Some 300 sailors invaded Weymouth over the weekend (3-4 November), all hoping to walk away with the first BUSA (British University Sports Association) points of the season.
For the second year in a row Southampton University sailors thrived in the light winds to retain the Team Trophy. Their winning combination came from Ian Dobson and Katie Restall (RS200) who reclaimed their championship title in the Handicap fleet, narrowly beating team mates Jo Brigg and Lizz Willows (RS200) into second place, while Matt Findlay and Joanne Bailey came second in the Firefly class.
However Southampton were pushed all the way for the title, wins in the Laser (Nick Thompson) and Firefly (Tom Mallindine and Pete Matthews) fleets taking Exeter University within a point of the trophy. 2007 ISAF Youth Worlds silver medallists Sophie Weguelin and Sophie Ainsworth did their best to put the Devon university in the ascendancy but they were unable to break up the dominance of the RS200s at the top of the Handicap fleet and were forced to settle for fourth place resulting in team victory for Southampton.
The Laser 2 Fleet saw some close racing with Pete Williams and David Kness from Surrey University keen to go one better than their second place last year. However, despite Surrey’s Lead overnight, the Brunel pair of Piers Arnold and Emanuel Koechert surprised the fleet on Sunday by scoring three bullets and clinching the title.
Sailors in the Handicap and Firefly fleets saw racing interrupted on Saturday afternoon after a pod of dolphins appeared in the harbour between the boats and their next mark!
Students will now be turning their focus to Team Racing with the Qualifiers for the Team Racing Championships due to take place throughout the country on the 2-3 February 2008.
Results in Brief:
Laser
1st Nick Thompson Exeter 5 points
2nd Dyfrig Mon Swansea 10 points
3rd Sean Evans Swansea 12 points
Laser 2
1st Piers Arnold/Emanuel Koechert Brunel 5 points
2nd Pete Williams/David Kness Surrey 11 points
3rd James Perry/Christopher Williams Birmingham 14 points
Firefly
1st Tom Mallindine/Pete Matthews Exeter 4 points
2nd Matt Findlay/Joanne Bailey Southampton 9 points
3rd Matt Pinner/Ali Haylett Bristol 10 points
Handicap
1st Ian Dobson/Katie Restall Southampton 9 points
2nd Jo Brigg/Lizz Willows Southampton 19 points
3rd Sam Littlejohn/Emma Hayward Bath 19 points
Team
1st Southampton 5 points
2nd Exeter 6 points
3rd Brunel 15 points
FULL RESULTS ON DOWNLOADS PAGE.