The Police Sport UK
National Laser & Dinghy Sailing Championships
Wednesday 15th to Friday 17th June, 2005
Scaling Dam S.C., North Yorkshire.

Hosted by Cleveland Police

Frances Gifford wins the Dinghy Championships.... Roger Glass takes the Laser Nationals

   There was no lack of wind for this year’s police national Laser championship. The man-made reservoir at Scaling Dam, on the northern edge of the North Yorkshire Moors National Park, was covered in low and heavy rain clouds. Strong and gusting winds of up to force 6 were blowing in from the west. The race officer, Ian Holden, held three races, all with zig-zag courses around the fixed club buoys, from committee boat starts.

   Race 1 was a race of attrition with the strong winds wearing down the strength of the competitors and the gusts catching out the unwary. I think that every sailor capsized at least once. A couple of unfortunates capsized soon after leaving the beach and were swept onto the dam wall by the waves generated by the strong winds. Another Laser needed to be dragged up on top of the dam. Dick Sivers (a pensioner from Northamptonshire) did make an attempt to sail but had great difficulty getting away from the beach and eventually decided to sit it out. Roger Glass, another pensioner, made a wise decision (as things turned out) of sitting that race out and did not even get changed into his sailing gear, but stayed ashore watching the others struggle. For the first time in the Laser Championship, some competitors decided to use the smaller Radial rig. From the start of the race, it soon became a 4-man race with Andy Taverner (Met) leading the way round, with Stuart Jenkins (Met) hard on his heals. Paul Meeson (Cheshire) sailing his Laser with a Radial rig managed to keep ahead of Steve Brisley (Cleveland) sailing a standard Laser. These 4 competitors (the only finishers) completed the course in that order. Meanwhile, the competitors who had ended up on the dam were walking back to the clubhouse carrying sails & spars on their shoulders. It had been a tough morning.

   After a well-earned lunch break, nine Laser sailors took to the water for the second race. The wind was still from the west but it had eased enough to make life a little easier for the sailors. The leading group was made up of a Metropolitan trio, Roger Glass, Stuart Jenkins and Andy Taverner, and one local man – Steve Brisley. They fought it out to the end, when the local boy came good and was first to cross the finish line. Glass was not far behind, and he was followed home by Jenkins and Taverner. Paul Meeson was 5th.

   The winds eased even more for the 3rd race and 10 racers took to the water. This time Andy Taverner was determined to do better. With his win in Race One, he was in a good position to win the championship. He was in the lead two legs from the finish, but then Glass managed to overtake him. Taverner’s confidence must have taken a knock at that, but all was not lost. He must have known that if he could hold second place he could still be the overall winner. But unfortunately it was not to be! Only about 100 metres from the finish his Metropolitan compatriot, Jenkins, managed to slip by and crossed the finish line ahead of him, pushing him back into third place. That meant police pensioner, Roger Glass, was the 2005 Police Laser Champion. Andy Taverner was the runner up! So close and yet so far! Stuart Jenkins was third overall.

L.G.

 Report & Results - Pictures to follow -

   More and more lady sailors are coming to public notice, and so it was inevitable that sooner or later a lady sailor would win the police national sailing championship. And so it came to pass in the year AD2005 that the title of police sailing champion was won by Frances Gifford of the Met. She was sailing a very quick National 12, ably crewed by Peter Walker. What made this feat all the more commendable was that it was done in some very heavy weather, it was done against some very hot opposition, and it was done very convincingly. She won 3 of the five races, came 2nd in another and was able to discard her lowest result, which was a 4th. Alan Husk (Essex), the defending champion, sailing his swift Phantom, was the runner-up.

   This year’s number of entrants was disappointing with only 29 boats (of all shapes and sizes) taking to the water at the man-made reservoir at Scaling Dam, on the northern edge of the North Yorkshire Moors National Park, for the 30th police national sailing championship. Ten different forces were represented. The fastest dinghies on handicap were the RS400s (PY 952) and the slowest was the Laser Pico sailed by Michelle Farrant (PY 1259). To make sure that the races did not drag out too long, and to do away with the need for a time limit, the very competent race officer, Ian Holden, brought in an average lap system for the slower boats. It seemed to work quite well, and the programme was completed in good time.

