Team Allen Review – GP14 Allen Nationals 2019 Abersoch

By Szymon Matyjaszczuk

After seven weeks of sunny sailing in Southern Europe we had to come back at some point. Myself and Jack Lewis (my helm) decided to try our luck at the GP14 nationals in Wales. We expected cold and windy sailing which Abersoch delivered.

Day one it was around 10-14 knots of breeze with a gate start which was a new experience for us. We had a good start at the beginning of the gate where we rounded the windward mark 3rd. As we sail onto the top reach, we lost out to a couple boats as we didn’t know how the fleet reacted on the reach. As it turned out that the fleet goes high on the reaches so that they don’t get rolled. Then we had a good downwind moving back to the top ten where we gained two more boats on the upwind where we ended up finishing 8th.

Day two the breeze was significantly stronger on day two at around 15-18 knots which meant the beat length was increased dramatically which my legs weren’t pleased about. We then finished that race in 7th which we were pleased about. Then we had a bit of a shaky start rounding the mark in the top 20, but we kept pushing for places all the way round the course till we were in a top 10 position on the last top reach where we had an overlap and had to gybe high which led us to a messy capsize where we then scored a DNC.

Day three It was too windy for any racing as it was gusting 35 knots on the racecourse. As the day was canned, we decided to pick up our 420 friends surf boards to go surfing with Sam Watson and some of the Irish Friends at Hells Mouth which was a superb way to spend our lay day.

Day four the conditions were still breezy wind still at 20 knots and it was going to be a long day on the water with 3 races. First race was tough where we finished in 24th. Then we had a line start which we preferred as it gave us more options. We executed a good pin end start then. Rounding the windward mark in the top 10 and keeping that position around the course. We lost a bit on the upwinds as we didn’t have as much weight as rest of the teams but gained them back on the downwind legs as we worked the waves hard and our light combinations benefited us down wind meaning we finished 7th. Then we had another not so good race which we struggled in finishing 21 but where happy with our full last day of racing.

Day five It was really light meaning the RO had put up a two-hour postponement. Unfortunately, the wind had filled in half an hour later. After the postponement had ended we had a line start again which we were happy about as we knew that was one of our strengths. We won the pin and port tacked the fleet working our way out to the left but only managed to make it in the top 10 at the windward mark. Sam Watson just behind us who had port tacked the fleet as well then we had gained a further 2 places on the bottom reach as we stayed on the inside and high using the tide to drift us down. Unfortunately, we went left where there appeared to be more breeze, but we had not put tide into account and had lost a lot of places on the upwind to the boats that sailed towards the cliffs on the right. Then the wind had completely died, and the racing was cancelled promptly where we got a tow in by the safety crews.

Day six the wind was reaching 35 knots again meaning the racing was canned for the last potential day of racing. We packed up my dad’s boat and awaited prize giving later that evening.

At the end of the championship we ended up in 2nd silver and 14th overall losing to my good friend from Ireland Peter Boyle who ended the competition in 7th place. Final Results: https://www.gp14.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/Final-Results-GP14-UKNational-Championship-2019.html

Jack and I had enjoyed the racing so much which wouldn’t be complete without the hard work done from Venessa Deveroux and the RO and his Crew and getting an amazing quality of races completed in such difficult conditions. Also a big thank you to Allen for supporting us and the championships as it’s always good to have the best performance dinghy kit behind our backs. It was an amazing experience and will definitely do the worlds in Skerries Ireland next year where we will probably be a few pounds bigger for the boat as we both get older.

What was hard about the championships? The hardest thing about the championships was the amount of hiking we had to do as we normally sail the 420 and don’t have to use our legs to keep the boat flat. On downwind legs in breeze we didn’t have enough weight to keep the bow from nose diving.

What were the most valuable lessons you have learned from the championships? One thing that was really good was practicing our close racing tactics which we mainly use in lighter airs in the 420. Also, we had learned that as a sailor you should check for stats yourself. As we failed to do so on the light wind race where we knew there was a lot of tide but failed to put that into the focus on our race strategy as we didn’t check the tide and apparently after asking a friend who had said after racing he had measured 6 boat lengths on the pin which had led him to round the mark significantly ahead.

