Allen Endurance Series 2020 launched at the RYA Dinghy Show 2020
Announced at the RYA Dinghy Show were the dates for the third season of the Allen Endurance Series, which now includes an additional event and prize fund for 2020.
Over £1000 worth of vouchers and other merch will be available throughout the 5 events, as well as, the overall series prizes of £500, £250 & £100 vouchers for 1st, 2nd and 3rd respectively. Competitors will also be in with the chance of winning a complete Catamaran mainsheet system worth £600, drawn at random, just by entering an AES Event. For each entry into an AES race, the competitor will receive an entry to the random draw.
After the launch, there was also a brief prize-giving for the 2019 overall winners, of which Simon Northrop and Caleb Cooper took first place and the £500 voucher. Simon commented “I would just like to thank Allen as the title sponsor of the Endurance Series. As Catamaran sailors this is the support we need and it’s very much appreciated. So, thanks to Allen and may 2020 be as good as 2019.”
A long-distance race which has evolved over its 24-year history into a well-balanced test of sailing and racing skills, attracting top national helms as well as experienced club racers and international entries. For 2020 the Saturday afternoon will feature a shake down race to the Forts and back – a single leg for boats with 1000 PY and below. For those boats of 1000+, there’ll be an inshore race. On the Sunday, laid out in hub and spoke format with each leg returning through a gate near the club, will be the Endurance Race. The full course covers 85 kilometers in estuary, coastal and open sea conditions, and provides racing at all points of sailing. The flexibility of this format differentiates the Forts Race from other marathon events.
The Solent Forts Race is a long-distance event for sports Catamarans and is set in the Eastern Solent, with Hayling Island and Portsmouth to the north and the Isle of Wight to the west. The race comprises several legs radiating out from a gate (like a star), allowing the course configuration and length to be adjusted according to the conditions prevailing on the day. The race gets its name from the Napoleonic Channel Forts that comprise two of the marks of the course. The race has a unique ‘time out’ feature that allows boats to take an optional 30-minute break during the race. This time may be used for a comfort break or for tactical purposes. Saturday also features a shake down race.
Open to fast dinghies and Catamarans, the East Coast Piers Race is a major charity event raising funds to support “The Cirdan Trust” to further support their important work with socially or physically disadvantaged children. The race is based at Marconi Sailing Club on the River Blackwater in Essex and goes all the way up the East Coast to Walton and back again. There are three course options available, the Bradwell Race – 13 miles long open to fast dinghies. The Colne Point Race – 27 miles long open to fast dinghies and Catamarans. And the Endurance Race, the full ECPR which is 48 miles long open to Catamarans only. Saturday Features a round the cans shake down race with an excellent party in the evening.
The Anglesey Offshore Dinghy & Catamaran Race is The North West’s premier offshore dinghy race, covering over 15 nautical miles around the South East coast of Anglesey. Frequent visitors include Olympic sailors, and past and present National Champions. The race starts on the Royal Anglesey start line at Beaumaris in the picturesque Menai Straits. Then through Puffin Sound and passing the rugged cliffs of Anglesey. After crossing the glorious sandy beaches of Red Wharf Bay, the fleet head for the famous Lifeboat station at Moelfre. The finish is at Red Wharf Bay Sailing Club at Traeth Bychan. Rated by Yachts and Yachting as one of the top events to compete in. For 2020 the event will also include a shake down race from the Royal Anglesey Yacht Club on the Saturday night followed by a social evening before the Endurance Race on Sunday.
IOS Round the Island Race is a long established, long distance event designed to test sailing skills and endurance over a 40-mile course. Sailed clockwise around the island of Sheppey, starting and finishing at IOS Sailing Club. The race includes tidal sea, river & estuary sailing. The event is the longest dinghy and board race in Europe —The race is open to all classes of dinghy, catamaran and sailboard and there is a shake down race on the Saturday.
The second edition of the Allen Endurance Series (AES) wrapped up at the IOS Round Sheppey Race on the weekend of the 31st/1st September. The series which included a total of 150 different entries over the 4 events was again dominated by F18 sailors, with the high-performance catamaran claiming all 3 of the top overall podium spots for the second year running.
This year the AES showcased a wide range of conditions with each of the four long distance events experiencing varying wind speeds and sea states, ensuring each entrant got a good test of their sailing skills. Despite this, Simon Northrop of Minnis Bay managed to win two of the four events and after including one discard also takes the overall series win by just 4 points. Therefore, claiming a total of £700 worth of Allen vouchers.
Simon commented “We are pleased to have won the AES this year after finishing runners up in the first year. The series tests every skill from endurance to navigation and everything in between. We had some fantastic racing with the other competitors and we were hoping to take the Sheppey race to add to the other two wins in the series, but, we decided to sail over from Whitstable instead of trailing the boat and this was a bad call as we arrived late due to a light head wind and started 22 minutes late! We still managed a 6th overall, just 15 minutes behind the first boat, and we had a great blast chasing everyone down. The Sheppey race was the highlight of the series for me, despite this, as I last did this race in a Condor 30 years ago and it was great to come back again!
