Inland Championships 2001 30 June & 1 July at Queen Mary SC

Many thanks to Heather Davies from QMSC for compiling this report and for taking such lovely photos, which hopefully will appear shortly in Yachts & Yachting.

Mirror sailors travelled from far and wide for the Inland Championship at Queen Mary Sailing Club, with competitors from Plymouth and Penzance to the north of England. Thirty nine boats were on the start line for the 5 race series in ideal conditions - sunshine, warm temperatures and a force 4 breeze. It was noticeable the high number of youth and junior teams competing in the championship, hardly surprising with this being the second of four qualifiers for entry to the National Youth Squad. This year entry to the 20 boat squad is wide open, as only 6 of last years members still qualify on age.

 The race team set a triangle/sausage course that tested the boats in the fresh conditions, with the gybe mark offering some interesting manoeuvres and boat handling techniques. The conditions showed how lively it can be sailing a Mirror in a good breeze. All credit to the sailors in the gusty conditions that there were no gear failures and capsizes that could be counted on one hand.

The three races on Saturday each had a different winner, with Lucy Macgregor and Nerissa Booth leading at the end of the first day, closely followed by Guy and Ben Wilkins.

Sunday dawned with a light wind, which clearly helped some boats and caused shear frustration for others. The final 2 races were sailed back to back and although the wind was reasonably consistent in direction, its strength had a mind of its own and almost disappeared giving the race team, competitors and spectators some anxious moments.

Guy and Ben Wilkins won overall with a one point margin over the 2nd and 3rd placed boats, even though they had not won a race outright, showing that consistency (and experience) counts. At the prize giving Guy praised the host club for their efficiency in running the event, and also his crew & son, Ben - a new generation of Wilkins' to watch.

The fleet now look forward to the next major event, the World Championship in Howth, Ireland at the beginning of August where they expect to see 200+ boats on the water.

Final Results