National Championships 2014, Weston SC, Southampton, 23rd-26th August 2014

[Torchy]

1st A+E - Clive and Alex Everest
2nd Usagi Yojimbo - Andy and Jill Peters
3rd Paul Croote and Ed (sorry Ed)

Report to follow

[Pollyj562]

Good weekend despite a noticeable lack of wind. Well done Clive and Alex.

[HighwaytoHelm]

I just want to say thanks to everyone who was there at the weekend. I'm sold on the boats and will definitely look to get one in the very near future. I have to say I even though we were last and did lots of swimming it was easily the most enjoyable sailing I've done.

Consider me converted to Cherubs!! 

[Torchy]

They're the best 2 hander I have ever sailed.

Moth is best single-hander (low rider)

The common thread is something to do with short waterline length, speed and a tendency to pitch...great fun...and the latest Cherubs punch through waves rather than pitch-pole.

[Neil C.]

Weston have only posted up results to the end of Monday. Is that the final positions or was there further racing on Tuesday?

[BenR]

Yes Neil, No racing on Tuesday due to lack of any wind whatsoever.

[phil_kirk]

Until racing was canned for the day after which a light breeze filled in.

Please post things that you think are worthy of an event report.  Paul C has sent me his memories to include in the report.

I have updated the asset tracker with prizes awarded.

The didgery don't needs to get from the Bridles to the Jenkins.

The davey trophy was won by paul clements last yearbut it is not clear that it got to him. Anyone know any more?
This just needs to get to me or Dave Ching.

The spanking paddle was last recorded to be with Stu tinner. This needs to get to John Hamilton when he has paid his entry fee.

[Graham Bridle]

My apologies I totally forgot we have the DigeryDont - where was my reminder before the event !

I will present it to the Jenkins with much pleasure

[roland_trim]

Where was my reminder before the event !

Blame the ex secretary, he was rubbish.

PS Davey is with Liza Clements. Delivery to Phil in the near future. Please see Davey thread if you have won it or know who hte previous reciepients were...

[andy_peters]

Here is the bones of a report, feel free to insert your own contributions and pick me up on my poor grammar.  We should aim to get words with a couple of photos to Y&Y by the weekend

Southampton Water hosts many water craft of varying sizes and speeds and over the recent Bank Holiday weekend its tides, capricious winds and large commercial vessels were the backdrop to the Cherub Nationals.  Now in their 63rd year cherubs have evolved to sleek, light high performance skiffs but the development ethos means there is still room for new ideas and home design and build.  This year nobody chose to repeat the foiling experiments of previous class President Grahame 'Birdman' Bridle now off terrorizing small craft with his 18 foot weapon.  So on Saturday a fleet of 20ish Cherubs rigged up in the morning sunshine ready to do battle for the coveted Simpson Cup and other historic trophies.   Chat in the boat park wasn't about who would win the event but rather who would be the recipient of the notorious 'spanking paddle' for misbehavior or 'The Davey' for best capsize.  Our star reporter from previous cherub events in 2014 missed the event, something about 'having twins'.  So in true cherub style the following is a polished masterpiece, incisive as a carbon t-foil and as strong as Jon Hamilton's daggerboard.

Racing commenced with two rather pleasant days with light to medium winds.  Luckily the wind was from the far side of Southampton Water meaning the shifts and gusts  were only frequent rather than constant.  The Everests using more than 55 years of accumulated local knowledge predicted shifts everyone else could only guess at and eased to a comfortable lead by the end of day 2.  Once the Peters and The Crooties has finished pre-start embracing they occupied the next two spots.  Early entries for the Davey were also registered with Clive Everest dropping his mainsheet in a gentle front of fleet windward pirouette.  Phil Kirk showed that cramming 5 years worth of Wayfarer sailing into a month doesn't help your Cherub sailing one bit with a cumulation effort to make a volume play for the Davey.  The fleet finished day 2 with rather anxious looks at the various weather apps, all of which were predicting somewhat biblical conditions for the following day.

Bank Holiday Monday dawned, in fact rather than dawned it crawled into existence like an unwelcome wet hound.  With Cherub sailors departing into the gloom all that was missing was an Ark.   Even that arrived in time for race 3 with a huge container ship picking up a tug just as the fleet arrived at the wind(less)ward mark.  3 races were held, in perhaps some of the most unpleasant sailing conditions experienced for a while, and huge thanks (I think) must go to the safety boat and race officials for their perseverance. I don't know why we bothered as overall places didn't change much, at least we weren't all camping.  Oh wait a minute.......  Anyway a large scale curry invasion in the evening restored spirits and the fleet headed back to sodden canvas and waterbeds all ready for the final day.

The final day dawned wet and windless.  Even the digestion of 40 plus Cherubists couldn't produce sufficient racing breeze and at the first decent dry spell racing was abandoned so people could pack up in the dry.  Excitement grew as prize giving neared.  Everyone knew who had done well in the sailing but who had won the discretionary prizes  Lets get the sailing out of the way first.  The Everests had blitzed the fleet in A&E.  Last years champions the Peters were second in Usagi and Paul Croote and Ed Higham, love em or hate em, were 3rd in Marmite.  Best improvers were Jonny and Alex Harris in Ronin.  The 97 rules trophy was hard fought between Nick and Jo in Madge and Alex and Marc in Spanish Inquisition.  Victory by 3 points went to Madge but only after some tortuously close racing.