Thanks to Allen, Sail Racer and everyone else involved in the series, it’s really great to have an overall title to race for all season and I look forward to competing again in 2020.”
2nd AES overall place goes to Tim Neal, who claims a £200 Voucher and 3rd place along with a £100 voucher, goes to Nick Barnes.
The Allen Endurance Series will carry on into its 3rd season for 2020 and will consist of the following events
The West Lancashire Yacht Club 24 Hour Race, the UK’s No.1 dinghy endurance race, will provide live GPS tracking of each competing dinghy this year. WLYC has agreed to a joint exclusive sponsorship deal with GJW Direct, Allen Brothers and Precision Yacht Paint, to provide the SailRacer GPS Tracking System.
Throughout the 24 hours, competitors, team management, spectators and supporters will be able to follow the progress of all the dinghies online via the event website. It doesn’t matter where they are they can follow everyone or just a few select teams. They could be watching in the team tent, in the WLYC bar, back at their Sailing Club or even in a restaurant in Hong Kong!
Each Dinghy will have a GPS tracker attached, providing a wealth of detailed analytics such as lap times, speeds and VMG. The teams will have a valuable tool allowing a direct comparison across all competitors to help them understand their overall performance, not just their strengths but also where they can improve. A powerful management tool!
For the Race organisers, the GPS tracking system will enable a constant monitor of the positions of all boats, particularly important during the hours of darkness or poor weather.
The 2018 Allen Endurance Series kicked off over the first weekend in June at Hayling Ferry Sailing Club for the Solent Forts Race.
The entry list reads like a who’s who from the cat world, including Will Sunnucks, chairman of the UK Cat Racing Association competing in his high-speed foiling Vampire, crewed by Mark Self. The strong F18 fleet included Grant Piggott and Simon Farren and National Champion Simon Northrop crewed by Caleb Cooper, who was looking to defend his Solent Forts title. For the first time, fast dinghies were eligible to race, with top International Canoe sailors Gareth Caldwell and Phil Robin looking to give the cats a run for their money.
Saturday brought the best weather with glorious sunshine and 10 kts + of breeze. Will Sunnucks and Mark Self in the Vampire took line honors and the highest recorded speed on the SailRacer GPS trackers, hitting over 18 kts on a sustained basis.
Sunday dawned sunny but windless, giving PRO Richard Golden no option but to postpone; after a great Saturday night Band on the Beach party, most competitors were glad of a couple of extra hours to prepare.
With the tide flooding in at the start and only a light breeze, it was quite a struggle to get out of Langstone Harbour. Gareth Caldwell (International Canoe) made good progress by creeping up the Hayling Shore and for some time was second on the water. Grant Piggott and Simon Farren (F18) led the fleet around Spit Sand Fort at the mouth of Portsmouth Harbour and then back to the turning mark off the club at the entrance to Langstone Harbour.
First back were the International Canoes sailing the shorter blue course with Phil Robin taking line honours, after overhauling fellow classmate Gareth Cladwell.
With the wind building over the 7.1 mile downwind leg from Bembridge Ledge, the Vampires started to get into their stride and foiling, regularly seeing peak speeds in the upper teens on the SailRacer GPS trackers. Kyle Stoneham and Ross Harvey (Vampire 11) managed to overhaul Grant Piggott and Simon Farren (F18) to take the lead.
The fast cats were given another leg out to Winner South Cardinal, but with the breeze now falling, Grant Piggott and Simon Farren (F18) managed to snatch the lead back again coming up to the finish to take line honours and a win on corrected time. Will Sunnucks and Mark Self managed to overhaul the other Vampire to take second place over the line from Kyle Stoneham and Ross Harvey.
Combining the results across both fleets using the SailRacer scoring system, based on GPS data and dynamic handicaps on a time on distance basis, the top three were:
Pos
Class
SailNos
Helm
Crew
Club
1
F18
521
Grant Piggott
Simon Farren
Weston
2
Int Canoe
328
Phil Robin
BCU
3
F18
1577
Tim Neal
Bob Fry
Parkstone YC
The 2018 Allen Endurance Series covers three of the UK’s long-distance races: Solent Forts, East Coast Piers and Round Sheppey. With racing covering over 120 miles, the Allen Endurance Series will challenge sailors over some varied courses to find the UK’s top long-distance racers this summer. All races will be tracked by SailRacer, allowing organisers and supporters to monitor boat positions, which will also provide a wealth of analytical data such as top speeds and distance sailed. Allen will be providing over £1,000 of prizes across the Series and individual events.
