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For the 2015 Northern Championships, the
fleet was back at
Yorkshire
Dales
on October 10th-11th, home club of Gareth and Stuart Ede, alongside the
Contenders and a big fleet of Code Zero's for their Northerns.
The high pressure clamped over the British Isles set the breeze as
easterly,
down the length of the lake. On Saturday, the light
winds remained easily sailable. The Club set a square port-rounding
course, squeezed by the lake. In the light breeze, Catapult
remained a
bit quicker than the two monohull fleets, so threading through the Code
Zero's downwind at at marks gave some careful tactical decisions.
In Race 1, Alastair Forrest and John Peperell used good
starboard-end starts to lead away to a useful lead, only to see the
fleet behind get a big lift across the lake to the upwind mark, with
John Terry and George Evans in the lead, held round the next of the two
laps. Gareth Ede came through to take third.
(Below: the fleet swinging round the gybe mark, Day 1,
to start the run down the lake.)

Race 2 followed back-to-back, with the breeze
shifting to give a port-end advantage, and Alastair, Stuart Ede and Syd
Gage using this carried out to the left of the beat for a useful gain.
Gareth and John T worked up through the fleet to set up their battle for
the event, and close racing behind saw George come up for the third, and
Syd hold on to his early gains for the fourth.
The course for Race 3 following back to back
extended the beat and run. A tight starboard end start saw Stuart pushed
over the line, and after collisions in the fleet, Gareth and Alastair
emerged usefully ahead, with Gareth stretching out for a good lead to
the finish. John T and Stuart went well right up the first beat, losing
out, but John came back to pressure George round and round the course,
George holding out for the third place.
(Right: Stuart focusses on the beat as Syd (camera)
chases him round the bottom mark, Day 1.)
(Syd's video-camera exaggerates Stuart's mast bend!)
On Sunday, the easterly breeze picked up. The Club set
a longer "P" course, with a long beat, a short fast reach, and
runs intended to be dog-leg, but almost dead downwind (so
tactics included preparing for the downwind mark amongst the
Code Zero back markers.)
John
T and Gareth trapezed consistently, both using slingshot starts,
coming through the middle of the line fast, straight onto
trapeze and moving to the front.
In Race
4 Alastair from a good start and John T quick onto the trapeze
led at the top mark, but Gareth came through to catch Alastair
on the long downwind leg. John T stretched out for the first of
his Day 2 wins over Gareth. George came up
relishing the breezier conditions to threaten Alastair who had
enough in hand to defend third.
Race 5
started back to back. Stuart saw the port end advantage
but this took him to the right of the beat, not gaining.
John T and then Gareth were again ahead at the top mark, in a
close group before moving away. This time, the battle for third
was over a few yards, Alastair getting home
after Code
Zeros held up George and Stuart at the downwind mark. |
 |
At this
stage, the
first two, and next two, event places depended on the final race. Stuart
again picked the port end advantage for the Race 6
start, but was just caught by John T
starting fast on trapeze. George moved up from back at the start
to pass Alastair downwind and this time moved out ahead to hold third.
close Chris just across from Alastair wind gustier Gareth at limits John
T stretched out for a third win as Gareth found the breeze at top
end of his range. Chris Phillips had good boat speed to come up fast to
fight with Alastair and Syd Gage for the next places. (Photo
below)

RESULTS
(Six races, one
discard)
Place
Race 1 Race 2 Race 3 Race 4 Race 5
Race 6 Total
Nett
1 John Terry
1
2 (4) 1 1
1
10
6
2 Gareth Ede (3) 1 1 2
2
2
11
8
3
George Evans
2 3
3 (4)
4 3 19
15
4 Alastair
Forrest 4
5
2 3
3
4
21
16
5 Stuart Ede
5
(7) 5 6
5
6
34 27
6 Syd Gage
(7)
4 6
7
6 7 37 30
7 John Pepperell
6 6 (10
DNC) 5
8 10 DNC 45 35
8 Chris Phillips
(8)
8 7
8
7
5 43 35
9 Damien
Cooney (9)
9
8
9
9
8 52 43
The Northerns
count for Travelling Trophy points, and John Terry's string of wins
cleared out his DNC scores, lifting him to an emphatic top place on
the
TT Leaderboard
and the Yellow Pennant.
Behind, the battle between George and Alastair
ratcheted up another notch, tying their scores before the final event
(with George ahead on countback.)
(Below: Event winner John Terry in relaxed control.)

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