Grant wins with a day to spare

The penultimate day of racing at the Optimist National Championship

The morning racing was delayed by an hour due to lack of wind and poor visibility, but by the afternoon the sea breeze picked up to around eight knots and also shifted direction from a South Westerly to a North Westerly.

In the Junior fleet, James Grant from Restronguet Sailing Club has won the Championship with a day to spare, James has won nine of the ten races so far in this championship and is at the moment discarding a third and a first position. Next year, James will be moving up into the Senior fleet, where he hopes to continue his sailing success.

James's younger brother David, still has to go out on the water tomorrow but looks to maintain his second position, if he beats third placed Aaron Smith in both races. James and David said "We are doing well in this Championship as we are used to the choppy, light conditions and good at reading the shifts, we train together three days a week at our sailing club, one of our greatest inspirations is our Uncle, Barry Parkin who sailed in the Sydney Olympics in 2000". The Grant brothers are the favorites to take home the Ramshaw Brothers Trophy.

Local Pwhelli sailor, Timothy Forshaw has had a good regatta on his local waters, considering the tough competition on the race course, his best result was in race five, where he finished second.

In the Senior fleet, Phil Sparks from Royal Lymington Sailing Club is still in the lead with 20 points, after a great regatta where he has won three races so far and has only been out of the top five on two occasions. Phil needs to secure a top ten place in at least one race tomorrow to secure his Championship title and will also become one of the youngest National Champions ever. Phil's main competitor is American sailor Ian Hollerbach who is currently lying in second place with 27 pts. Phil commented "One of the main reasons that I've been doing so well is because I'm lighter and smaller than the rest of the fleet and therefore better suited to the light conditions that we have had, I am also one of the quickest sailors downwind".

There are two girls in the top five of the senior fleet, currently Lucy de Boltz, Corinthian Otters is in third place overall and first girl with 65 points, but only two points adrift and in fourth place overall is Hannah Diamond from Warsash Sailing Club with 67 points.

There are two races planned for tomorrow, with no racing after three pm. The prize giving will take place tomorrow evening.