MCA website logo 2017 4

A white Mirror dinghy with blue spinnaker reaching fast downwindItchenor last hosted the Mirror nationals in 2016. Up one of the rivers leading to Chichester harbour, the club provides a great venue to test the skills of the national fleet.

With a long history in Mirrors, ISC currently has 43 Mirrors in the dinghy park with 40+ attending their highly popular Junior Fortnight.

The Mirror Nationals 2024 (23rd to 26th August) included 3 days of racing during which the Race team coordinated 7 races in different winds and different states of tide plus a day of coaching and practice.

Day 2 - photos by Tim Bees

The fleet seems to be attracting a growing number of hotshots from other classes who see the opportunity to do great racing while their offspring eat sweets in the front of the boat! This year, at least half of the top ten included national, world or endeavour champions from other classes. Only one parent/child team in the top ten had swapped places with Alex Balding (10th) taking the helm from his dad.

Ben and Evelyn McGrane gave another masterclass in Mirror sailing over the weekend only dropping one race to Matt and Pippa Burge.

Day 3 - photos by Tim Bees

This year saw two wooden boats in the top ten and a variety of sail makers. Please see the Yachts and Yachting Gear guide for details.

The single handed trophy was hotly contested between Ron and Jewels Vass. The blustery conditions meant it was not ideal for single handers. Ron was greatful for some super woman heroics from Natasha Armstrong who leapt from her boat to help him right his, after a crash gybe sailing through finishing boats.

The team trophy was closely fought between Hayling Island (Dobson, Wincer and Carveth) and Netley (McGrane, Stewart and King). While initially awarded to HISC, a closer inspection of the results suggests Netly won. There may be some debate about the outcome but Netly conveniently left it at home so that is where it stays for now!

Poppy and Natasha Armstrong (West Kirby) are the Women's National Champions. Felix and Rupert Garlick (Itchenor) are the Youth National Champions.

The highly coveted Super Crew trophy (youngest to complete every race) was won by Evelyn McGrane.

The day before racing got going, the Mirror Class Association with support from the ISC Race team provided coaching and two coached practice races. Coaches included the current Southern, Eastern, Inland, National and World champion Ben McGrane plus ex World champion Chris Balding shouting at crews from RIBs. Coaching continued over the weekend with daily debriefs when possible.

The Mirror event calendar is growing each year. Still to come in 2024 is the Welsh then Scottish then Inland Championships. See Facebook or the Class Association website for further details.