Youth Team Allen Sailors Finish 5th at RS Feva Worlds

Joey Taylor and Terry Hacker recently finished 5th at one of the highest attended RS Feva World Championships.

Here is a short write up from Joey about the event –

The RS Feva fleet headed for Follonica, Italy, for the biggest ever RS double-handed event with 23 different nations represented and 200 boats in probably the most competitive World Championships fleet so far for the class.  With our boat very kindly being transported on top of a Norwich School minibus, we were able to fly out and see the sights of Pisa before heading on to the venue.

We were able to get some training in before the event which helped us acclimatize to the heat, prevailing light winds and sloppy chop before the 2-day qualification series started on Monday.  With the fleet spit into 3 flights, we got off to the perfect start with a bullet in race 1, followed by a not so perfect 20^th and a good 4^th leaving us 15^th overall overnight.

We stepped up a gear for day 2 with three top 10s allowing us to discard the 20^th and leaving us 12^th overall heading into Gold fleet for the remaining 3 days of the regatta.

Day 3 dawned to the now expected heat, light winds and sloppy chop.  Unfortunately, it didn’t go great for us in the first race as we struggled to get off the line and ended up 19^th.  Things didn’t improve in the second race as, after a good start, we were yellow flagged as we crossed the fleet putting us pretty much at the back after we had done our penalty.  We recovered to 23^rd in that race and then finally got our act together with a 4^th in the last race of the day.

Day 4 was looking good for us with a 5^th and then 4^th, but unfortunately the 4^th turned out to be BFD.  This must have really focused our minds as, after several general recalls, we won the last race of the day, which included beating Simon Cooke (championship leader and a NZ ex Olympian and former 470 World Champion).  Despite the BFD, we were now up to 5^th overall with everything to play for in the last 2 races.

We woke up on the last day knowing we had a shot at the title, but also knew that we couldn’t afford another BFD or bad race.  We held our nerve in the first race and came 2^nd, putting us right in contention for the Youth World Champion title.  With everything riding on the last race we were really conscious not to be over the line but held back just too much and couldn’t find clear air up the first beat, eventually finishing 26^th.  At the time we were disappointed, but we learnt a lot from that last race and won’t make the same mistake again.

Whilst it’s very easy to dwell on what could have been, overall, we are really pleased with how we sailed in what is our least favorite types of conditions.  To be 4^th Youth team and 5^th Overall at a World Championships with 200 boats, and to have been in contention for the title with one race to go, was a real achievement for us.

The RS Feva is an amazing fleet.  We were so lucky to have the Worlds in such a great venue with great racing and time to swim and play with friends on the beach after.  For those staying on the campsite, our first experience of Foam Night was brilliant!  Thanks must go to everyone at Follonica Sailing Club and RS for putting on an amazing fun regatta, to all the parents for getting us and our boats there, and to Allen whose support has really helped us.

Ben Purrier at the Topper World Championships

It was a great start to the Topper World Championships with the sun shining and the wind blowing in Medemblik in The Netherlands. With a steady force 5, gusting force 6 the 162 sailors in the full (5.3) rigs and 47 in the 4.2 fleets set sail, with the offshore wind giving all of us a long run to the start line. Conditions were tough but I got out off the line fast claiming my first win in the first race. This was followed by a 4th and a 3rd in the next two races and I ended the first day 2^nd overall. The perfect start in the great conditions.

On the second day, the wind dropped, and we had to wait five hours for the sea breeze to fill in. Unfortunately, it didn’t give me the conditions I wanted but the race officer got the first flight away and I came in 29^th after a big shift and the second flight’s race was abandoned altogether. The race officer then reset the course, but only managed to get one race in for the second flight, so we ended the day with one race completed and I moved down to 3^rd overall.

Day 3, the last for qualifying, and we again had a postponement while waiting for the sea breeze to kick in. The conditions were very hot (35ºC) but we got three races away. The first was completed in light and shifty conditions, the second finally had a more consistent breeze meaning I pegged a 9^th place, and the third, after some hard work on the line, resulted in me getting an unhelpful UFD.

