race, and I had imagined so many times how to deal with different types of on-the-water incidents. I didn’t even waste a moment to reflect on what had happened or what went wrong. Instead, I accepted it, dealt with it, let it go and promptly focussed back on my race. Watching the live TV ashore, Jon was also relieved that he had reminded me I did not have to retire and was pleased to see me take the penalty quickly.

This approach was deeply rooted in my subconscious, and I reacted quickly with a penalty turn and then concentrated on my downwind steering again. I was completely unaware of my position at that point, and it was not until I watched the video on shore afterwards that I realised that I had dropped from first to fourth place. It seems that I was wholly engaged in my own race and didn’t bother to think about anything that was beyond my control. I don’t know how I passed the other three boats to be leading again, but we were all very close to each other.

Before rounding the leeward mark, GBR and NED attempted to get an overlap inside me (and so have the right to go inside me at the mark) by sailing much higher than the lay line to the mark.

I luffed firmly not to give them any chances.

I managed to protect my leading position all the way to the finish by combining tactics with playing the shifts. At the finish line I couldn’t help myself and shouted loudly and raised my arm to celebrate my victory. I kissed my boat and thanked her for her cooperation and company on this wonderful journey.

Marit (NED) was next, following about 30 metres behind, and claimed the silver medal. Evi (BEL) was the third finisher in that Medal Race and got a bronze overall.

For the first time in my life, Lima and Quebec hugged me to celebrate when I approached the coaches’ RIB. I could hardly conceal my excitement, raising and waving the Chinese flag high up with the sail. Wow – I had made history: the first ever dinghy sailing gold medal for both China and Asia!

Golden Lily is written by Lijia Xu. Lijia (or Lily) was born in Shanghai in 1987. Her sports career started at the age of 5 when she was accepted by the Changning District Swimming Team. Her interest in sailing began in 1997 after being approached by the Shanghai Optimist Sailing Coach. From the age of 10 Lijia travelled all year round to sail and train; becoming a full-time sailor shortly after her 10th birthday. She twice won the Optimist World Championships. She won a bronze medal in the Laser radial in Beijing 2008 and gold in London 2012.

To learn about Lily’s amazing life, Golden Lily can be bought here: https://fernhurstbooks.com/books/permalink/17/golden_lily

Those signing up to the Fernhurst Books’ mailing list can get 25% off.

Tony Woods 10/21/21 Tony Woods 10/21/21

Micky is European champion!

By Jake Farren - Price

Micky Beckett sailed a fantastic regatta to win the European Championships! Jake Farren-Price tells what happened:

This year’s European Championships after being delayed from Earlier in the Spring took place during the first week of October in Varna, Bulgaria. In the couple of days before the regatta started there was a marked change in the weather – from sunny skies and temperatures in the high teens and sometimes above 20 to a very cold Northerly breeze.

For what was predicted to be a nice light wind event turned into an absolute hike fest with awesome sea state and cold grey days.

The race course was tucked just under a peninsula so we had quite dramatic side swell for most of our racing which made the racing challenging. We had 3 days of qualifying which we managed to get 5 races in and 3 days of finals managing to get another 5 in. The race committee decided to split up the timings for ILCA 7s and the ILCA 6s giving one fleet a lie in each day before racing. It turned out to be a wise decision as the race committee were insistent on having perfect wind for each race which meant a lot of waiting around under the AP flag. In 20 knots with some serious wind chill, it wasn’t received too well. However, the races that did happen were fair and true.

Our Micky Beckett sailed a blinding series starting the week of with two bullets which set the tone for how he conducted the rest of the regatta. Leading after every day it was a clear display of how to race in those conditions. He now adds a gold European medal to his cabinet alongside 2 silvers in previous years. He also adds the tally of British dominance at Europeans in the ILCA 7 to 4 wins in the last 5 years.

Now preparations have started for the World Championships in Barcelona in early November, watch out for the Brits smoking out the top of the fleet there.