   Instead of having a social event at the clubhouse on the Thursday evening, Nick Hunt and his merry men thought up the idea of having a coach trip into Whitby, about 9 miles from Scaling, and allowing the competitors to wander around the town as the fancy took them. There was no shortage of places of interest to look at, with fish & chip restaurants also pubs to visit. The light evening was a blessing to those who were content to explore the town. Full marks too, went to the organising committee and the race officer and his team for having the results ready for a 2 o’clock prize-giving on the Friday, allowing those who had a long distance to travel to make an early get away.

   Five races were held over two days for the championship, with four race results to count towards the points. Three races were held on Thursday and two on Friday. All races were sailed over zig-zag courses around the club’s fixed marks, avoiding the nature reserve and making use of the whole of the sailing section of the dam. The race officer controlled the races from his small committee boat. Every race was headed by a bevy of RS400s, with the sole RS300 of Geoff Norman, the Phantom of Alan Husk, the Lasers of Stuart Jenkins and Roger Glass, and the Albacore of the local man, Steve Brisley, tagging along behind. Husk got left behind at the start of Race 1, but was soon carving his way through the fleet, to finish second on handicap to the National 12 of Frances Gifford. Andy Taverner (Met) gave up his place in the Laser fleet to team up with Paul Heath (GMP) in his RS400. If Andy thought he was in for an easy ride, he was sadly mistaken, and ended up using more energy in the RS than he usually does in the Laser. But those two lads did well enough to finish 5th overall. The 3rd and 4th places in this championship went to the RS400s sailed by two local men, Nick Hunt and Jonathan Tapper (both Cleveland); and Pete Walters and Mark Bush from Nottinghamshire. Try as he might, Alan Husk could not get far enough ahead of the National 12 of Gifford and Walker to break the handicap advantage, and had to settle for second place overall. So that left Francis Gifford and Peter Walker as the undisputed champion team.

   In Race1 it was the Cleveland RS400 of Hunt and Tapper that crossed the finish line first. The Nottinghamshire (Walters & Bush) and Greater Manchester/Metropolitan (Heath & Taverner) RS400s streaked across the line some 11 seconds later only one second apart. It was over 3 minutes later that the Essex Phantom crossed the line only 14 seconds ahead of the Metropolitan National 12. The veteran, Geoff Norman was the 6th to finish in his RS300, over a minute behind the National 12. On handicap Francis Gifford was 1st and Alan Husk 2nd.

   In Race 2 the three RS400s of Hunt, Walters and Heath were again the fastest boats over the water, with Husk’s Phantom finishing next. Norman’s RS300 finished ahead of Gifford’s National 12, but dropped back to 8th on handicap. Paul Meeson (Cheshire) sailed extremely well to be the 7th boat to finish, and the first Laser. On handicap he won equal 5th place with Paul Heath’s RS400. It was Nick Hunt that won on handicap.

   In Race 3 Nick Hunt was again the first to finish, but this time it was Paul Heath who was second over the line, ahead of Pete Walters. Geoff Norman was 4th to finish, with Alan Husk 35 seconds behind him. Francis Gifford was 6th over the line, but first on handicap.

   Day two of the handicap event brought lighter winds. In Race 4 it was Paul Heath that led the fleet home, over a minute ahead of Alan Husk, who was only 6 seconds in front of Nick Hunt. Pete Walters was 4th to finish, just 12 seconds ahead of Geoff Norman. Steve Brisley (Cleveland) in the Albacore was 6th was across the line, but 3rd on handicap. And Francis Gifford finished 7th, but was 2nd on handicap, and Alan Husk was 1st.

   With the wind dropping even more, Race 5 was a fairly short race and it was Pete Walters’ turn to lead the fleet home. 2nd over the line was Paul Heath, followed closely by Alan Husk. Geoff Norman crossed 4th, and Francis Gifford was 5th, just 5 seconds ahead of Steve Brisley. On handicap Francis ended up 1st, Alan was 2nd and Steve 3rd. By the time the back markers finished there was hardly enough wind to get back ashore.

   It is planned to hold the 2006 championships in Nottinghamshire.

L.G.

Click here to view pictures from the Dinghy Championships

Event Organiser:
Nick Hunt
Nicholas.Hunt@cleveland.pnn.police.uk
Police Station, France Street,
REDCAR
Cleveland
TS10 3HH
Tel: 01642-302614
Mobile (0796-609-1570)