At the end of the 3 days of qualifying, I hit 15th place overall which was perfect to go straight into the Gold fleet, and two days of World Championship racing against 80 other qualifiers.

Thursday, day 4, and the hottest day of the year. The day I’d be waiting for. I started the World Championship series in Gold Fleet with 15 points. The heatwave battled against the prevailing wind causing a 1-hour delay followed by a very light wind race with the wind almost dying completely at the end. Not great conditions for racing and I placed a respectable 10th before the race officer ordered the safety fleet to tow all 209 sailors ashore as the wind died completely. Quite a sight, everyone was frustrated, but in my case, I just wanted to get back out and race.

After 4 hours ashore we relaunched, with my hope being that a late thermal wind would establish. Sailors were towed out and the second race got underway with light and fickle conditions to contend with. The first start became a general recall, and the second start saw a dozen boats black flagged, but, finally, the race was underway! An awesome feeling, but it was short-lived as the wind dies again and the race officer abandoned the second race with everyone being towed ashore again.

On Friday we hit the boat park early, and there was a feeling of immediate excitement because the wind was finally blowing. We had an early 8am briefing as the race officer brought proceedings forward to get the races in, however halfway through the launch sequence, the wind dropped, meaning the sailors (particularly the 4.2s which had launched first) were unable to make it to the start. The decision was made to send the sailors back, resulting in confusion on the slipway with sailors trying to launch as others were trying to return.

Once we restarted it was light and choppy, making it hard to get good boat speed off the congested line which resulted in lots of general recalls and back flags. Not perfect but I had a great first race with a 5th place in an 8 to 10 knot breeze. The heatwave then began to take hold with the wind starting to die, and the chop still making things challenging on the water. The result being a tough final two races after a long week of stop & start. I eventually nailed a 14th place out of 209 & using my discard landed 7th place overall.

Looking back from the comfort of the ferry on the way back from Medemblik it was a great week, with good friends. The first day was excellent, but light winds for the rest of the week it made for challenging racing, especially when you’re 15 and heavier than some of the smaller helms in the fleet. Next up is the ITCA Nationals in Largs at the start of August – a place not known for light winds, and I can’t wait to get back out on the water.

Thanks to Allen for providing me with the best kit for my Topper!

Megan Pascoe – 2.4MR Tidal Champs in WPNSA

Last weekend the 2.4s joined in with the RYA Sailability Multi Class event at the WPNSA. The event started with a pursuit race. It’s very unusual for 2.4s to be starting midway down the pursuit race but it is fun chasing rather than being chased. I managed 12th after being overhauled by the Elliot 6m’s and RS Ventures and not quite managing to catch all the Hansa’s.

By Saturday afternoon we started the class racing. We were racing as an open class which makes our fleet more competitive than just racing the disabled contingent. It was great racing in  Portland harbour and somewhere where you could race upwind for 10 minutes. What I had forgotten over too much pond sailing was how wet 2.4s were but at least the water was warm. We had 2 races in a building sea breeze. 6 of us had some close racing but with a bit more pace I managed to win both races. I especially enjoyed the last downwind playing on the waves, it makes the wet and slow upwind worth it. Sunday brought a light gradient clocking round to the southerly sea breeze. After a bit of waiting the race officer did well to get 2 good races in. Again it was nice to settle down into some boat speed off the start line and happy that I seem to be going well with another couple of bullets.

I haven’t raced multiclass much over the years but it is really fun holidaying with the rest of the disabled sailing community as we don’t get much time to hang out together. It is a small community with many I have grown up with over the years it is great to catch up with everyone. We also had a lot of Frensham Pond sailors at Portland and with all the helpers it was definitely Frensham on tour.

Ben Purrier finished 3rd at the Topper NS5 racing at Carsington.

Team Allen’s Ben Purrier finished 3rd at the Topper NS5 racing at Carsington.