And to hear a great interview of Micky by Jon Emmett - click here

ILCA UK 10/18/21 ILCA UK 10/18/21

Join the Team

The UKLA is looking for enthusiastic people to join our ever growing team - In particular at the moment we’re looking for people to help with:

Marketing Officer
The National Grand Prix Circuit
Newsletter

Please email Ellie at the office if you can assist in any way - even one morning a month would be great!

ILCA UK 10/18/21 ILCA UK 10/18/21

UKLA Shop -Anniversary Garments

We now have our very own UKLA shop!

You can purchase anniversary hats, hoodies, and t- shirts via the online store at Stitchprint:

Home UKLA (stitchprint.co.uk)

ILCA UK 10/5/21 ILCA UK 10/5/21

Race Officials Academy Sprint racing training

When: Sunday 28th November

Where: Datchet SC, Queen Mother Reservoir, Horton Rd, Horton, Slough SL3 9NT

The RYA are holding a training weekend for the RYA Race Officials Academy and are hosting a Sprint racing training event on Sunday 28th November.

The event will be run by the Academy who are aspiring Race Officials together with their mentors who are International Race Officials.

A great experience for sailors to have approximately 3 hours of sprint races and feedback from umpires, jury, mark layers and the race management team. Limited to 18 boats and £12 per boat.

book here

Guest User 9/19/21 Guest User 9/19/21

Transition week

With the ever changing landscape Covid brought us this summer, the UKLA found it had to work fast to continually adapt plans. The cancelled U21 Worlds in Weymouth gave way to an opportunity for the class to run an alternative event. With many sailors having transitioned into the class and across the classes over Lockdown, we felt that Transition Week could provide them with a good start into the class.

36 sailors signed up over all 3 classes and the week was split into morning training and afternoon racing. The idea was that the sailors put into practice what they had learnt in the mornings. The first three days of racing were for practice culminating with the final two days into a mini series.

A strong coaching team was provided which was led by James Hadden and supported by our Training Officer Tim Hulse. The sailors were allocated a coach for the week which allowed them to build a relationship with that coach in the hope that they would feel more comfortable to ask questions and engage effectively. The reality of the week was far more reaching than we hoped with all the sailors engaging with all of the coaches both on and off the water.

The weather for the week was kind, although the wind tended to drop for afternoon racing. The coaches explained that the sailors needed to prepare for all weather conditions and that they would maximise the opportunity to fine tune their light wind skills. the mornings started with a group briefing and a daily prize giving. Duncan West from the RYA came to talk to the sailors and parents to discuss the pathway and how the RYA can support these sailors. The week was a roaring success.

It is worth nothing that the coaching was not only aimed at the youth in the class, John Pitkethly, one of our 7 sailors fresh from the Nationals attended. He summed up his experience below.

“What a brilliant week to follow the Nationals! Anyone who wonders how the squad gets so fast can find out at this post Nationals training event. All day long coaches thought nothing of sitting down with us and explaining difficult concepts over and over again. The enthusiasm, passion and eloquence really pays off. It is difficult to access good coaching as an adult, so it is a joy to find the UKLA prepared to offer such an affordable solution. I’d recommend this week to anybody, of any ability who has the passion to improve and learn more”.

Congratulations go to all the sailors that participated, a particular mention to the winners of the race series;

ILCA 7 - Gordon Cogan Sivarajan

ILCA 6 - Tom Mitchell

ILCA 4 Boys - 1. Edwin Cross, 2. Archie Munro-Price and 3. Freddie Sunderland

ILCA 4 Girls - 1. Joanna Leake, 2. Kaitlyn Wyatt and 3. Eva Miller

Transition week will be back next summer, we look forward to welcoming you all.

ILCA UK 9/16/21 ILCA UK 9/16/21

UK ILCA Open & National Championships 2021 - WPNSA

The 2021 Nationals was an epic event! Lots of the things we hoped would happen did actually happen!

The 271 entrants were treated to 5 days of amazing racing, mostly in the bay, thanks to our wonderful Race Officers and many many volunteers! - see the official reports below.

