Frensham Pond Open Meeting The first event of 2008 took place at Frensham Pond Sailing Club on Saturday 19th April. Three Parkstone boats made the journey, with Joanna Freeman and Liam Pardy sailing excellently to finish third. Report and Results
2008 Indicator Series The second ranking event of 2008 was held at Datchet Water over the weekend of the 3/4th of May. With no races at Rutland in March, Saturday saw the first day of the 2008 World Team Indicator Series, with four races being held. 11 Parkstone boats travelled to Datchet. The Parkstone boats had a mixed event, with very difficult conditions encountered over the course of the day. On Sunday no races were held as the wind toyed with the competitors. Joanna Freeman and Holly Francis had an excellent event, finishing 3rd, and taking the gun in race 2. Josh and Naomi Flack also had a good event, finishing 6th. This means that two Parkstone boats are holding team places heading to the last event at Weymouth in a few weeks time. Please visit the event website for reports and information. Results
British Team for 2008 World Championships in Medemblik announced! Congratulations to Joanna and Holly, and Josh and Naomi who have qualified for the Worlds in Medemblik, Holland, in July! The final World Team indicator took place at Weymouth over the bank holiday weekend of the 24/25th of May. Competitors arrived on Saturday to strong winds of up to 25 knots, and two races were completed. The first was won easily by Joanna and Holly, who showed their speed in the heavier winds as well as the lighter airs at Datchet. Parkstone boats also performed well in the afternoon race, with Josh and Naomi third, Chris and Ashley fifth and Joanna and Holly eigth. On Sunday the wind was much lighter, force 3 at first but steadily dropping, so that by the afternoon it was very light indeed. Joanna and Holly sailed brilliantly again to finish 3rd in the event, winning the middle race. Josh and Naomi just squeaked into the team with a fifth in the last race. Chris and Ashley sailed very consistently throughout the event to finish 5th, although they could have been higher without a blag flagged. The final event of the National Squad selector series is the Nationals in Torquay, in August. Amy Yeoman and Alice Alcock, and Chris Brewer and Ole Alcock, are currently in squad positions. Please visit the event website for reports and information. World Team Selector Series Results
Parkstone Cadets at Flanders Youth Regatta Three Parkstone Cadets, Jo and Holly, Josh and Naomi, and Chris and Ashley, made the trip to Nieuwpoort, Belgium, for the annual Flanders Youth Regatta in late June/early July. 12 races were scheduled for the regatta, which takes place out in the North Sea, and which proved to be a very interesting venue. The first day of racing, Saturday, saw strong winds gusting up to 25 knots, which also resulted in huge waves. The Parkstone Cadets were all showing very strongly in race 1, with Jo and Holly leading ahead of Josh and Naomi, but unfortunately the British team had forgotten to read the sailing instructions and all sailed the wrong course. D’oh! However, the second race was much better. In the increasing wind and swell, Josh and Naomi led all the way round to win just ahead of Jo and Holly. As the week progressed the wind steadily dropped, so that by the last day there was barely enough wind to make progress over the ridiculous amount of tide that is found at Nieuwpoort. Jo and Holly sailed excellently to win the event by a point ahead of Belgians Quinten Lauwers and Nele de Munck, despite the mishap in the first race. Josh and Naomi also won three races to be placed third overall, with Chris and Ashley finishing 13th, although they would have been much higher if it were not for a mysterious jury decision. The regatta was also an excellent social occasion, with a chance to meet many sailors from Belgian and the Netherlands as well as fellow Brits. The barbeque on Monday night was memorable for those who were sober enough to remember it...not many! Overall it was an extremely enjoyable event with challenging conditions and superb racing. Results 
Exe Open Meeting Two Parkstone boats, Amy Yeoman and Alice Alcock, and Chris Brewer and Ole Alcock, took part in the Exe Open Meeting on the weekend of the 12/13th of July. 16 boats took part in the event, including many of the best sailors from across the country, which consisted of 6 races in total. Amy and Alice sailed very well, particularly on the Sunday, to take third overall, also winning a race. Chris and Ole were also pleased with their performance, finishing a very creditable 7th overall. Alex Horlock and Tim Pearce from Exe were the well deserved winners, with Arthur Henderson and Matt Currell (well known to Parkstone sailors!) second. Report and Results
