Budworth Sailing Club

By Harry Brown

Budworth Racing

Open Meeting

Budworth 2006 Open. - Photo by Courtesy Peter Cull

34 Sailors competed in the open meeting in July and it would have been many more if it had not clashed with a Youth Squad event.
It was wonderful day with tense racing - The trophy eventually went to Budworth’s Andrew Brown (to also win the NW Traveller Series).

Main Points Series

This year the Main Points Series has been hotly contested with four sailors qualifying for the Series and up to eight helms sailing individual races. So far Elizabeth Crow has used her experience well to keep James Bennett in second place and with one day left it seems that it may end up being the final result. Laura Burt is currently third and John Corbridge fourth

Summer Series

Sailed over six weeks in July and August and Elizabeth Crow was again just a little too strong for the others, finishing first with Laura Burt second and James Bennett third.

The Prize-Giving for club competitions will be held at the club on Sat 4th November starting at 7.00pm. This will be followed by food and a firework display starting around 9.15.

Results Away From Home

Andrew at the Finish - Topper Worlds, Lake Garda, Italy.

Home club sailor Andrew Brown has been a bit of a star on the circuit this year.

Highlights are:

• Topper World Champion

Held at Lake Garda Italy in July with 160 competitors from 10 countries

• GB Nationwide Traveller Champion .

Six events held around the country with about 130 sailors at each, finishing at Derwent Res in October

• NW Traveller Champion

Nine events at venues in the NW finishing in July at Budworth and around 35 sailors at each

He was also runner up at the GB nationals in Weymouth in August (260 boats) and runner up at the Inland Nationals in April

Other Budworth sailors with eye catching results are

Harry Cheetham who was runner up to Andrew in the NW Traveller Series and won the penultimate Nationwide Traveller at North Berwick

Dan Horner, who was pleased that he went to the Nationals in Weymouth as he finished as Silver Fleet Champion!

Dan Horner - Photo by Courtesy Peter Cull

Hannah Wilcock had a good Nationals too, finishing 38 th overall including a fourth place in race 7.

Many more of our sailors have travelled to training and events all over the country this year including the following squaddies; Catherine Verity, Joe Hothersall, Joe Cheetham, Matt Betts and Kieran Travis. Jonathon Olin also joined them on their travels and Alex Sharp, who got a very creditable 113 at the Nationals (Gold Fleet)

Jonathon Verity was second in the Regatta Fleet at the Nationals and Rachael Wilcock finished eighth, from 27 entries

That makes 14 club boats travelling all of whom sailed at the Nationals! (and we had visitors too!)

Apart from brilliant results, sailing on the the circuit has been really good fun with training and racing on the sea, lots of sunshine, breeze and friendly faces to be greeted with on arrival.

Training

Novice training was held at the club on a Friday night held over two six week sessions and it is planned to do this again next year although it may be held on a Sunday morning. Contact Fraser Kerr to register an interest: Fraser Kerr [fwkerr.eakerr@virgin.net]

Race specific training was provided in different ways this year with club member only days in the Spring (especially at Easter)

In addition many of our sailors accessed training as a member of a squad and sometimes they got to do this at Budworth when a few of our non squad members joined in. ITCA also held open training at Budworth (twice) with up to 38 sailors participating (including about a dozen from the club). Most of this training takes place in the winter but this winter the club’s facilities will not be available for this type of training. It will therefore need a lot of extra parental help to replace these opportunities for club members and sailors will have to travel to Winsford at the end of January and Elton in early March to get the scale and quality of competition provided by the Topper Class Ass Open Weekends.

The following nine sailors have been selected for the 2007 Squads

RYA National Squad

Andrew Brown, Hannah Wilcock

RYA Zone Squad and Intermediate Squad

Catherine Verity, James Bennett, Joe Cheetham

ITCA Junior and Youth Squad

Jonathon Olin, Matt Betts, Kieran Travis, Dan Horner

This entry was written on Monday, April 30th, 2007 at 1:02 pm and is filed under Topper News.
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