Blind Sailing Nationals 2019, See's our young sailors sail to success.

The Blind Sailing nationals was hosted by South Cerney Sailing Club, a new club to Blind Sailing but home to two of our volunteers Jonny Stevenson and Malcolm James. Friday kicked off with a familiarisation day for the sailors. The boats they would be using for the regatta were Flying Fifteen’s, all donated to the charity by the owners for the weekend. Flying Fifteen’s were a boat that many of the visually impaired competitors and volunteers had not sailed before.

The format for the event was a 3-person combination with a blind helm, jib trimmer and sighted main trimmer who was also in charge of tactical decisions and boat speed. Initial thoughts were that it’s a bit a squeeze! But the teams soon got into a good routine and started to fall into a groove which was reflected by the positive feedback from Flying Fifteen owners watching from the shore.

Beside the new boats, the biggest challenge for the sailors would be the unpredictable conditions which became obvious during familiarisation. The wind was light but also very shifty making smooth steering input and quick reactions crucial for good boat speed, all of the years training was to come into play.

Day one, and the fleet woke up to a more alive looking South Cerney; the breeze now coming from due East was 8-12knts meaning racing could kick off straight away. The first warning signal sounded at just gone 11 and the fleet of 6 Flying Fifteen’s shortly set off for their first race. The setup for the racing was short and sharp with a scheduled 34 windward leeward races lasting around 12-15mins. The short nature of the races put emphasis on a strong start both in terms of time and distance but also line bias, which promoted a clear pattern to develop from race 1.

With a 10-15-degree port bias the boats that were able to execute a good pin start gained an early advantage that continued to play in their favour as they moved up the track. The nature of the wind meant it was important to prioritise pressure towards the edges of the track both left and right with a spot of less wind in the middle. Due to this a strong pin start allowed boats to enter the left pressure early which headed towards the shore allowing boats to the tack across the middle of the track on a lift, to then link the pressure on the top right of the track, this both maximised time sailing in more pressure but also minimised costly tacks. Unfortunately for the leaders, downwind was much more challenging as the breeze at the top of the track was light and unstable. Throughout the day two main downwind strategies emerged; one was the shortest distance and patience approach which consisted of an early goose wing set headed for the next mark. Second involved staying high and in the pressure, these boats looked to hook into the breeze they followed up the left of the beat and use it to the right down-wind. The battle between distance and speed was an ongoing affair seeing local sailors gaining an advantage making the right decision more often than not.

Day one closed with a clear leader (Charley Griffiths), a lead mainly built through strong first beat execution and consistent sailing out of trouble. Further back in the fleet a close battle was starting to develop for 2ndplace between current World Champion Lucy Hodges and Andrew Cattermole.

Saturday evening then saw South Cerney host an amazing meal and thanks was given to Flying Fifteen Captain John Harvey for ensuring the support of the fleet which it was true to say the smiles and interest for the owners said it all.

Unfortunately, the forecast for Sunday was not so promising, which became a reality as the competitors headed down to a still and foggy South Cerney for day two. A lack of wind and visibility forced race management to postpone racing at around 10am with the hope that there was some more wind forecasted to fill in at noon.

Fortunately, after two very unpromising hours the fog started to lift, revealing dark streaks painting the surface of the pond. This time the direction had swung around to South which was great for the crowd watching from the shore who now had the start line directly in front of the club house. The switch in direction, drastically changed the course for day two; the fleet now had to contend with a land feature on the left and very unpredictable streaky breeze. One element of the course that remained the same was the course length and importance of good starting.

After a small wait to drop the final Flying Fifteen into the water racing kicked off just before 1 o’clock. Right from the first beat of race one it was clear that the change in conditions brought with it a more unpredictable, snakes and ladders form of racing. Despite this the same boats got in the groove, using a strong start to get into a small patch of pressure developing under the headland on the left. Meanwhile the rest of the fleet took part in a series of tacking battles up the middle of the course in search of more pressure.

The closer racing made for some more tactical downwind sailing and busy leeward mark rounding’s which emphasised the importance of forward thinking and the maintenance of boat speed towards the bottom of the course. As the final day came to a close Charley Griffiths was able to maintain her substantial lead built up from day one, with the fight for second place being won by local knowledge, allowing Andrew Cattermole’s team to pip Lucy Hodges to the post with a 57.0 vs 60.6-point total respectively.

The Blind Sailing Nationals 2019 was a great success, providing a showcase for the visually impaired sailors who had the ability to sail the boats fast in all conditions.

Big thank you to South Cerney Sailing Club with a special thanks to Commodore Vernon Perkins for opening the doors so warmly.

Blind Sailing Commodore Lucy Hodges would like to say thank you to all especially Rooster, volunteers and all of South Cerney Sailing Club, the event has been described as Magical, inclusive and open to all.