Here are some of my memories as one of the organisers:

The Welcome Evening was a success- Mentors and Mentees did meet up, good food was eaten, Tim Hulse gave a great race briefing.

Tim also sailed the 50 year old boat in the Grand Parade of Sail that opened the event on the Saturday- we were blessed with a beautiful sunny day without too much wind- good job as the old boat only just held together! For the next 4 days though the wind was relentless resulting in many tired legs!

Loads of fun in the evenings: The Moroccan Evening featured LIVE Belly Dancing, followed by a mad Pub Quiz- led by Stick Daring (aka Neil Peters). The serious questions about the ILCA kindly provided by Alan Davis were given a completely bizarre twist by Stick’s special “challenges”: juggling, Gravity Challenge etc etc…

Sports Night was a real hit- people loved the Old Grey Kicker Test even though we broke the boom of the poor old boat!

The Gala Dinner was very special- from the Grand Entrance of past Nationals Champions, including Olympic legend Iain Percy and our current Olympian Elliot Hanson, to the charity auction in which we raised £10,000 for ASF.

The Finale of the event was the Prize Giving- there was a lovely atmosphere - lots of people stayed for it including most of the prize winners - a fitting end to a great event!

The food all week was excellent- from the themed evenings - Italian, Moroccan, BBQ, Indian, to the Gala Dinner the WPNSA chef did us proud!

Thanks are also due to the top sailors who gave us the Race Clinics- Micky Beckett, Sam Whaley, Norman Struthers, Jake Farren Price, Daisy Colingridge and Jon Emmett!

Tony Woods

2021 ILCA National Championships - ILCA7 Fleet

By Sam Whaley

The much anticipated 2021 UKLA Nationals took place from the 13th-18th August at the 2012 Olympic sailing venue, WPNSA. A record (for the past few years anyway) of 51 ILCA 7s gathered in Weymouth, bringing total numbers across all rigs to 270 boats - a pretty impressive feat considering.

The week started with a bang (literally) with a tech talk by British Sailing Team sailor Micky Beckett, who successfully demonstrated how to pull so much down haul on your ropes explode.

Jake Farren- Price has covered the first 3 days in his write-up, so I’ll start with day 4.

Tuesday - Day 4 brought sunnier and gustier, conditions. Micky Beckett had a great first run to lead, followed by Norman Struthers. Sam Whaley managed to pull himself back into contention up the second beat and stole 2nd place off Norman, who was again having a blinder of a race.

In the second race of the day the wind increased significantly and there were many tired bodies in the fleet. Sam Whaley led around every mark apart from, crucially, the final one - after being overhauled by Micky Beckett on the final run. Jake Farren Price sailed a stellar race to take 3rd with Norman Struthers 4th and James Juhasz 5th.

Tuesday evening brought and incredible Gala Dinner with special guest Ian Percy. The dinner was held to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the Laser/ILCA and to raise money for the Andrew Simpson Sailing Foundation. With huge prizes and a great performance by Tim Hulse (MC) the group managed to raise over £10,000. To cap it all Sir Ben Ainslie sent the sailors a message of thanks via WhatsApp.

The fifth and final day brought lighter (but still fully hiking) winds. With the windward mark set just off the famous Nothe course, the winds were incredibly flukey, with the jammy sailors of the fleet licking their lips in anticipation.

Micky Beckett had a good start to lead around the windward mark, whilst Sam Whaley and Norman Struthers were both flagged by a mysterious jury boat without a jury flag - something not allowed according to the sailing instructions. Both did turns anyway and went away bewildered at the experience.

Jake Farren Price sailed an awesome race to challenge Micky and take 2nd place, whilst James Juhasz was consistently fast to seal 3rd.

Coming into the final race of the championship and Norman Struthers and masters sailor Nick Harrison had a brilliant first beat to be first and second to the windward mark. Micky Beckett’s speed was soon apparent as he took the lead down the run, with Sam Whaley moving into 3rd place. These positions stayed the same all the way to the finish, with Jake Farren Price stealing 4th place from Ben Flower and Nick Harrison.