Results are provisional as of 14:37 on August 26, 2024

Sailed: 7, Discards: 1, To count: 6, Entries: 52, Scoring system: Appendix A

RankFleetHelmAgeCrewAgeBoatClubR1R2R3R4R5R6R7TotalNett
1st Gold Ben McGrane 41 Evelyn McGrane 7 71038 - Anna Netley SC 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 (6.0) 1.0 12.0 6.0
2nd Gold Matthew McGovern 43 Lewis McGovern 13 71042 - Marmalade South Staffs Sailing Club 4.0 2.0 3.0 2.0 (7.0) 2.0 5.0 25.0 18.0
3rd Gold Ian Dobson 38 Ted Dobson 6 71053 - Lightning HISC 2.0 7.0 8.0 8.0 6.0 3.0 (53.0 RET) 87.0 34.0
4th Gold Douglas Pattison 48 Jude Collier 12 70697 - Forget me knot Itchenor 3.0 10.0 4.0 6.0 5.0 7.0 (11.0) 46.0 35.0
5th Gold James Date 49 Meris Date 8 70182 - Shelly Burghfield Sailing Clib 9.0 (15.0) 2.0 9.0 12.0 4.0 2.0 53.0 38.0
6th Gold James Stewart 55 Rhys Stewart 9 70832 - Revenge of the Smurfs   (16.0) 3.0 5.0 11.0 13.0 8.0 3.0 59.0 43.0
7th Gold Matthew Burge 40 Pippa Burge 7 70085 - Molly Poole YC 6.0 4.0 10.0 (53.0 DNS) 2.0 1.0 23.0 99.0 46.0
8th Gold Geoff Carveth 64 Zac Carveth 11 70556 - Carveth Mirror HISC 12.0 (21.0) 6.0 7.0 4.0 10.0 7.0 67.0 46.0
9th Gold Toby Wincer 42 Molly Wincer 7 70922 - Wave Catcher Too HISC 5.0 14.0 (53.0 RET) 10.0 9.0 5.0 4.0 100.0 47.0
10th Gold Alex Balding 15 Chris Balding 48 70810 - YOLO Island Barn Reservoir Sailing Club 7.0 12.0 15.0 3.0 14.0 (22.0) 9.0 82.0 60.0
11th Gold Paul Cullen 48 Will Larkin 10 70967 - Zoomy Weirwood (15.0) 9.0 13.0 4.0 15.0 9.0 10.0 75.0 60.0
12th Gold Leighton King 47 Penny King 10 70587 - Hummingbird Netley Sailing Club 13.0 (22.0) 16.0 5.0 3.0 20.0 8.0 87.0 65.0
13th Bronze Katie Archer 42 Summer Greenland 8 70923 - X HISC 11.0 13.0 21.0 (53.0 DNC) 10.0 11.0 16.0 135.0 82.0
14th Gold Felix Garlick 14 Rupert Garlick 12 70714 - Peer Pressure Itchenor 8.0 8.0 12.0 21.0 (28.0) 18.0 17.0 112.0 84.0
15th Gold Nick Simmons 40 Finn Simmons 8 48756 - Hydrus Lymington Town SC 20.0 (23.0) 9.0 17.0 8.0 13.0 21.0 111.0 88.0
16th Gold Poppy Armstrong 15 Tasha Armstrong 50 70499 - Sea Glass West Kirby Sailing Club 18.0 16.0 (20.0) 16.0 17.0 14.0 12.0 113.0 93.0
17th Gold Nicholas Charles 44 Edith Charles 44 70961 - Skittles Papercourt 19.0 11.0 11.0 (53.0 DNC) 20.0 17.0 18.0 149.0 96.0
18th Gold Becky Priest 47 Ella Saunders 7 70893 - Baby Grey Boat Staunton Harold SC (29.0) 6.0 22.0 18.0 24.0 23.0 15.0 137.0 108.0
19th Gold Matthew Larkin 53 Oliver Larkin 11 70805 - A squish and a squash, try not to splosh Weir Wood Sailing Club 25.0 (33.0) 19.0 15.0 22.0 31.0 6.0 151.0 118.0
20th Gold Richard Searle 45 Rupert Searle 7 70916 - Donut Itchenor 17.0 25.0 17.0 (53.0 DNC) 23.0 21.0 19.0 175.0 122.0
21st Bronze Andrew Handasyde Dick 40 Izzy HD 9 70820 - Typhoon Itchenor 30.0 (35.0) 23.0 12.0 16.0 15.0 30.0 161.0 126.0
22nd Gold Morgan Cross 12 Stephen Cross 47 70945 - Oarsome Brightlingsea Sailing Club 23.0 (31.0) 27.0 20.0 21.0 19.0 20.0 161.0 130.0
23rd Gold Jo Field 40 Tabitha Field 7 70571 - Hammerhead Weir Wood Sailing Club (36.0) 30.0 31.0 14.0 18.0 16.0 24.0 169.0 133.0
24th Gold Rozalyn McGrane 50 Keira McGrane 10 70987 - Elsa Netley Sailing club 24.0 24.0 (53.0 DNC) 53.0 DNC 11.0 12.0 14.0 191.0 138.0
25th Gold Matthew Bromley 45 Georgina Bromley 8 70883 - Rumble Fish Redesmere SC 21.0 26.0 24.0 (53.0 DNC) 30.0 26.0 13.0 193.0 140.0
26th Gold Felix Gladman 13 Arthur Pattison 12 1016 - Yogi Itchenor 10.0 28.0 41.0 (53.0 RET) 25.0 28.0 28.0 213.0 160.0
27th Bronze James Bayliss 43 Annabel Bayliss 11 70564 - Gone with The Wind ISC 22.0 18.0 7.0 13.0 (53.0 DNC) 53.0 DNC 53.0 DNC 219.0 166.0
