Final national ranking event

Olympic class sailors will be competing for grant money this weekend at Warsash SC

This weekend (12-13 November 2005) the nation’s top sailors will battle it out at the Warsash Sailing Club at the final RYA Olympic Classes National Ranking Series event for 2005.

This event marks the last chance for sailors to progress up the Olympic class national ranking ladder and win grants to go on and compete at international regattas. With so much on the line and an already tight points margin in all of the classes the top slots remain up for grabs.

In the men’s 470 fleet there is all to play for on the final weekend of racing. Luke Patience and Chris Grube lead the fleet with five points overall; however, they’re closely followed by Neil Marsden and Ian Dobson who are behind by a single point followed by John Grimson and Stuart Bithell with eight points. With such a close points spread the honour of being the nation’s top 470 sailor could belong to any of the current top three.

Pippa Wilson and Sheena Craig have a strong lead in the women’s 470 fleet with 16 points followed by Lucy Macgregor and Sophie Esson with 23 points and Melissa Heppell and Rebecca Marriott with 31 points. It might just be that the grants are within Wilson and Craig’s grasp.

Strong and determined competitors abound in the Finn fleet and this final event will be a showdown between the top four boats. Fighting for the podium positions and tied with four points each are RYA Team GBR Performance Squad members Chris Brittle and Ed Wright. Directly behind them tied with seven points are Matt Howard and Ed Grieg.

Also hitting the Weymouth waters is the Tornado fleet currently led by Team GBR Members Andy Walsh and Ed Barney. Hugh Styles and Andy Prince with seven points and Simon Northrop and Matt Young with 8 points will try to upset the usually cool and collected Walsh-Barney team.