In blazing sun, Wednesday 14 August turned out to be Ladies’ Day at the Daewoo National 420 Championship. With light winds advantaging smaller competitors, the female boats displayed great skill to steal the limelight from the leading male pairs.

Showing fantastic form from the start of the North One Design Trophy, Charlotte Savage and Maia Walsh, lying in 29th place, were second to the mark behind leading British womens’ pair, Vicki and Emma Rawlinson. Battling to gain the lead, Savage and Walsh quickly passed the Rawlinsons and on the second leg established an advantage, which they maintained to take victory from the former Womens’ World Champions. The other principal places were also determined early in the race, with overnight leaders and Suffolk sailors Nic Asher and Paul Davies taking third ahead of Myles and Elliot Willis one of their closest rivals. Gemma Farrell and Jo Allen also showed their best form of the championship to finish a near fifth, continuing the ladies’ successful streak.

The Super Spar Trophy also proved less than predictable. In slightly stronger winds, Scottish sailors, Callum McDonald and Andrew Greer made a fleeting start, being followed round the mark by first race champions Charlotte Savage and Maia Walsh who were later disqualified. McDonald and Greer, whose form this year has consistently improved, led throughout to take a deserved win, showing considerable promise for their future, Young competitors Pippa Wilson and Lauren Morrison also showed great potential, finishing fourth behind Athol and Eamonn King, one of the principal challengers for the title. Asher and Davies recorded their worst result of the championship finishing 11th which hopefully they’ll be able to discard.

In the light winds, the tidal change which preceded the Lenam Cup affected the sailing conditions significantly, requiring considerable skill and concentration to compensate for the flow. Predictably in these tricky conditions, an experienced pair took the lead, the Rawlinsons drawing on their understanding and knowledge to pull ahead and achieve an stunning victory by almost a leg. With promising young pair Pippa Wilson and Lauren Morrison taking second and two other female boats stealing third and sixth, the women swept the board, beating several experienced male rivals including the leaders Asher and Davies who gained fourth to consolidate their 21-point lead.

Results (after six races)

1st 49720, Nic Asher and Paul Davies 1, 2, 3, 2, 2, 1, 1 (11pts)

2nd 50112, Athol and Eamon King 2, 1, 2, 9, 1, 2, 10 (25pts)

3rd 49199, Myles and Elliot Willis 3, 7, 10, 1, 4, 3, 4 (29pts)

4th 50362, Sam Carter and Paul Jones 4, 3, 1, 5, 8, 12, 2 (31pts)

5th 50213, Iain Watson and David Putt 5, 5, 9, 3, 7, 21, 13 (58pts)

6th 50116, Laurie Fitzjohn Sykes and Tom Mapplebeck 6, 13, 12, 18, 6, 4, 5 (58pts)

7th 50548, Nick Cherry and Chris Evans 7, 10, 7, 16, 9, 6, 11 (59pts)

8th 50549, Bam Bam and Dan Allin 8, 8, 4, 8, 13, 14, 14 (61pts)

9th 50396, Phil Goodwin and Tim Ashworth 9, 9, 5, 12, 10, 9, 18 (63pts)

10th 50469, Pippa Wilson and Lauren Morrison 10, 15, 14, 13, 11, 5, 16 (74pts)