Report Thanks to Mick Kneale, photos by Dave Kneale are now in the Gallery

The Isle of Man Yacht Club at Port St. Mary hosted the 2007 Youth Championship for the Tomlinson Trophy over the weekend of 28^th and 29^th July. This annual event is open to sailors under 19 years old and attracted an entry of 16 boats; 12 single-handers and 4 two-person dinghies.

Conditions were superb for the more experienced - a moderate south-west breeze for the two races on Saturday afternoon and a fresh north-westerly for the final three races on Sunday morning.

The series was a steep learning curve for the younger and lighter sailors and a proper test of boat-handling and racing technique for the older ones. The standard of sailing was excellent, even the many capsizes and broken gear did not deter anyone from pushing it to the limit.

After 2 races, only 2 points separated the top four, with Chris Hill (4.7) on 4, Ali Hinds (Radial) and John Cowell (Radial) both on 5 and Katie Hill (4.7) with 6 points. If all five races were completed, each boat’s worst would be discarded, so it was all to play for Sunday.

Races 3 to 5 went ahead and, with competitors on the water for nearly 3 hours in the fresh and cold wind, things were tough. A couple of crews wisely opted for the early shower after spending a long time in the sea trying to right their boats. The rescue boats’ crews had been kept busy all weekend. It may not be generally known that under the racing rules, when a rescue boat gives help, the boat must retire from the race – so competitors decide when they can’t take any more – to the consternation of some parents in the safety-boats!

Chris Hill, who recently qualified as both a dinghy and racing instructor, won overall with two bullets, and by discarding his 5^th place in race 4, he finished on 7 points. Runner-up was Island Games sailor Ali Hinds, also with two bullets but a couple of 4^th places to count, on 10 points. Third place went to John Cowell (Radial) from Ramsey, tied on 10 points with Ali, without a win but consistent 2^nd and 3^rd places.

Many thanks to the IOMYC for providing the buffet on Saturday and BBQ Sunday lunchtime, and to the race team for a smoothly run event.

Next year the Tomlinson Trophy will be contested at Ramsey.

Top Ten Results

1. Chris Hill (4.7) 7 pts
2. Ali Hinds (Radial) 10 pts
3. John Cowell (Radial) 10 pts
4. Katie Hill (4.7) 12 pts
5. Luke Collins (4.7) 18 pts
6. Joe & Kate Stockman (Laser 3000) 19 pts
7. Patrick Evans (4.7) 22 pts
8. Ben Swindlehurst & Nick Butler (Laser 2) 27 pts
9. Laura Green & Jonathan Pooley (RS Feva) 37 pts
10. Ellie Best (Pico) 38 pts

This entry was posted on Tuesday, July 31st, 2007 at 7:09 am and is filed under Race News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.