Cadet World Championships, Medemblik Joanna Freeman and Holly Francis finish 2nd!!!! The 2008 Cadet World Championships took place from the 30th July to the 8th August in Medemblik, Holland. 81 boats were entered into the World Championship fleet, with another 101 teams competing in the Promotional regatta, with 14 countires competing and boats from as far as Australia and Argentina, as well as a large European contingent. Racing took place over 6 days on the Ijselmeer, a huge inland sea which provided tricky and varied conditions for all the competitors. 4 boats from Parkstone made the relatively short hop across the channel, with Jo Freeman and Holly Francis, and Josh and Naomi Flack competing in the worlds. Amy Yeoman and Alice Alcock, and Chris Tiernan and Ashley Dunford were entered in the Promotional regatta. Most of the competitors, including all four Parkstone boats, arrived a week before the Championship for a spot of light training, as well as a chance to see the town of Medemblik and generally relax. The week was therefore extremely enjoyable as we socialised with new sailors from other countries, as well as meeting up with old friends from past championships, particularly the Aussies, Belgians and Dutch. The accommodation was situated very close to the town and the sailing club, which was helpful, and made even easier by the hiring of traditional Dutch bicycles. The weather for this first week was extremely hot, with light winds broken only by the ferocious storms which were experienced on several evenings. 
After a superb first week the championship drew closer and measurement was the first step, which was followed by a very windy practice race. Jo and Holly finished 3rd, and Josh and Naomi 11th, which was a good confidence booster. The promotionals race was cancelled due to the high winds, which was disappointing for Chris and Ash especially. The first day of the championships saw beautiful sailing conditions in a solid force 4. Josh and Naomi were very pleased (and surprised) to be placed second overall after a consistent 6,8. Jo and Holly posted a 3,20 to be well placed in the worlds fleet. Amy and Alice also had a solid start in the Promotionals, with a 5,4, and Chris and Ash similiarly with 6,6. 
As the event continued, all four Parkstone boats continued to post good results. Jo and Holly moved into second place overall after day 3, posting 3,20,3,3,3,3. Josh and Naomi fell down the results slightly from day 1, but remained in the top 10 in a high quality fleet. Amy and Alice won race 4 on their way to qualifying easily for the Gold fleet in 6th position, and were joined by Chris and Ash. Unfortunately the Promotionals lay day was cancelled due to high winds on day 3. This meant that whilst the worlds fleet were partying that evening, the promotionals needed an early night for sailing the next day. Once again Chris and Ash were disappointed that they had not raced in their preferred stronger winds. 
Going into the final race, Jo and Holly were guaranteed second place, but needed something very special to beat leaders Quentin Lauwers and Nele de Munck from Belgium. Josh and Naomi were placed 12th, but only a few points off the top 10. In the strongest winds of the week (gusting up to 30 knots by the final beat), Jo and Holly won their final race in a Cadet. However, the Belgian team finished second, enough to win them the championship ahead of Jo and Holly. Popular Aussie sailors Tom Kennady and Ellie Chesterman were third. Josh and Naomi finished with a 9th in the final race, which also gave them 9th overall. In the promotional fleet, Amy and Alice were 8th going into the final day, with Chris and Ash 12th. The girls sailed two brilliant races, a fourth in the first, and then won the second by a country mile, to move up to fifth overall, and only two points off the podium. Chris and Ash were slightly disappointed with 12th overall, although this was still respectable in such a large fleet. Tim Carter and Henry Stone, from Waldringfield SC, won the Promotional fleet ahead of Alex Young and Jack Hardie from Frensham.   
Overall, the event proved to be a fantastic success. All four Parkstone boats, and especially Jo and Holly, came away with excellent results. However, the event was also extremely enjoyable off the water, with many new friends made from all over the world. Final results can be found here.