Bens review;

“Very windy on the first day hitting 30 knots in the gusts, I was working really hard to fight my way to the front of the fleet, and was rewarded with 3 wins out of three.
Finishing day 1 leading the fleet was a brilliant feeling but I was too tired after working so hard in the heavy winds to really enjoy it! It was straight to bed ready for day 2.

Joey Taylor/ Terry Hacker – RS Feva National Champions 2019

A summary of the RS Feva Nationals by Team Allen sailors and recently crowned RS Feva National Champions. Joey and Terry. 

The RS Feva fleet headed to South Caernarvonshire Yacht Club, Abersoch, for their 2019 National Championships.  With a forecast of building winds through the 4 days of the regatta, Saturday morning was all about boat preparation and getting our heads in the right place for 4 days of the challenging racing the venue is known for.

We launched late morning with the aim of getting 3 races in on the day.  The winds were lighter and shiftier than expected, with a little bit of chop but no large swell.  With the 94 boat fleet split into 2 flights we were in the first start and headed right up the first beat rounding the windward mark in about 10^th.  After a lot of place changing, both up and down, we had a strong second beat ensuring we started the regatta with a safe 8^th position.  For the second and third races the fleet was getting more aggressive on the start line, we managed to avoid any black flags and posted a 7^th and 4^th to finish the day comfortably placed in 7^th overall.

Day 2 dawned and the predicted wind had arrived.  Start time was earlier and the beach was busy with sailors ensuring their boats were properly set up for a tough days racing.  On the water the chop had increased with a 15kt to 20kt steady North Westerly providing some testing conditions.  We set our stall out early with a great pin end start in the first race, getting to the windward mark in 2^nd before taking the lead on the first downwind.  Once ahead we increased our lead to the finish to get our first bullet of the championship.  Race 2 followed a similar pattern, but we were caught out by the wind dropping on the final run allowing the boat behind to ride a gust past us to the finish, with us a close 2^nd.  The wind dropped further for race 3, although the odd big gust was still around to keep the fleet on its toes.  After another good start we led all the way to the last mark, just losing out with a poor rounding to finish 2^nd.  These were the final races of the qualification series and posting a 1,2,2 for the day was enough to go into gold fleet leading the championship.

The following morning the nerves were beginning to show as we prepared to launch wearing the gold championship leaders race bibs.  This was probably the most pressure I have felt at an event, knowing that all the other teams would be looking for us and wanting the no 1 spot for themselves.  Our nerves were temporarily calmed after another good pin end start in the first race, unfortunately after tacking to cross the fleet we capsized and found ourselves back in about 30^th at the windward mark.  At this point we felt we had nothing to lose and with great boat speed both down and upwind we clawed ourselves back to 10^th at the finish.  We knew we needed a good result in the next race if we were going to be in contention for the overall win, and after winning the pin end again we made no mistakes posting a bullet by some distance.  We carried this form into the last race of the day finishing 2^nd leaving us 1^st overall overnight with a discard still to come.

Waking up on the final day the nerves were in full flight as we were coming to terms with having the opportunity to win the event.  Our Squiddies coaches were great in calming us down before racing and we began to feel a lot calmer once we launched.  Conditions were even windier than previous days but, with the waves, were great fun and really suited our style of sailing.  Our biggest concerns were black flags, protests and gear failure but we kept ourselves out of trouble, the boat stayed strong (thank you Allen for providing the fittings) and we put our nerves behind us to close out the championship with a 1,1,1 scoreline for the day.

Overall, we really enjoyed the regatta and the SCYC were fantastic hosts.  Terry and I worked really well together as a team and this definitely contributed to our win.  Next event for us is the Inlands at Rutland at the end of June before the Worlds in Italy in July.

Check out the RS Feva rigging guide by 2018 World Champion and Team Allen sailor Ben Hutton-Penman here.

Allen selects new recipient for the Allen Academy Optimist

Another sailing season has started and with it the Allen Academy Optimist has also gone to a new home. This year’s lucky recipient of the Allen Academy Optimist is Patrick Bromilow of West Kirby Sailing Club.

