Women's triple tie

There were big conditions for this weekend's RYA National Match Racing Series qualifier in Plymouth

Three all-girl crews tied for top spot at a heavily wind-affected RYA National Match Racing Series qualifier in Plymouth this weekend (18-19 July).

Lucy Macgregor, Mary Rook and Katie Archer all finished with 100 percent win ratios with the girls ultimately being split on their Open ISAF ranking.

Following a link-up between the RYA and the Port of Plymouth Sailing Association (PPSA), the RYA National Match Racing Series moved to Devon for a one-off event to offer sailors who live further afield the chance to qualify for the three-day Series Grand Final, which takes place at Queen Mary Sailing Club, Middlesex in October.

However, dying breeze on Saturday and gusts of up to 26 knots on Sunday meant that the sailors played a patient waiting game to get racing under their belts and even with the sailors and race officials willing, only eight flights of the round-robin stage were able to take place over the weekend.

Skandia Team GBR’s Macgregor, who flies out to Sweden for the 2009 ISAF Women’s Match Racing World Championships later this month, claimed a five out of five 100 percent win record at Plymouth.

Also officially tied in first place on maximum percentage win ratios with Macgregor, Mary Rook, who will be sailing with Macgregor at the Worlds in Sweden, finished with four wins out of four while Katie Archer won three out of three.

All three girls are part of the RYA’s Olympic Match Racing Academy, honing talented all-female match racing teams campaigning for selection for London 2012.

Andrew Shaw from Chichester was the first non-Academy racer on the leaderboard taking fourth spot with four wins out of six.

The event in Plymouth was raced in the RYA’s fleet of J80s, which are on loan to Port of Plymouth Sailing Association for almost a month encompassing no fewer than six training and racing events that will be staged from Mayflower Marina.

Starting from Saturday 11 July until Thursday 30 July, the events include a one-off PPSA / RYA Match Racing event during the Port of Plymouth Regatta Week.
In total seven qualifying rounds, including the RYA Youth, RYA Women’s and BUSA Match Racing Championship events, will be contested between April and September before the top British crews from each qualifying event are invited to do battle for the 2009 RYA National Match Racing Championship title at the Grand Final on 9 – 11 October.

Meanwhile, reigning RYA Youth National Match Racing champion Sam Goodchild and his team of Rory Spriggs and Nicholas Wilkinson have finished fifth out of 12 teams at the prestigious international Governor’s Cup at Balboa Yacht Club in California.

The trio also received the added boost of being awarded the special Chet Purcell Good Sportsmanship Award for their help and co-operation during the event. Chet was the original organizer of the highly-regarded Under 20s’ regatta in 1967 and the British boys were presented with the award by his son Tom.

The 19-year-old Goodchild, who was born in Bristol but grew up in the Caribbean where he first learned to sail, qualified for this year’s Governor’s Cup regatta by means of his RYA National Youth Match Racing Championship success last summer.

2009 RYA National Match Racing Series qualifier results (by skipper):
1=) Lucy Macgregor
1=) Mary Rook
1=) Katie Archer
4) Andrew Shaw
5) Charlotte Lawrence
6) Mark Lees
7) Adrian Peach
8) Hester Robertson
9) Jack Fenwick
10) Cressida Robson

2009 RYA National Match Racing Championships Series event dates:
RYA Youth National Match Racing Championship – QMSC – 29 - 31 August
RYA Women’s National Match Racing Championship – WPNSA – 4 - 6 September
Qualifier 4 – QMSC - 26/27 September
RYA National Match Racing Championship Finals – QMSC – 9 – 11 October (invitation only)