Alex Colquitt and his team claimed overall victory at the first RYA Summer Match Racing event of the season with a full range of heavy and light winds to test the competitors.
Hosted by the Royal Corinthian Yacht Club, Burnham-on-Crouch, it was a weekend of two halves after a bright and breezy day one, with gusts upwards of 20 knots, followed by lighter winds for day two and a new dynamic for the results on the racecourse.
Exciting racing in the fresh breeze on the Saturday made for a busy and long day of racing in glorious conditions with the race team fitting in 15 flights with two races in each flight, the last at 18:00.
British Keelboat Academy head coach Niall Myant-Best and his team revelled in the heavy weather to finish the round robin at the top of the leader board counting 6 wins from 7 matches. Sophie Otter’s team had an equal number of wins but lost their race against Myant-Best to finish the day in second with Ali Morrish counting five wins and in third.
Day two dawned with lighter airs for the repechage series. It was to be a storming day for Colquitt and co, who having started the day in 5th, won all four of their races in the repechage to move into the semi-finals, where they claimed a 2:1 win over Myant-Best for a place in the final.
Ali Morrish beat Team Otter 2:0 to claim the other place in the final, while in Petit Final, Otter took a 2:1 victory to finish third, leaving Myant-Best fourth overall.
Colquitt and his team then continued to stamp their authority on the event with three wins from three matches in the final against Morrish.
Overall placings (top four):
- Alex Colquitt, Jamie Harris, Rebecca Coles, Harriet Watkins
- Ali Morrish, Emily Robertson, Jack Fenwick, Ella Boxall
- Sophie Otter, Cary Randeria, Amy Sparks, Scarlett Anderson, Niamh Davies
- Niall Myant-Best, Ed Males, Jez Fowke, Hattie Askew
Full results from RYA Summer Match Racing 1 at Burnham can be found here.
Winning helm Alex said: “We had a great weekend at the Royal Corinthian Yacht Club competing in the first of the RYA summer match racing events. The weather provided a range of conditions from fresh and gusty on Saturday to light and shifty on Sunday and plenty of tide to contend with on top of that!
“It took us a few races to get into the swing of things on Saturday morning but we felt much more dialled in by the time the repechage came around, which gave us a chance to fight back for a place in the semi-final. The knockout stages were awesome fun with some really intense pre-starts and close racing and we were very proud to come away with the win overall against top quality sailors!”
Alex has now won a place in the invitational RYA National Match Racing Championship Grand Final which will take place in October at the Royal Southern Yacht Club in Hamble, Southampton.
After winning last year’s RYA Harken Youth Match Racing Championship, Alex is also due to compete at World Sailing’s Youth Match Racing World Championship this month (17-23 July 2022) at Pornichet, Loire Atlantique, France, an event which brings together the best youth match racers from around the world with the aim of providing a pathway into international match racing.
Richard Moxey, RYA Keelboat Development Manager, said: “A great performance by Alex, one of our younger skippers, and his youth team. I’m looking forward to seeing lots of teams starting their match racing careers at the RYA Harken Youth Championship this September.”
The RYA Harken Youth Match Racing Championship will take place in RS21s at Cardiff Bay YC, Wales, 3-5 September, for teams of sailors aged at least 14 but under 22 years old by 31 December 2022. The event will include a trophy for the highest placed all-U19 team and entry is open here.
Taking part in RYA Match Racing is easy with a fleet of one-design keelboats rigged and ready-to-go at each location. While popular with experienced teams, those who would like to give match racing a try are also encouraged to take part with a warm welcome and support at all of the events.
The full list of remaining dates for the RYA Summer Match Racing Series 2022 is as follows:
- 3-4 September 2022: Harken Youth Championship, RS21s at Cardiff Bay YC, Wales
- 10-11 September 2022: Marlow Ropes Women’s Championship, Elliott 6Ms at Weymouth & Portland National Sailing Academy
- 24-25 September 2022: Summer Match Racing 2, RS21s at Queen Mary SC, London
- 8-9 October 2022: Summer Match Racing 3 for the Ceilidh Cup, Sonars at Royal Northern & Clyde YC, Scotland
- 21-23 October 2022: RYA National Match Racing Championship Grand Final, RS21s at the Royal Southern YC in Hamble, Southampton.
Teams who win an event in the series are invited to compete in the Grand Final. Teams may also request a Wild Card ticket. If your team would like to be considered for a Wild Card entry to the final, simply register your interest and state why your team should have an invite here.
Find out more about RYA Match Racing and all upcoming events, including NOR and entry, at www.ryamatchracing.co.uk
