2008 Nationals results Nationals

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2004 - UNICORN NATIONALS -_STONE

August 2^nd to 6^th

ENTRIES : 5 - UNICORNS

RACE NO. 1 - CLUB MARKS WIND FORCE 2 E

• First beat against the tide was very testing but Peter Toft (1074) rounded the windward mark first closely followed by Bob Dorks (1073) and Richard Taylor (19). Toft continued to lead through the next two reaching legs but Dorks passed on the running leg to lead the fleet. The next beat was very competitive between the two leading boats with Toft finally reaching the windward mark first. On the next reaching leg Dorks again passed Toft and maintained this position until the next beat when Toft again caught Dorks but then hit some shallows and went aground allowing Dorks to gain a substantial lead which he held to the end of the race.

RACE NO. 2 - CLUB MARKS WIND FORCE 3/4 E

• Toft made a good start and led the fleet at the first windward mark by 20 mtrs. ahead of Dorks & Richard Taylor. Toft continued to lead and extend it to 50 mtrs. by the end of the next windward leg. With freshening sea breezes and a tide change this created the famous Blackwater chop which made for challenging conditions. While Toft continued to extend his lead to the finish Dorks broke a shroud during a jibe letting Taylor through to second place with Paul Conway (1085) in 3^rd place

RACE NO. 3 - 'P' Course WIND Force 2 E

• Dorks failed to complete his shroud repair and did not start. In light winds against a strong tide the first beat was very challenging but Toft gradually pulled away from the fleet to lead by about 100 mtrs. at the windward mark from Richard Taylor and Conway. These positions were maintained on the downwind legs but Toft extended his lead on the next windward leg and Conway passed Taylor into second place. On the next downwind leg Taylor recovered his second position from Conway. Toft continued to extend his lead to the finish with Taylor second and Conway third.

RACE NO. 4 - 'P' COURSE WIND FORCE 3/4 E

• With freshening sea breezes against a strong flood tide the first beat was very competitive between Dorks, Richard Taylor and Toft. In the end Toft just beat Dorks to the first mark. Toft continued to lead at the wing mark but Dorks powered past on the next leg to gain the lead. The next running leg saw both Taylor and Toft challenge Dorks but he held them off to round the mark first. On the next windward leg Toft split away from the other two boats to the North shore but at the windward mark Dorks led by about 100 mtrs. from Toft and Taylor. Dorks continued to lead the fleet for the next two laps but with Toft gradually closing the gap. On the final lap Toft managed to pass Dorks at the wing mark but again Dorks regained the lead on the next leg by sailing higher and faster. Dorks continued to defend his slight lead to take the winning gun.

RACE NO. 5 - OLYMPIC COURSE WIND LIGHT FORCE 1/2 E VARIABLE

• A course was finally set in very light sea breezes against an incoming tide. The first beat required considerable concentration to read the wind shifts correctly. Dorks led the main fleet along the South bank while Toft chose the North bank. At the first mark it was Toft who rounded first just ahead of Dorks & Richard Taylor. These positions were maintained for the downwind legs with the two leading boats pulling clear of the other competitors. On the next beat Toft & Dorks chose the North bank while Taylor went South. The remainder of the fleet found a major wind shift which allowed them to beat directly to the windward mark down the centre of the river. Conway was first closely followed by David Taylor (1067), Richard Taylor and Dorks. Toft was left marooned on the North bank. Conway continued to lead on the next downwind legs but on the next beat Dorks progressively moved through the fleet to take the lead which he held to the end of the race. Conway was second with David Taylor third. 

RACE NO. 6 - OLYMPIC COURSE WIND FORCE 2/3 E

• Good competitive first beat against a strong tide saw Dorks reach the windward mark first, 50 mtrs. clear of Richard Taylor & Toft. These positions were maintained for the downwind legs but on the next beat Toft passed Taylor and closed the gap on Dorks. Close competitive sailing between Dorks & Toft ensured for the next two rounds but Toft finally passed Dorks on the beat to lead the fleet home.

RACE NO. 7 - Windward / Downwind COURSE WIND FORCE 1/2 S VARIABLE

• Morning racing was canceled due to no wind. With the Nationals to be decided on a final race as both Dorks & Toft had equal points with allowed discards a start was finally  made in very light airs against a strong tide. Both Toft & Dorks made good starts but Dorks read the wind shifts better and reached the windward mark some 50 mtrs. ahead of Toft who was also well clear of the remaining competitors who were closely bunched. Dorks maintained his lead over Toft on the downwind leg followed by David Taylor, Conway & Richard Taylor. The next beat through the 'gate' proved to be decisive as Dorks skillfully threaded his way through moored boats, over shallows and against the strong tide to extend his lead by about 150 mtrs. over Toft. The sea breezes then started to fill in with trapeezing just possible by the end of the next beat. Positions did not change until the next beat with Richard Taylor passing Conway & David Taylor to move into third position. With the increasing wind strength Toft started to close on Dorks but at the finish he still led by about 50 mtrs and took the championship winning gun.

FINAL RESULTS

1^st R Dorks   1073  Total Points 6

2^nd P Toft      1074                          7

3^rd R Taylor      19                       13

4^th P Conway 1085                       18

5^th D Taylor    1067                        23

 

GENERAL - Congratulations to Bob Dorks the 2004 National Champion. Bob previously won the title in 1991 and a few times before that in his younger days. It was a very closely contested series of races with the lead in most races changing several times. The weeks sailing conditions were interesting from very light to force 4 winds making it a good contest for all competitors. Welcome back to visitor Richard Taylor from Stokes Bay SC and both David Taylor and Paul Conway of Stone SC for their efforts to compete. It was very disappointing that so many of the regular National competitors were either incapacitated or had personal problems which prevent their participation this year. It is still a mystery why so many of the other registered Unicorn sailors failed to attend a very well organised event both on and off the water at a very reasonable price by Stone SC. If there is enough interest for a National event next year it is essential that the membership indicates its support by attending and indicating this to the Committee at the time of renewing their annual membership

Peter Toft Unicorn 1074