Onto the real prizes.  After years of sub-standard misbehaviour John Hamilton was awarded the spanking paddle for showing extreme tardiness in paying his entry fee (have you yet John) plus attempting other unmentionable deeds with younger female member(s) of the fleet (allegedly - but the spanking paddle assumes guilty until proven not so)

The Davey for best capsize went to Phil Kirk and Dave Ching.  Putting two helms in a boat is surely asking for trouble and so it proved.  Back to the Wayfarer for more sailing lessons please lads!

It was lovely to see Banshee Ambulance sailing at an event.  Almost the most underused Cherub (where IS Dan's boat?) it has never been tested to destruction.  Well it has now and Steve Carver was awarded The Ashes, not for beating a bunch of criminals with a willow bat, but for best boat breaking.

The prize nobody wants - the Didgeridon't for under performance went to Paul and Peter Jenkins in Cool Beans.  To be fair they didn't sail that badly, the award is for wishing Weston was 'more like Garda' and mentally checking out of the championships before they had even begun.....despite being the event arranger!

All that was left was for Clive to make a gracious speech,  thankfully he did mentioning the excellent prizes that were provided by championship sponsors Magic Marine.  Weston were well organised and very hospitable hosts and the Cherubs look forward to returning next summer for the skiff open.

[Tim Noyce]

This write up is great, not sure I could have done better myself! 

Look forward to perhaps being back on the water for next years event to win back 'my' 97 trophy! Congratulations to Clive and Alex!

[paul_croote]

Thanks  Andy, great write up, much better than I would manage. "Paul Croote and Ed Higham, love em or hate em" didn't realize we were so controversial!

[roland_trim]

We love you ....

Thanks  Andy, great write up, much better than I would manage. "Paul Croote and Ed Higham, love em or hate em" didn't realize we were so
controversial!

[Neil C.]

CHERUB Nationals 2014

Weston Sailing Club

Results as of 16:05 on August 25, 2014

Overall

Sailed: 8, Discards: 1, To count: 7, Entries: 18, Scoring system: Appendix A
Rank   Fleet   Class   SailNo   HelmName   CrewName   R1   R2   R3   R4   R5   R6   R7   R8   Total   Nett
1st   Cherub   3215   Clive Everest   Alex Everest   1.0   1.0   (4.0)   1.0   1.0   1.0   1.0   1.0   11.0   7.0
2nd   Cherub   3202   Andrew Peters   Jill Peters   2.0   4.0   1.0   2.0   2.0   3.0   4.0   (8.0)   26.0   18.0
3rd   Cherub   3212   Paul Croote   Ed Higham   (7.0)   2.0   2.0   3.0   4.0   4.0   3.0   3.0   28.0   21.0
4th   Cherub   3214   Paul Jenkins   Peter Jenkins   5.0   3.0   5.0   4.0   3.0   2.0   2.0   (7.0)   31.0   24.0
5th   Cherub   3208   Dean Ralph   Simon Jones   3.0   6.0   3.0   5.0   7.0   (8.0)   5.0   5.0   42.0   34.0
6th   Cherub   2698   Jonny Harris   Alex Harris   6.0   (7.0)   6.0   7.0   5.0   7.0   6.0   2.0   46.0   39.0
7th   Cherub   2693   Tom Hole   Andrew Whapshott   4.0   5.0   (19.0 DNC)   10.0   6.0   5.0   7.0   6.0   62.0   43.0
8th   Cherub   3203   Philip Kirk   Dave Ching   8.0   8.0   7.0   6.0   9.0   6.0   (19.0 OCS)   4.0   67.0   48.0
9th   Cherub   3216   Roland Trim   Polly Jarman   9.0   9.0   8.0   9.0   10.0   11.0   9.0   (14.0)   79.0   65.0
10th   Cherub   2688   Ben Rushton   Diana McCosh   10.0   (14.0)   9.0   12.0   12.0   9.0   8.0   9.0   83.0   69.0
11th   Cherub   2646   Nick Pratt   Joanna Hutchinson   11.0   11.0   10.0   (15.0)   15.0   13.0   10.0   12.0   97.0   82.0
12th   Cherub   2664   Alex Slatter   Marc Slatter   12.0   13.0   11.0   (14.0)   14.0   14.0   11.0   11.0   100.0   86.0
13th   Cherub   3201   Stephen Carver   Jamie Pearson   (19.0 DNC)   10.0   19.0 DNC   11.0   8.0   19.0 DNC   19.0 DNC   19.0 DNC   124.0   105.0
13th   Cherub   3209   John Hamilton   Dan   (19.0 DNC)   19.0 DNF   19.0 DNC   8.0   11.0   10.0   19.0 DNC   19.0 DNC   124.0   105.0
15th   Cherub   2685   Nigel Modern   Sam Modern   13.0   12.0   (19.0 DNC)   19.0 DNC   13.0   12.0   19.0 DNF   19.0 DNC   126.0   107.0
16th   Cherub   2645   Tom Baker   Joe White   (19.0 DNC)   19.0 DNC   19.0 DNC   19.0 DNC   19.0 DNC   15.0   19.0 DNF   10.0   139.0   120.0
17th   Cherub   2676   Emma Pearson   Abi Riley   (19.0 DNF)   19.0 DNC   19.0 DNC   13.0   19.0 DNC   19.0 DNC   19.0 DNC   13.0   140.0   121.0
18th   Cherub   2674   Mike Cunningham       (19.0 DNC)   19.0 DNC   19.0 DNC   19.0 DNC   19.0 DNC   19.0 DNC   19.0 DNC   19.0 DNC   152.0   133.0
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[BenR]

great write up Andy. we need to mention magic marine as the providers if prizes somewhere.