Overall Micky Beckett easily took the title, winning nine out of ten races, with Sam Whaley taking second and Jake Farren Price third. First master was Mark Lyttle in 8th and first U21 was Gordon Cogan Sivarajan in 10th.

Many thanks to the UKLA for organising and WPNSA for hosting such a brilliant event and we hope to see everyone at next years event!

The 100 strong force of volunteers helped make this happen but our class secretary has to be one of the most able, resilient and long suffering in the business. Thank You Ellie Ratusniak - without all your work we'd be running around like headless chickens.

Of course the sponsors provided the oil that made the wheels go round...

Sponsors

Sailingfast - Duncan brings his battle bus down from Scotland for most the big events, which is so ridiculously well equipped, you could replace everything on your boat. Although based in Scotland they will get anything to you super fast. He also supplied many of the prizes for the draw on Saturday evening.

SouthEast Sailboats - Max brings bespoke quality at affordable prices to the class. His passion for detail has made his products a must have for anyone who wants quality. He also supplied many great prizes for the event.

Vaikobi - a brand born on the waters of Sydney Harbour, out of a passion for all ocean sports. Across the team, we paddle, Surfski, SUP, Wing Foil and Sail. Sailing has been a passion within the business right from the start. The senior management team at Vaikobi comprise more than fifty years of marine industry and sailing experience between them.

Noble Marine - Ian MacManus (the man behind the name) has crafted a very competitive and excellent insurance product for all Laser/ILCA sailors. A very personal service and a extremely useful website help make this the 'go to' company.

Fernhurst Books - Jeremy Atkins has put together an incredible list of the most useful dinghy racing books. If you have books on racing you've probably got at least one Fernhurst book.

Full Results

https://www.sailwave.com/results/UKLA/Nationals/2021_ILCA_7_Nationals_WPNSA.htm

2021 ILCA7 National Champion

Michael Beckett

Sam Whaley 2nd

Jake Farren-Price 3rd

Mark Lyttle 1st Master

ILCA6 National Championships - WPNSA

By Molly Sacker

The final two days of the Nationals brought some super tight racing into the ILCA 6’s, with only a few points separating the top four leading into the final day of championship racing. Sailing the bigger winds of the forecast, Day 4 and 5 reminded the sailors of the fun of hiking hard all week!

TUESDAY - DAY 4

A slightly earlier start to Day 4 brought another day of strong shifty winds to what can only be described as chaotic moments across the fleet but this did nothing to deter the continued domination by the top group with Daisy Collingridge, Ben Elvin, Jon Emmett and Sebastian Kempe all scoring exclusively top 3 scores for the day. This kept their positions safe from the strong race winning attacks of Sam Dickinson and Alastair Brown in a very well sailed race 8 to complete qualification, perfectly demonstrating how to link the big pressure differences that bounced down from the NorthWest. Racing under the Nothe ensured that fast thinking and calculated decisions were crucial in formatting race decisions, if not then a painful viewing of the front of the 60 boat fleet was a possibility from a fair distance behind!

Closing qualification that evening, Daisy Collingridge continued her leadership of the fleet but had Ben Elvin only 2 points behind and arguably, had already used her discard with a cheeky UFD earlier in the week meaning it was very much all still to play for.

WEDNESDAY - DAY 5

11 - 15knts welcomed championship day for the ILCA 6’s at a (gladly) delayed 10.25 first start and the competition reminded extremely tense at the top of the Gold fleet with Jon Emmett securing the first win, followed by Ben Elvin and Chloe Elvin in 2nd and 3rd respectively, adding pressure to Daisy’s quest for the title. In a swinging shift range of almost 30 degrees, decision timing was everything and in a fleet where everyone was clued in to the conditions nothing could be taken for granted.

Meanwhile in the Silver Fleet, Niall Peelo comfortably won the day with a 1, 2 whilst with consistently top results, Rory Ferrier of Scotland took top spot in Silver Fleet from Adam Russ and John Russel in 2nd and 3rd.

