Heys takes overall win on final race

25 boats battle for Barratt J80 UK Nationals

Racing commenced on Thursday 23rd of June in Plymouth Sound for the Barratt J/80 UK National Championship, hosted by the Royal Western Yacht Club and presided over by international Race Officer Mike Pearson.The Championship comprised a ten race series and was sailed in mainly light airs of 5 to 10 knots. 25 boats travelled from all over the UK to compete. Racing took place on windward-leeward courses, both inside and outside the breakwater as the PRO moved the course to make the most of the local tidal conditions and any available sea-breeze.

Races 1 and 2 were sailed on Thursday with breeze from the South West filling in from 5 knots to 8 knots by the end of the afternoon. Race 1 saw Silva Dream Machine helmed by Kevin Sproul win the pin and then port tack the fleet, leading from start to finish. Marie-Claude Heys sailing Jenga tacktick took second and Steve Northmore finished third in Twenty Five. Race 2 and the tables were turned; this time it was Jenga tacktick who reached the first windward mark in pole position and hold the lead until the gun. Silva Dream Machine was second to cross the line and Richard Bickford in Liberty was third.

Silva Dream Machine won the start of Race 3 on Friday morning and Kevin Sproul was able to hold this advantage until the finish. Jenga tacktick and Angus McPhie’s Wave Warrior battled it out for second and third with Marie-Claude Heys finally working through to second. Race 4 was sailed in a falling breeze but Gemma Frier and her young team sailing one of the RYA owned J/80s (sponsored by AppA Beds and with Goacher Sails) showed the oldies how it should be done and took first place from Wave Warrior in second and Twenty-Five in third.

Race 5 on Saturday morning saw Silva Dream Machine back to form, leading from the off, but ‘H’ Brown, also sailing an RYA boat, took a well deserved second. Scott Cole in Purple Haze crossed the line in third. Scott and H clearly enjoyed their time at the front of the pack and opted for more of the same in Race 6; Purple Haze took the bullet, Twenty Five worked back up there to second and H Brown was third.

Going into the final day Jenga tacktick had 15 points with Twenty-Five tied on 18 points in equal second with Silva Dream Machine. Marie-Claude showed her mettle and won Races 7 & 8. A tricky Race 9 saw yet another winner with Joe Radmore and Richard Coppin finding some excellent form at the front of the fleet to take first place, Wave Warrior fought through to second and Jenga tacktick strolled home to take third place and the Barratt J/80 National Championship title.

Marie-Claude Heys said: "It has been an excellent Championship; the racing has been very close and really exciting. To win the event in a fleet of 25 boats with it all coming down to the last race has proved more than a little nerve wracking, but it’s a great feeling. My crew have been fabulous; Geoff Carveth is a superb tactician, Megan Cavill (on bow) gets the sails up and down without tangles and my husband Paul is a pretty useful trimmer too! I’m delighted. I’d like to thank all at the RWYC and the event sponsor Barratt for a fabulous regatta."

The next key event on the calendar is the Silva J/80 World Championship at the Royal Cornwall Yacht Club in Falmouth next month. With over 50 crews entered from the USA, UK, France, Sweden, Denmark, Germany and New Zealand there is likely to be plenty of action both on and off the water.



Results

	Boat	Owner	R1	R2	R3	R4	R5	R6	R7	R8	R9	Gr Pts	Nt Pts
1	JENGA TACKTICK	Marie-Claude Heys	2	1	2	-8	4	6	1	1	4	29	21
2	SILVA DREAM MACHINE	Kevin Sproul	1	2	1	-26	1	13	2	3	6	55	29
3	RYA VOLVO	Gemma Frier	7	-14	10	1	6	4	10	2	5	59	45
4	WAVE WARRIOR	Angus McPhie	5	12	3	2	8	7	-20	7	3	67	47
5	JUNO	Richard Coppin	4	11	-17	5	7	9	3	9	1	66	49
6	TWENTY FIVE	Steve Northmore	3	10	5	3	5	2	13	-15	8	64	49
7	PURPLE HAZE	R Cole	8	13	15	6	3	1	4	-24	2	76	52
8	RYA VOLVO	Helen Brown	6	4	-26	20	2	3	12	14	10	97	71
9	JSM	Stephen Hills	10	-19	7	7	11	5	9	13	9	90	71
10	AQUA-J	Roger Gerrish	9	6	9	-22	10	20	6	4	11	97	75
11	OCEANS ELEVEN	Daryl Conyers	18	8	8	9	-19	19	8	6	16	111	92
12	JUST SAVAGE	Liz Savage	17	-23	18	12	13	11	7	5	13	119	96
13	JEM	Peter Wanstall	-21	5	12	21	20	16	11	10	7	123	102
14	JACK	Simon Unwin	20	7	19	13	9	8	18	16	-23	133	110
15	JET SET	Steve Andrew	-19	16	6	14	17	17	16	12	15	132	113
16	LIBERTY	Richard Bickford	12	3	22	19	23	-26	17	11	12	145	119
17	JURA	Helen Foster	11	20	4	17	12	15	15	-26	26	146	120
18	NEMO	Peter Henney	14	-24	13	15	14	23	19	8	17	147	123
19	JALAPENO	Nicholas Over	22	22	16	4	22	12	-23	17	14	152	129
20	BLUE THUNDER	Ian Watts	16	17	14	-26	21	21	5	18	18	156	130
21	JELLY BEAN	David Searle	13	18	-20	18	15	18	14	19	20	155	135
22	JUNTO	Peter Kent	-26	15	11	11	25	10	26	26	26	176	150
23	WHITE LIGHTNING	Kevin Rolfe	15	21	-24	10	18	22	21	22	22	175	151
24	JIN PALACE	James Sullivan	24	9	21	23	24	14	-26	21	19	181	155
25	JASMINE	Daniel Flanagan	23	-25	23	16	16	24	22	20	21	190	165