Butler and Sutcliffe take victory

The Hobie Dragoon European Championships have been won by the British pairing

The British team of Adam Butler and Gilly Sutcliffe won the Hobie Dragoon Europeans 2007. Although they dominated the competition, their victory was not taken for granted this morning.

After a day and night of strong onshore wind, the surf was huge with a light north-westerly breeze. All boats experienced difficulties sailing through the breakers, but eight out of nine Dragoon-teams succeeded. James Henson and Oliver Amphlett (GBR) performed strongly with three seconds, which pushed them to the second place overall. The French boys Antoine Bezile and Quintin le Tallec won bronze.

“It feels great”, responded Gilly Sutcliffe happily to the congratulations of winning the European title. At the beginning of the championship, Butler announced that this would be their last Hobie Dragoon event, as they will continue on the Hobie 16 with spinnaker. “The conditions were light, in which we did not do very well. We won the last race and finished fourth and third in the others,” explained Sutcliffe of their final day. While almost running the Hobie Dragoon towards the dunes, Sutcliffe recalled the spectacular morning. “That was exciting. We managed just about the stay upright in the surf. I don’t think we have ever gone to such high breakers. It was pretty impressive.”

Silver medallist Oliver Amphlett (14) called it ‘quiet scary’, but according to his skipper James Henson (12) they crossed the surf ‘pretty safely’. They had a good afternoon with three seconds. “There was a strong tide going from the right to the left,” commented Henson. “That affected the lay-line a bit. We used the current to drift to the mark, so we tacked halfway the course,” Amphlett continued. The teenagers had a fierce battle with Butler and Sutcliffe and the French duo Bezile and Le Tallec. Henson and Amphlett will continue one more year in the Hobie Dragoon class, before they move on to the next phase.

The Hobie 16 & Hobie Dragoon Europeans 2007 are sponsored by: I-Drukker.nl, Carrier Airconditioning, the Greenery, Autobedrijf Schoenmeijer, Vakantiepark Vlugtenburg aan zee, Tomselect, Ernst Olieman BV, Hogenboom vakantieparken, AfvalisHipenSexy.nl, Wealco Systemen BV, Westland Energie Services, ProfMedia BV, Rabobank, Boekestijn Transport Service, De Parel, Center Line, Hoeve de Viersprong, Colour XL, IkSloopGoedkoop.nl, Kwekerij Rozenhof, Ariën Hofman MD, Combifleur, Hobie Cat Holland BV, Westland Workwear, Woodfever, Veenman, Gemeente Westland, Arditio fotografie, Valere ICT Strategies, Vrijwillige Reddingsbrigade 's Gravenzande, Jessica emotions& flowers, Venvo Zonwering and van Spronsen, b.v.