Finishing the bid for the ILCA 6 National Champion Daisy Collingridge scored 2nd whilst Jon Emmett came 3rd and Ben Elvin used a discard in 19th after getting caught up in the mid fleet bunch, the scores were finally settled. Massive congratulations to British Sailing Team member Daisy Collingridge for her first national title, and to Jon (2nd) and Ben (3rd) for a great week of highly competitive elite sailing.

Everyone I’ve spoken to has had the same feeling of this week, the (long) days have been 100% worth it for the fun, intense and exciting racing experienced in the ILCA 6 National Championships!

The 100 strong force of volunteers helped make this happen but our class secretary has to be one of the most able, resilient and long suffering in the business. Thank You Ellie Ratusniak without all your work we’d be running around like headless chickens.

Top Positions

Overall National Champion

Daisy Collingridge GBR 1st

Jon Emmett GBR 2nd

Ben Elvin GBR 3rd

Top 3 Females (Open)

Daisy Collingridge GBR 1st Female

Molly Sacker GBR 2nd Female

Chloe Elvin GBR 3rd Female

Top 3 Males (Open)

Jon Emmett GBR. 1st

Ben Elvin GBR 2nd

Sebastian Kempe BER 3rd

Silver Fleet First

Rory Ferrier - winner of the SouthEastsailboats Prize.

ILCA 4 Nationals 2021 - WPNSA

By GF UKLA

Being the UKLA’s 50th anniversary and immediately adjacent to the ILCA-4 World Championships which were held in Ireland, the event was larger than recent years and with a number of overseas sailors participating. With a total of 88 sailors, 2 flights, red and yellow, were made with 44 boats in each. Launching to music, the sailors sailed out to the harbour in high spirits - many wearing newly acquired @Vaikobi kit, many more with control lines by @Southeast sailboats, even more with everything else from @Sailingfast… and, for the lucky ones, new @Ovington boats.

Day 1 brought strong winds, testing the sailors immediately. In the red flight, Antonio Pascali (ITA) battled with Max Steele (GBR), with Antonio winning the first two races and Max the third. In the yellow fleet, Audrey Foley (USA) battled with Belgium’s Boris de Wilde, with Audrey winning the first race, and Boris the next two. What about the rest of the fleet? We saw some great racing with hard hiking and even splits at the gate. They returned back to the committee boat with huge grins and enthusiasm for the next.

The evening saw the creation of the new ILCA-4 buddies whatsapp group, which provides a forum for the more experienced sailors to help and advise newer sailors to the fleet.

Day 2 also brought strong winds averaging 16 - 20 knots rising to 24 knots as the final racers finished. As the sun shone it was described as "champagne sailing but maybe at the upper end”! In the red fleet, Antonio continued his good form from the previous day taking 3 bullets in the 3 races of the day, with Audrey 2nd in all three races. In the yellow fleet, Max battled with Boris - with Boris taking 2 wins. The breeze picked up notably at the end, with some tired sailors capsizing on the way home, some even in the marina. Back on shore smiles returned and once changed the sailors were soon back on the table tennis table and having much fun in the boat park ahead of the 50th Anniversary gala dinner that evening.

The winds were forecast to drop to a more comfortable 12-15knots for Day 3, which would have been a welcome relief for many sailors, however for the ILCA-4’s, sailing started early and the drop in winds was later than expected. The final day flights were separated into gold and silver based on previous results which brought the final chance for some sailors to test their metal against others. Starts were done under the U flag and were clean. Antonio was first to the finish in Race 1, with Boris winning the final race in the regatta.

Final results:

OPEN Boys:

Antonio Pascali ITA

Boris de Wilde BEL

Max Steele GBR

OPEN Girls:

Audrey Foley USA

Charlotte Webster CAY

Arwen Fflur GBR

GBR NATIONALS Boys:

Max Steele

Henry Redmond

Archie Burton

GBR NATIONALS Girls:

Arwen Fflur

Mogen Palmer

Megan Thompson

Antonio and Boris also take first and second place in the boys U16 Open category, with Hong Kong’s Wai Check Sui in third place. Archie Burton, Noah Evans and Edwin Cross placed 1st, 2nd and 3rd amongst the GBR nationals.

