James Chapple was fifth in the Laser Standard dinghy class after day one of the National Youth Sailing Championships. (Picture by Mike Chapple, 0391510)
JAMES CHAPPLE was in fifth place after the first day of the Royal Yachting Association National Youth Sailing Championships.
More than 260 of the country’s best under-19 dinghy sailors are battling it out this week at the Pwllhel Sailing Club in north Wales.
The 18-year-old Sarnian is hoping to secure his place in the British Youth Squad by finishing in the top 12 out of the 25 entered in the Laser Standard dinghy class. If he is successful, it will be Chapple’s fourth year in the British squad and his second in the Laser Standard.
He is quite philosophical about his chances.
‘I have beaten all the four favourites at one time or another in the last 12 months and have led at the halfway stage in one competition in the autumn,’ he said.
‘Five days of competition is a long duration and with the varied weather conditions expected this week, a new unexpected champion could be crowned.’
Chapple is facing a gruelling time, with 14 races planned over the five-day series, three scheduled on each of the first four days and two on the fifth.
Each race is expected to last an hour.
The first day’s races were held in a southerly oscillating breeze with the first race starting after competitors had been afloat for two hours. Chapple secured a clear start in seven to nine knots of wind in flat water.
He reached the first mark of the course in ninth place but went on to lose a position to finish a creditable 10th and ahead of one of the pre-competition favourites, Skandia Team GBR Development squad sailor Eiffion Mon.
The conditions stayed the same for the second race as Chapple started in clear wind at the port end of the start line and close to Stuart Godwin, the reigning RYA national champion.
By picking the correct wind shifts on the first windward leg of the course, Chapple reached mark one in first place and led for the first 20 minutes of the race.
However, he was overtaken towards the end of the second leg when rounding the leeward mark to drop to third place.
By the next windward mark he dropped a further two places, only to recover one by the end to finish in fourth.
The third race was held in different conditions.
Although the wind continued to blow from the south, it freshened to a moderate 10 to14 knots, with waves increasing to a pronounced chop.
Chapple reached the first mark in eighth place but again could not find speed on the downwind leg, losing three places to finish in 11th, his worst result of the day.
After six hours on the water and four hours of racing, each race provided a different winner to see Chapple sit behind leader Godwin, Rob Spencer, Oli Tweddell and Mon.
Loading ...
Share this article:
What are these?