28th Gold Euan Bradshaw 39 Zoey Bradshaw 9 70354 - Bluebell Emsworth Sailing Club 33.0 (37.0) 32.0 22.0 29.0 25.0 25.0 203.0 166.0
29th Gold Jenny Fletcher 46 Isabel Fletcher 13 70163 - Aeolus Chichester Yacht Club 27.0 19.0 28.0 (53.0 DNC) 27.0 45.0 22.0 221.0 168.0
30th Gold Martin Egan 69 Felix Heffernan   69667 - Bold Forester Restronguet SC 31.0 27.0 25.0 (53.0 DNC) 36.0 24.0 27.0 223.0 170.0
31st Gold Lucy Searle 40 Rosy Searle 9 70713 - Peanut Itchenor 42.0 20.0 26.0 (53.0 DNC) 31.0 30.0 32.0 234.0 181.0
32nd Gold Lily-Rose Nixon 14 Alice Pattison 11 70757 - Maverick Itchenor 28.0 32.0 35.0 24.0 33.0 34.0 (43.0) 229.0 186.0
33rd Gold Alan Bennett 78 Ellie Fletcher 13 69929 - Zarya Staunton Harold 32.0 36.0 30.0 (53.0 DNC) 32.0 27.0 29.0 239.0 186.0
34th Gold Willow Cross 15 Katie Bees 15 70743 - Yeti Brightlingsea Sailing Club (53.0 DNC) 53.0 DNC 53.0 DNC 19.0 19.0 29.0 31.0 257.0 204.0
35th Gold Elsie Upton-Brown 14 Bella Pickup 15 70347 - Blue Emsworth 38.0 45.0 39.0 (53.0 DNS) 26.0 37.0 26.0 264.0 211.0
36th Gold Peter Deming 43 Catherine Deming 10 70503 - Scylla n/a 34.0 5.0 14.0 (53.0 DNC) 53.0 DNC 53.0 DNC 53.0 DNC 265.0 212.0
37th Bronze Flynn Grant 12 Loftus Skinner 10 70268 - Happy Blue Whale Chichester 35.0 38.0 36.0 (53.0 DNC) 35.0 33.0 35.0 265.0 212.0
38th Gold Richard Evans 44 Poppy Evans 7 70834 - Sugar and Spice Blackwater Sailing Club 14.0 29.0 18.0 (53.0 DNC) 53.0 DNC 53.0 DNC 53.0 DNC 273.0 220.0
39th Bronze Monty Fry 12 Seb Taylor 12 70638 - Little Miss Attitude Itchenor 37.0 39.0 33.0 (53.0 DNC) 41.0 36.0 34.0 273.0 220.0
40th Gold EJ Ayton 11 Camilla Garlick 9 70395 - Coz-i-Can Itchenor SC 40.0 34.0 34.0 (53.0 DNC) 37.0 38.0 38.0 274.0 221.0
41st Bronze Juliet Charles 42 Sebastian Charles 6 70737 - Olaf Papercourt 26.0 17.0 29.0 (53.0 DNC) 53.0 DNC 53.0 DNC 53.0 DNC 284.0 231.0
42nd Gold Adriana Balding 13 Priti Verma 47 70534 - Crimson Thunder Island Barn Reservoir Sailing Club 43.0 42.0 38.0 (53.0 DNC) 40.0 35.0 44.0 295.0 242.0
43rd Gold Imogen Fry 14 Nelly Hewlett 14 70791 - Lady Dashalot Itchenor 39.0 41.0 37.0 (53.0 DNC) 39.0 44.0 45.0 298.0 245.0
44th Gold Albert Scholes 12 Roger Scholes 48 70618 - White Pointer Itchenor (53.0 DNC) 53.0 DNC 53.0 DNC 23.0 43.0 39.0 37.0 301.0 248.0
45th Bronze Edward Goble 37 Fergus Goble 7 70227 - Sweet Pea Itchenor 44.0 44.0 42.0 (53.0 DNC) 44.0 43.0 40.0 310.0 257.0
46th Gold Joshua Gestetner 13 Darcy Collier 14 70706 - Go Fish Itchenor & Bosham Sailing Clubs 41.0 40.0 (53.0 DNC) 53.0 DNC 38.0 46.0 42.0 313.0 260.0
47th Gold Huw Beverley-Jones 12 Matilda Ward 13 70790 Te-Fiti Restronguet Sailing Club (53.0 DNC) 53.0 DNC 53.0 DNC 53.0 DNC 34.0 42.0 36.0 324.0 271.0
48th Gold Jewels Vass 44     70972 - Surfs Up Reading SC (53.0 DNC) 53.0 DNC 53.0 DNC 53.0 DNC 53.0 DNC 32.0 33.0 330.0 277.0
49th            69464   (53.0 DNC) 53.0 DNC 53.0 DNC 53.0 DNC 42.0 40.0 39.0 333.0 280.0
50th Bronze Enfys Horner 10 George Massey 15 70510 - Blibbering Humdinger ESC 45.0 43.0 40.0 (53.0 DNC) 53.0 DNC 53.0 DNC 53.0 DNC 340.0 287.0
51st Gold Ronald Vass 72     7103 - Squirt Reading SC (53.0 DNC) 53.0 DNC 53.0 DNC 53.0 DNC 46.0 41.0 41.0 340.0 287.0
52nd            70366   (53.0 DNC) 53.0 DNC 53.0 DNC 53.0 DNC 45.0 47.0 53.0 DNF 357.0 304.0

More photos, links and prizegiving details will be added as time allows.

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Thanks to Jan Grieg-Gran, Rob Grieg-Gran and Scotty Cochrane for their work on a previous website.