National 12s at Derwent

Camm and Ballantyne win

The third event in the 2005 Gill series attracted 21 boats and Derwent welcomed them with a sunny weekend and a shifty breeze. The family team of Gavin & Jasmine Willis won race 1 showing excellent bursts of speed in F*in Boat, they were closely followed by Stevie Sallis & Jenny James who just beat Mark & Emma Simpson by a nose. Ian & Alex Gore took an early lead in race 2 with Mike Cooke & Emma Wilkins also showing excellent speed hot on their heels. But as the evening drew in some large holes appeared in the wind and Graham Camm & Zoe Ballantyne managed to sneak past to take first.

The Sunday started with no breeze "unheard of for Derwent" said the competitors, and the wind answered filling in to a perfect force 3. Sallis & James took the lead gaining a huge port lift to the windward mark, but the Gores worked hard throughout the race and got past to win the race. Race 4 saw equally close racing throughout the fleet with a zigzag downwind course adding to the fun and keeping the fleet close. In race 5 family team Terry & Angela Cooke took an early lead in their recently launched Big Issue II.

With the shifty breeze the whole fleet had to fight for their positions and the race was finally won by Graham Camm & Zoe Ballantyne closely followed by Stevie Sallis & Jenny James.

Gill sponsored the prizes and awarded special prizes to the three crews who were doing their first Gill events.

1st Babel Fish 3492 Graham Camm Zoe Ballantyne Burghfield
2nd Tabitha 3441 Ian Gore Alex Gore Up River YC
3rd Dilbert 3436 Steve Sallis Lindsey Ogden/Jenny James Hykeham SC