The Allen Academy Optimist is a concept put together by Allen Brothers with the aim of promoting and helping grow youth sailing. Each year a deserving young sailor is awarded the boat with the hope it will help them take their sailing to the next level. The lucky recipient is awarded the 2016 built Ovington Hull which comes fully re-fitted with brand new Allen hardware as well as a full refit of rope kindly supplied by Marlow Ropes and a new sail this year supplied by One Sails.

When collecting the boat, Patrick aged 12, commented “I was really excited to find out that I was going to get the Allen Oppi for this year. I had seen it at events last year and thought it looked really cool. I can’t wait to use the new Allen AutoRatchet with the new Marlow mainsheet and get the boat set up the way I like to sail it. My dad is going to do some splicing on it with the Marlow Rope. I’m also really looking forward to using the new sail One Sails have provided, I’ve heard its really fast. The first event I will be racing with the new boat will be at the Inland Championships 18/19 May and I’m looking forward to taking it out in a big fleet. I’ve had a couple of practice days at my club in it and I think it’s a quick boat! Thank you, Allen, for giving me the boat to sail this year.”

The boat truly is race ready as Managing Director of Allen, Liz Adams, commented “This is the 4^th year we have given away the boat and each time it gives me great pleasure that we are able to help support a budding young sailor with this superb racing Optimist, hopefully, giving them the confidence to go on and race to their full potential.”

Previous winners of the Allen Academy Optimist include Quinn Edmonds, who has now moved out of Optimists and has had a successful season in the RS Feva and qualified for the RYA RS Feva Junior Squad. Nick Evans, another of the winners, is still sailing his own Optimist and has recently finished 4^th overall at the Braassemermeer Easter Regatta (1^st Brit).

One Sails has been chosen as the sail supplier of choice to the Optimist this year. The One Sails Optimist sail has won the last 3 World Championships in a row. The team at One Sails have also supplied Patrick with a tuning guide developed in conjunction with top Optimist coach Mauricio Bencic.

The rope on the Allen Academy Optimist was looking a bit worn at the end of last season so UK rope manufacturers Marlow Ropes have kindly stepped in to supply a top spec fit out for the mainsheet, sail ties, kicker and sprit halyard.

Joey Taylor Update

Terry and I started the winter with the RS Feva Winter Championships.  After 2 days of strong winds, we finished 4^th in a fleet of 60 boats – this was only our second event together in the Feva and we were really pleased with the result.  My next event was the Spring Championships at Draycote with a stand-in crew as Terry couldn’t make it.  This was a light and shifty event and we only really sailed near to our potential for the last 2 races.  Overall we came a disappointing 17^th out of 53.  The Burnham Grand Prix was my next event, again with a stand-in crew.  It was breezy both days and after a difficult first day, we improved a lot on the Sunday with two firsts and a third from some really close racing.  This meant we came 3^rd overall.

I have been training over the winter with the Burnham Squiddies in a mixture of conditions which has been a lot of fun.  I am training again with the Squiddies next weekend, with Terry crewing, and our next event is the Nationals at Abersoch at half term which we are really looking forward to.

I have also done some Oppie sailing over the winter, including the Spring Champs, the Easter Regatta at Braassemermeer and the Selections last weekend at Weymouth.  I have struggled this year as I am now right at the top of the weight range for the Oppie and have had to adjust my sailing technique because of this.  Also, most of my training over the winter was in the Feva and not the Oppie.  I think I probably will make the Flanders team in the Oppie but I haven’t decided yet whether I will do the regatta as it feels like it is time to move on and focus on the Feva.

Megan Pascoe – First regatta of the year

Ruhr City Cup in Essen

After a long winter mostly sailing a borrowed boat owing to my brother working some magic on mine it was time to start the season. The Ruhr City Cup is the ideal place to do it. A small crescent-shaped river with some interesting shifts but it makes the sailing fun.

It is always good to see what the German fleet has been up to over the winter and we spent a long time on Friday talking about this due to a complete lack of wind. Sitting in the sun chatting sailing, planning the next couple of years is not a bad way of spending a Friday. It beats sitting in the office.