USA’s Audrey Foley also won the girls U16 Open category, with GBR’s Arwen Fflur second in the U16 girls Open category (first GBR), and Imogen Palmer third overall (2nd GBR). Megan Thomson was third placed GBR U16 female.

Henry Smith took 1st place in the Silver Fleet.

Congratulations go to Antonio Pascali for winning the overall event, to Max Steele as the new UK ILCA4 National Champion, and to Archie Burton as the U16 GBR boys national champion. Congratulations also to Audrey Foley who wins the female category, and to Arwen Flur as the new UK ILCA4 Girls National Champion.

Full Results:

https://www.sailwave.com/results/ukla/Nationals/2021_ILCA_4_Nationals_WPNSA.htm

Huge thanks must go to the Race and Safety Teams lead by Paul Kimmel the Race Officer. There were clean starts, even gates and races finishing within the calculated times. One race finished within 7 seconds of the 50 minute target time. This highlighted the professional manner in which the races were organised. This was a huge undertaking with a Regatta bigger than the sailing at the Olympics and could only have happened with the help of all the volunteers.

For many sailors, this was their first experience of a ILCA Nationals. Blessed with great wind, optimal race conditions and an action packed schedule in the evenings, with quizzes, prize draws, hiking competitions, table tennis, a new buddy system and to top it off the 50th anniversary Gala dinner with sailing legends including Iain Percy and our current Olympian Elliot Hanson, this was a Nationals they won’t forget in a hurry. My bet is that they will be back again next year. Until then they will be full of tales and may have sore legs for a while.

Tony Woods 9/15/21 Tony Woods 9/15/21

REPORTS - Hastings GP

Thanks to Hastings SC for putting on a wonderful event! It’s an exciting place to sail once you’ve negotiated the launching! Blustery northerlies gave us interesting racing with shifty winds and off set waves.

Well done to Jon Emmett for winning the event and thanks to him for this great video! Click here

For results click here

Tony Woods 9/15/21 Tony Woods 9/15/21

SUPER GRAND PRIX 2021 - Celebrating the Golden Anniversary!

There is still one more SGP event this year - 16/17 October - Staunton Harold SC

The UKLA is sponsoring the Super Grand Prix in 2021 so you get top quality coaching and racing for a fraction of the usual cost!

Don’t forget you must be a member of the UKLA to take part in a Super Grand Prix.

As well as the UKLA subsidising the coaching costs we are very excited to have 4 sponsors involved - Noble Marine, Ovington, Sailingfast and Southeast Sailboats. Thank you to all our sponsors.

The Castle Cove SGP was an awesome event- 2 days of ridiculously high winds (30 knts +) Well done to those that braved the elements on both days. -See the photos below!… Thanks to the great coaches- Dan Belben, Jake Bowhay and Jon Emmett. Also many thanks to Lucy Bishop for organising!

For Interview with Dan click here

Following the success of our Super Grand Prix events in 2019 we are hoping to continue the experience in 2021 (Covid permitting!) For this special Golden Anniversary year the UKLA is planning to fund some of the coaching costs, including paying for a coach on the Sunday. The Sunday coaching would be for all racers- briefings/de briefings and on the water support. We want to give something back to our valued members, and it therefore goes without saying that to take part in a SGP you must be a UKLA member!

The Super Grand Prix (SGP) is a fun weekend event consisting of top quality coaching, evening social and competitive racing. Developed to encourage club sailors to take the first steps to an open meeting, and provide a bigger, more sociable event for everyone.

Primarily aimed at club sailors, but not exclusively so, valuing diversity in the fleet, encouraging all ages, gender and rigs to come together to celebrate everything that is the ILCA, with the emphasis on fun. Helping to grow and sustain a healthy club base across the regions, building confidence to take an active part, create ambassadors, whilst helping sailors develop skills and ability to get the most out of ILCA sailing.

There are currently three broad regions - South, Midlands and North.

SUPER GRAND PRIX 2021

SOUTH: