Budworth Sailing Club

Budworth leads 73 competitors on the first leg!

Budworth once again entered a team for the prestigious and gruelling 24 hour race
Last year the team had finished 9^th in 2006 and were pleased to be starting in the first flight.

For those of you who haven’t been to the event, or know little about this extraordinary competition, it is a race that on average 70 teams race either GPs, Enterprises or Larks around the marina lake for 24hours starting at midday on the Saturday and finishing midday on Sunday.

It is the ‘Le Mans’ of sailing and sailors of all abilities from across the country descended on West Lancs Yacht Club. The event is always a ‘whose who’ of the sailing world with many top sailors coming from many different classes arrive (with the excuse of competitive sailing) to have a good social and reunion with old friends.

The 2007 Budworth Team
Craig Hewett - Team manager
Gemma Hewett – Assistant Team Manager
Tom Ditchburn – Deputy Assistant Team Manager, reserve crew and Chief BBQ stoker
Ryan Penny – Deputy Assistant Team Manager, Marketing and Publicity Executive
Bill Kenyon – Team Captain and helm
Ben Ditchburn - Crew
Ali Cormack - Crew
Graham Tinsley - Helm
Chris Bowmer - Crew
Tom Hubbard – Crew and reserve helm
Luke Shaw - Helm
Russell Cormack – Helm
Meg – Team mascot
With the expert team management by Craig and the nothing but perfect boat preparation from Bill the team were set and organised for the race.

Highlights from the team include:

• Bill and Ben’s superb start. Ben’s superior sail trim gave the team a great start and they were unfortunate to have to compete with the relentless weed (no pun intended).
• The sunshine that stayed with Southport over the whole weekend (other than during the night!)
• Meg’s ability at making ‘friends’ with other dogs
• Tom and Ryan’s cooking skills that ensured the team were well fed
• Tom Ditchburn’s ability to stay awake for nearly the whole of the 24hours.
• Gemma and Tom’s expert assistant team management throughout the night that ensured that most of the team could get some rest.
• When the wind shifted at about 22:00 hrs so that spinnakers could be flown on two of the 3 laps.
• Having the cognitive conflict - while looking up to check the main sail or burgee and seeing the stars while sailing at night.
• Weather forecasts that predicted force 8 winds arriving early on Sunday morning but the breeze arriving for the last 2 hours of the race.
• Craig and Bill’s tactical decision to have short stints on Sunday morning ensuring the celebrity super star team of Graham and Ali consolidated the position and Luke and Chris sailing a fantastic last hour and a half in some extremely demanding conditions where the race course was littered by capsized boats - but Budworth sailed on.
• The cheers and “expert” advice from the spectators as the wind picked up and boats began to capsize.
• Gemma being approached from another club member asking where we got our Budworth team hoodies from, as they wanted to buy one!
• The super speedy boat de-rig (many hands make light work)
• The very welcomed visits by BSC members to lend their support and in some cases ‘advice’!
• Finishing 13^th – a very respectable position

There are many thanks that need to be said, as the support and effort from many people was essential that the Budworth team could yet again put a great performance in and advertise the club for 24hours non stop. So a big thanks to:

Craig and his assistants (Gemma, Tom and Ryan) for their expert team management,

“Hoody Bill” for his boat and competition preparations:

Those members that travelled to Southport to support the team,
Preston Audi for the continued support in sponsorship,
Ryan and family for supplying the team with their team gear,
The Sailing Club Committee for their continued support.

This entry was written on Friday, September 28th, 2007 at 3:20 pm and is filed under Gp14 Results, Club News, Home.
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