As Saturday came the wind did as well, some of it anyhow. Five races in one day with a coffee break after 4 lead to a full on day. It’s always nice after the winter to find out how fast the boat is going and pleasantly mine was going fast enough. I had a great battle all day with Heiko Kroger a Paralympic and World Champion. Unfortunately, as you can see from the picture I was on the outside of too many leeward marks going into the finish. We both had to bow to a very fast local Dragon sailor Ben van Cauwenbergh, a Belgium living in Germany sailing under an American sail number.

Sunday the wind had gone 180 degrees so we weaved our way through the rowers for three last races. I was starting better but in the first couldn’t quite hold onto the inside at the leeward mark and lost to Heiko. Second race I couldn’t find the right shift to save my life but managed to find one that mattered at the top to lead and managed this time to hold it. This lead to the last race winner takes all. Heiko did a very nice job of covering me up the beat, I should have stayed close down the run but didn’t and could only get back to fourth. Every days a school day and we’ll try again.

It is a great little club at WSB Baldeneysee celebrating its 100th year. The race team was once again excellent as local sailor Stefan Giesen brings his team from Kieler Woche. It is the volunteers that make this event from the beer fridge to an immense amount of cake. An event structure that is almost uniqiue to the Ruhr City Cup that everyone should experience once in their life. As Ben wrote in the German report all together nice weather, wind, nice people, three days all you can eat and drink, and fun!! Sums up the weekend perfectly and a great start to the season. Very excited for the months ahead.

Results: https://www.manage2sail.com/it/event/ERCC2019#!/results?classId=204e29a8-dcc9-4bb2-a5ce-ff509b58191b

Photos courtesy of www.2punkt4.de

Dylan Collingbourne’s search for a new boat

Around July 2018, I was considering changing class from the Laser Radial to another boat as I was not enjoying the style of sailing and hiking demanded by the Laser. I searched around and gathered some ideas such as a Blaze, a cheap International Moth, RS 100, RS 300 and the RS 600.

I had tried a Blaze as there are a couple at my local club and it was soon becoming the top contender. However, I had a look into their calendar and every national championship for the next couple of years are going to be based in the South / South-West of the country, and this was a problem when you’re based in Essex and currently relying on parents to drive you to events!

When my search for the next boat started, I was still campaigning in the RS Feva and had been taking part in the RS Feva Europeans at the RS Games in Weymouth. Whilst I was down there, I also decided to stay on and do the RS 200 nationals with a friend from my local club. Both of these events were great and we scored some with brilliant results. I ended up coming away from the event with a 2nd overall in the RS Feva Europeans and a 40th overall in the 200’s, a great result considering this was our first 200 event and we were racing against sailors who have had much more experience than both of us.

Whilst competing at the RS 200 nationals, the RS 600’s had their national championships happening at the same time. I happened to spot the new prototype RS 600 in the dinghy park and after having a look and watching some of the racing, which looked really fun, the boat started to appeal to me!

Once i got home from Weymouth I started looking into the fleet in more detail. I found out where the local boats were and which areas of the country had been holding events. This made me want one even more. I then started looking into the second-hand market and it looked like the class was growing again as all the second-hand boats where being snapped up sharpish!

After purchasing my boat in October, I have been trying to sail it as much as possible and it has been a very, very steep learning curve. Even having some experience with 29er sailing and some knowledge of trapezing, it was still a very difficult boat to get to grips with.

When starting to sail the boat in about 10-12 knots, the first thing I noticed was that I struggled with was not having a third hand! It was a whole new experience, to helm using the mainsheet whilst also having to trim the trapeze height at the same time. Its ended up with me doing a lot of swimming!

However, with much practice over the winter, the 600 felt less and less like a giant arm-band and more like a skiff. I am still learning certain skills in the 600 and can’t wait for the season to start so  I can get out on the water as much as possible. For this season I am most excited for the national championships being held at Stone Sailing Club in Essex. It will be my first event and I have some new Allen hardware that I can’t wait to use, as well as some new Rooster kit that should help my trapezing.

Team Allen Sailor

Team Rooster Sailor

Dylan Collingbourne

To Find out more about the RS600 class head over to their facebook page or class website