UKCRA Long Distance Series

LONG DISTANCE CIRCUIT 2001 REPORT

SUMMARY

This year's inaugural circuit was the most comprehensive test of catamaran racers that the UK has witnessed. The four race series involved 18 hours of racing covering 300 kilometres in which 115 helms from all the classes of big two-handed dinghy catamarans competed on level terms in a battle of boat speed, configuration, equipment, innovation, navigation, stamina and versatility.

The four races ranged from a light wind test of patience round the Three Piers to a record-breaking force six thriller at Phwellhi, and included the highly successful first Honda FastCat Race round the Isle of Wight and the revamped Forts Race.

Individual race results were calculated using ISAF and Texel handicap systems. Results from different races were combined using percentage behind each race leader.

The UKCRA prize giving took place at Grafham Water at the end of season Cat Open on October 21st

Overall Results

Position Helmsman Class

1 John Pierce Stealth 2 Will Sunnucks Tornado 3 Grant Piggott Hurricane 4 Chris Needham F 20 Inter 5 Mike Coulson Hurricane

Special Prizes

Category Winner

Sportsman of the Year Alan Grace Top Hurricane Helm Grant Piggott Top Formula 18 Helm Aaron Sault Top Formula 20 Helm Chris Needham

For spreadsheet of full results email: dewhirst@btinternet.com 

STOP PRESS - Provisional dates for the 2002 Long Distance Circuit in appendix CLASS ACTION

Hurricane

This fleet provided the largest single contingent, 32 entries - nearly a third of all competitors. The Hurricanes turned up in no less than four configurations - traditional two-sail mode, with kite and with small jib options. In addition Hyde sailmaker, Grant Piggott tested a new square top mainsail to bring the rig up to date.

Three Piers and Isle of Wight proved to be largely upwind/downwind events that favoured the three-sail configuration. Normally up among the leaders, Simon Northrop suffered most from choosing the wrong configuration, rounding the Isle of Wight 7.7% slower than top Hurricane finisher, Jason Smith. However it was Tim Wallace who produced the best single result, second in the Three Piers Race, just 0.8% behind the winner on corrected time - so proving that even the wrong combination can do well in tactical conditions when armed with local knowledge.

Despite its middle age, the Hurricane was still capable of putting in some of the best results even in events where boat speed played a greater role, as in the Fast Cat Race, where Jason Smith was just 3.4% behind the leader - and that was an Olympic Gold Medallist.

Overall, the typical Hurricane racer deserves commendation for his skill, as the average result was 9.8% behind race winners for the class, as compared with 12.6% for all competitors across the whole series.

Formula 18

No less than five manufacturer's designs were represented among the 29 participants that represented the second largest contingent - Dart Hawk, Diam, Hobie Tiger, Inter and Mystere. The fleet presented a strong world-class contingent in the Fast Cat Race. This race benefited from the imminent F 18 World Championships at Poole.

This class was ideally suited to those events that were largely upwind/downwind. Armed with long dagger boards, the F 18 pointed well despite its shorter 18-foot waterline length and, as the first class specially designed for gennakers, it also flew well down wind.

However F 18 racers were obliged to sail more conservatively up the estuaries in the two events on the eastern side of England, as their longer daggerboards had to be partially retracted to avoid sandbanks at low water.

Given ideal conditions, as in the Fast Cat Race, there was little to beat the best F 18. South African, Aaron Sault completed that event just 0.8% slower than the winner on adjusted time and out-sailed many a twenty foot cat on unadjusted time.

While the best were very good, the typical F 18 racer still has room for much improvement as the average performance of 13.3% was slightly worse than 12.6% for all competitors. Greater complications of three-sail designs increased the scope for time-consuming errors in the hands of less experienced crews.

The Battle for Line Honours

Rated the fastest of the fast cats, the F 20 fleet competed for line honours with the new Olympic Tornado, that is rated just 1% slower. 17 helms competed in Hobie Fox, Inter 20 or Storm, with Inter 20 accounting for two thirds of the entries.

Line honours were evenly distributed among the contenders. At Pwhellhi it was Chris Needham in an Inter 20. Around the Isle of Wight it was Matt Eeles, sailing a Hobie Fox, just lost out by 0.5% to the Tornado Sport on unadjusted time. The fastest round the Three Piers was Rob White's big rig Storm, which finished 7% ahead of the next boat. In the Forts Race it was a battle between two Olympic Tornados.

It was the globetrotting Sunnucks and the Whitstable Yacht Club fleet who represented the Tornado class in both old and new configurations.

High winds suited the best of the two-sail Tornados, represented by Geoff Mychrist at this year's force five Forts Race, where he finished in fifth place, 6.8% behind the leader. However this suited the new three-sail Tornados even better as that race was won by Worrel competitor, Will Sunnucks and the runner-up was former British Olympic representative, Dave Williams, just 1.4% behind, both in Tornados. Victory depended on who broke less kit. Sunnucks lost two jib blocks and pitchpoled up the Swale, while Williams had problems with the kite.

Throughout this series, the importance of equipment proved decisive on the demanding new three-sail Tornados. On one hand, the class produced the runner-up of the entire series, namely Sunnucks. On the other hand it also produced the unluckiest entrant of the entire series. Sarah Harvey travelled to three events, but received no reward other than one PMS and two DNF, largely owing to problems with the turbo-powered extra sail.

Spitfire

Yves Loday's new fighter proved devastating in the hands of an Olympian and threatening in the hands of ordinary mortals. Six of these new machines took part in the series.

The boat proved highly versatile. In the light winds of the Three Piers event, the small contingent of Spitfires took three of the top seven places. In the rising winds of round the Isle of Wight, Loday trounced all opposition, winning that race. Only in the high winds of the Forts Race did the Spitfires come unstuck, retiring one after the other from exhaustion or kit failure. However even in those conditions these 16 footers matched much longer 20-foot cats boat for boat to windward, owing to their outstanding ability to point.

Stealth

Another small boat that achieved big results in the right hands, as John Pierce showed in winning the entire series. Pierce proved conclusively that short hulls are no handicap, whether it be in light winds on the East Coast or high winds in North Wales - both of which he won.

The secret weapon of the Stealth is the choice of two rigs, which make it the most versatile of all the contestants. On the other hand its Achilles heel is the up-down rudder system. This fell foul of shallow waters on the East Coast - last year when sailed by Andy Webb past Clacton in the Three Piers Race and this year when sailed by John Pierce up the Swale estuary in the Forts Race.

Dart 18

Britain's best selling cat was under-represented in the Long Distance series as only six competitors completed any of the races. There was a different reason in each case. North Wales is Prindle country. The Isle of Wight excluded the Eighteens. Elsewhere there were programme conflicts this year.

Nevertheless short course options for both the Three Piers and Forts races attracted good representation from the fleet of Eighteens. These were scored separately. However introduction of an intermediate timing in the Forts Race made it possible to combine results for the first two of the three legs in that event.

2002 PREVIEW

The following events have been scheduled for the UKCRA Long Distance Circuit next year

For general details of long distance cat races in the UK click on the Long Distance menu item on the left