NATIONALS 2007 at Paignton,
Sunday, July 29th - Friday, August 3rd

 5 contestants from HISC went  down to Devon for the Nationals;
Communication was limited to a dodgey vodaphone link, so we were brief.

Official Results

Friday 3 August. We actually had to sit out today, but the wind was very patchy with big shifts. At the windward mark it was just like going round Sandy. At the last finish 4 HISC boats were battling with each other to the bitter end. Nick had another result in the teens today and pulled himself up into the twenties overall.

Thursday 2 August. A bit more wind today but only for some of the time. It died completely after the first race so we came ashore and waited. It picked up so off out again for Race 2. Big shift on the second beat then it dropped away for the last lap. Nick is now leading the HISC boats with a 13th today. Best bit of the day was when a trawler motored across the Bay in a dead straight line towards the committee boat. It just missed the boat but trawled up its anchor and started to tow it away!

Wednesday 1 August. Where has the wind gone? Another couple of drifters with the wind dying out as we ran down to the finish of the second race. No great achievements but Nick had a creditable 15th. He is closing on Tony for the HISC honours. Barry or Cliff look like getting the wooden spoon.

Tuesday 31 July. Another hot and sunny day with a so called sea breeze that never exceeded 5 kts. Nothing noteworthy in the first race. In race 2 Tony’s determination to sail the beats by going right until he reached the lay-line finally paid off and he finished 4th. Cliff also starred and finished 13th. Barry now has more points than Network Rail.

Monday 30 July. Nice sunny day with very shifty winds. Abandoned starts, abandoned races and black flags. David made the high teens in Race 1 while Tony and Cliff stopped in a huge wind hole for several minutes. Derek Jackman, CYC, caught the new wind to lay the first mark in one and was never caught to the finish. David joined the black flag brigade in Race 2, while Tony looked good for a bit before the second beat took its toll. Barry has now been assigned a buddy who is to coach him!

Sunday 29 July. Very light wind for the first day of racing. So light that the second race was eventally binned after a lot of time spent waiting. HISC boats escaped all the black flags in race 1 and David was 10th at the first mark, but disaster struck on the run and he finished 19th. None of the rest of us are worth mentioning.

Saturday 28 July.  All arrived eventually. David stuck until 1800. Crisis at the measurement check - Tony’s B sail too big. No HISC boat went out for the practice race, all done enough sailing recently.

Friday 27 July.  Barry and Cliff at Training Camp at Kingsteignton