| Velvet Elvis wins 2010 J/109 UK National Championships |
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| Monday, 07 June 2010 | |
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27 J/109's enjoyed perfect sailing conditions at their UK National Championships from 3rd to 5th June, hosted by the Royal Southern Yacht Club as part of the 2010 J-Cup. Shorts,t-shirts and sunblock were the order of the day with clear skies and wind between 9 and 15 knots for all eight races over the three days. J/109s had travelled from Ireland and the Channel Islands to participate. Adam Wright, Martin Miller and the rest of the Velvet Elvis team sailed a near perfect regatta to count 6 firsts and a second to win convincingly. For the rest of the fleet it was possibly the closest National Championships ever; half the fleet had at least one top five place and all the fleet bar the victors had a result in the bottom half. Day One saw a series of "round the cans" style courses set off the Hill Head shore. With steady south-easterly breezes, few windshifts and tide making most of the legs very one-sided, the premium was on good starting as there were limited opportunities for passing after the first beat. The end of the day resulted in the two pre-championship favourites, Velvet Elvis and last years champions J-Dream (David and Kirsty Apthorp), occupying the top two positions as the fleet came off the water. Velvet Elvis’ last victory of the day came at the expense of Yeoman of Wight (David Aisher) who was caught over the last couple of boat-lengths in what the race team described as a photo-finish. Stalker (Stephen Tapper) scored two third places in races 1 and 2. The close racing produced numerous incidents mostly on the start-line and at mark roundings. The J-Dream crew were one of those disappointed to lose a protest having to take their discard on the first day. For day two race officer Tony Lovell had listened to the competitors feedback and switched to providing the class's preferred windward-leeward courses and, in view of a poor forecast for Saturday, scheduled four races. An intense day ensued with outgoing class chairman Matt Boyle's Shiva managing to beat his successor Adam Wright (Velvet Elvis) twice with a first and second in races 6 and 7 to move up to second overall. Offbeat (David McLeman) continued their consistent first day performance with two more third places but a couple of mistakes led to them also counting two results in the teens. This pattern was replicated across the fleet, J-Dream lost their championship chances when disastrously being called over the line and finishing 23rd in race 5, but elsewhere a good day was had by Jambahla (Richard Sainsbury/Gill Ross) who posted a 3rd, 3rd, 4th, Outrageous (Richard and Valerie Griffiths) 4th, 4th, 5th and Jumping Jellyfish (Dave Richards) led from the start to win race 7. Going into the final day, with only a single race to be held, the Velvet Elvis team had already sewn up the championship and Shiva looked certain of 2nd place, but the minor placings were wide open with the next nine boats in with a chance of a top 5 place. After a nervous wait of an hour waiting for the sea-breeze to set in, the j/109 fleet set off on a perfectly set windward-leeward course, the runs seeing the fleet gybing across the entire race track looking for clear air. Probably the result of the day came from the team on "Toe in the Water" with a sixth place. The determination and performances of the injured servicemen and their supporters both sailing and off the water impressed everyone at the J-Cup. Velvet Elvis scored a final first to seal an emphatic victory and Offbeat (4th), Stalker (5th) and Yeoman of Wight (3rd) sealed their top five series positions behind Shiva in 2nd overall. A huge thank you to the sponsors, J-UK, Universal Marina, North Sails, Wight Vodka, B&G and Dubarry for contributing to such competitive champagne sailing. |
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