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18 May 2006
Youth and Oppie News
The Douglas and Moruzzi boys have been travelling a lot lately, taking part in various National and Qualification events around the country. They have done very well, with Cameron qualifying to join the GB team at the French Nationals in July - a testement to their skills, their training within the club and beyond, and not least the support of their families.
I suspect their mums & dads are too busy catching up on work and other commitments to spend much time writing reports, so thanks for your contributions:
Words from James Douglas, photos from Simon Moruzzi, credited to Charles Ainsworth www.ibisailing.co.uk
The Oppie inlands were at the weekend with 223 boat , Michael came 13th with a strong set of results, I think he got a third in one race and Cameron was 26th. Alex did the regatta fleet with 70 boats and managed a 35th place in his first outing.
Michael Moruzzi
Cameron Douglas
And...
Forgot to mention that Cameron won Barnt Green Oppie open in April up against 32 other oppies.
Some words on the oppie selection process: I have cribbed from the Y&Y reports but the specifics for our boys are:
A fleet of the top 90 sailors in the country is invited to the selection trials running over two consecutive weekends (3 days each ). A total of 13 races were held. Cameron finished 16th (5th in his age group) moving up from 35th after the first weekend. He qualifed for the GB team to go to the French nationals in Quiberon at the beginning of July. A team of 5 goes to the worlds in Uruguay and 7 to the Europeans in Holland. Michael also enjoyed the fresher conditions on the second weekend getting a 12th in one race and moving up to 44th Overall. Some info on the events below.
Volvo Musto Selections Trials - 1st Weekend - 23 April 2006 at 14:36
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Day One Friday, which promised the best conditions of the weekend (9-11 knots from slightly north of east all day), turned out to be very frustrating for everybody. The fleet of 92 optimists accompanied by 13 safety boats plus jury, launched to join committee boat Sorebones with PRO Adrian Stoggall aboard, and waited, and waited, on the millpond of the racecourse whilst the breeze blew steadily from the southwest across the eastern part of the harbour straight onto the Academy where everybody waiting wondered why there was no racing! After a while Adrian sent the fleet ashore to see if the breeze would develop. After another hour or so the southwesterly breeze seemed to reach the racecourse and everybody set sail once more, and a race got underway. The first beat was sailed in barely 5 knots . the breeze gradually died...and then went round very gently to the east so that the last beat turned first into a fetch then a reach then a run, and there were plenty of places gained and lost and more than a few very disappointed sailors!
The breeze having died completely the whole fleet was towed in, and with a very unpromising forecast for the rest of the weekend the evening's pessimistic talk was of the inevitable third weekend.
Day Two Saturday dawned misty and still but by the time the fleet had rigged a steady south westerly 10-12 knots breeze had developed across the whole of Portland Harbour and the sun had come out. it was still only early afternoon an unbelievable fourth race in one day got underway! 4 races back to back and 6 hours on the water
Sunday looked very unlikely from the start, it had been raining during the night and was still drizzling, Portland Harbour was misty and grey and what little wind there was, was dying before everybody's eyes. One race was sailed in light, shifty and very tricky conditions. With some less accustomed winners and losers caught out or favoured respectively by the shift. After some optimistic waiting for the breeze to settle Adrian reluctantly had to concede that the conditions had won the day and the weekend finished with six races completed.
At the "halfway" stage (but hoping for the full 9 races next weekend at Pwllheli)
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Volvo Musto Selections - 2nd Weekend - 02 May 2006 at 14:51
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What a roller coaster of a Selections - not so much at the top where the leaders consolidated their strength in all conditions, but certainly for many others!
The Second Weekend began with most people arriving in Pwllheli on Friday afternoon, evening or night?a few just in time on Saturday morning. The fleet was down to 78 as 12 sailors had dropped out ? some because they were disappointed with their Weymouth results and are perhaps now thinking ahead to their next boat, others because they're still young, they're pacing themselves and it's a long way to Pwllheli!
So it all began again and the first of the three days, repeating the previous weekend's forecast at Weymouth, promised the best conditions...but for a time things were again looking anything but promising. Whilst a steady 7 knots northerly breeze blew across the dinghy park, down in the bay and more particularly in the race area what little winds there were, were working against each other in opposite directions - net effect nothing!
At just that moment the northerly breeze began to fill in and by the time the fleet reached the race area the sun was shining and a steady 10-14 knots blowing. Starting at 1 pm four good races were rattled off in quick succession with only one hiccough, a flags confusion necessitating the abandonment of the third start half way up the beat which was disappointing for those enjoying the leading positions?
By the time the sailors reached the shore after the fourth race it was after 7 pm and the low spring tide had begun to flood again which brought the advantage of only a half mile (as opposed to three quarters!) haul up the soft sand of the long beach - a small ?plus? for the unlucky sailors whose parents were on the water as part of the race management or safety teams and thus unable to help them.
Sunday promised little and delivered more or less as predicted?. It turned out to be a very frustrating one for many. It definitely paid to get to the windward mark ahead of the pack?on the run when the wind had died completely the back markers not concentrating and shouting ?Abandon? at the tops of their voices distracting everybody in the process, most unfairly enjoyed being brought by a fickle breeze from behind up to the middle so that practically the whole fleet ended up at the leward gates together?with many fortunes changed by the end! Thereafter sailors boarded the RIBs where their lunchboxes were (some seemed to manage to talk their way onto the committee boat where the race team had to intervene hastily to prevent certain flags being raised!) and stayed noisily there until finally relief was brought to the RIB crews by the instruction to tow ashore ? and beat the low tide too!
On Sunday night a terrific storm accompanied by torrential rain passed through and by morning the the gusts were still over 25 knots?despite all being ready for a half hour earlier start as instructed there was again a delay on the beach this time waiting for the wind to subside! Finally Safety Officer Nigel Alderton could bear it no longer and released the fleet, who had an enjoyable and for some quite challenging downwind sail to the start area with plenty of boats filling up with water on the way?
?and finally Race Twelve - ie the all important one which meant the minimum criteria for the Selections had been met and there wouldn't have to be a third weekend! ? got underway in strong winds and big seas. Several boats filled up almost immediately off the start, the race spread out in all directions across the beat and the RIB crews were required to become serious safety boats for the first time..
Race Thirteen was for many probably the ?best? race of the series with a steady 14 or so knots blowing and the sun shining, the sea state slightly less challenging but still some great waves to surf!
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