Cadet Nationals at Torquay The final national Cadet event of the year was held at Torquay from the 16th to the 22nd of August. 11 Parkstone boats were present, with 10 races scheduled over 6 days. The event was also a chance to meet up with friends from all over the country, particularly for those who did not attend the World Championships. The saturday practice race was abandoned due to strong winds. With many of the top British sailors from the World Championships moving onto other classes, including Joanna Freeman, the competition was arguably the most open for many years. A strong forecast meant that 3 races were held on the first day, in medium conditions, with a steep chop to the Torbay seas. Arthur Henderson, a frequent visitor to Parkstone, sailing with Matt Currell, led the event with 2,2,4. Josh and Naomi Flack were fourth after the three races, with 4,13,3, and Hugo and Guy Pullen were also well up the standings with two top 5 races. Amy Yeoman and Alice Alcock had an 8th in the first race. Millie Alcock and Hannah Clayton were first in the silver fleet after two top 12 results, and Holly Francis and Maria Jones had a 20th, an excellent result for their first nationals. The forecast for day 2 turned out to be correct, with very strong winds blowing spray over the sea wall, and organisers sensibly cancelled the racing early to give the competitors a chance to make something of the day. Most of the sailors visited the Torquay High Street to check out the shopping opportunities, with favourites including Poundland, Primark and the infamous Torquay Joke Shop. Day 3 brought reduced winds and smaller swell, although only the Gold Fleet were raced. Josh and Naomi led race 4, but a couple of silly errors meant they dropped back to third. However, with a 7th in the second race they were well placed in 3rd overall. Hugo and Guy had a tougher day with a couple of discard results, but Chris and Ashley enjoyed the conditions, posting two top 6 results. Chris Brewer and Ole Alcock were very unlucky when a capsize dropped them out of the top 10 in their first nationals. Strong winds remained for day 4, although the Silver fleet were allowed to race. Hugo and Guy found their top form again, posting a third in the first race before winning a very competitive race 7. Josh and Naomi just missed out on the gun in the first race, but posted a 2nd and 4th to remain in 3rd place. Arthur and Matt continued to lead the event with only one result outside the top 4. Tom and Will also had a good day, finishing 8th in the first race, although spinnaker problems cost them a chance of a podium finish. Completely different conditions prevailed for day 5, with lighter winds and large windshifts making for completely different sailing. Arthur and Matt, however, continued their winning ways with two first places to guarantee them the title with a race to spare. Hugo and Guy kept pushing for a top 5 overall result with 12,3. Chris and Ole made up for their capsize earlier in the week by posting an 8th in the first race, just behind Rosie Lawrance and Bryony Bennett, who crossed the fleet on port after the start and finished 7th. The final race took place on Friday 22nd of August. Both the Flacks and the Pullens had a chance of 3rd overall, with the top two places already decided. The northerly wind produced some huge windshifts, which were almost impossible to predict. Both Parkstone pairings were caught out on the first beat and had to fight back up the fleet. Chris and Ole had a great final race with a 13th, just ahead of Amy and Alice (15th) and Tom and Will (16th). Despite posting their worst result of the week, the Flacks managed to grab 3rd overall. Hugo and Guy ended up counting a 22nd, but due to their other results came 7th overall in a highly competitive fleet. Chris and Ashley were 16th, Amy and Alice 19th, and Tom and Will 20th to round off a good event for the Parkstone sailors. Also showing excellent promise for the future, Millie and Hannah were first Silver fleet boat, and Chris and Ole were first under 13. Holly and Maria also had a very encouraging set of results for their first nationals. Well known Parkstone crew Matt Currell was obviously delighted to win the event. Event Site and Results
Parkstone Cadet Open Meeting 60 Cadets arrived for the Parkstone Cadet Open Meeting over the weekend of the 19/20th of September, making it the largest open meeting of the year. Jess Quinlan and Alex Warrington were deserved winners after six highly competitive races. Hugo and Guy Pullen were the first Parkstone pairing in fourth place. Full Report and Results |
