CHRISTCHURCH Sailing Club’s Tim Tyrrell won the 18th Hawk 20 Nationals at his home club over the weekend.

A total of 18 competitors signed on for the three-day event, with some travelling from Wales and Cumbria.

Friday’s windy weather put an end to the passage race to Studland, so four short races were sailed in Christchurch Bay and Tyrrell showed he meant business by winning this mini-series.

On Saturday, the heavens opened with torrential rain, but eventually it cleared and the first of the three scheduled races got under way.

Tim Tyrrell carried on his form from Friday by winning with Mike Kelly second and Ian Davies third.

After a change of wind and relaying the course for the second race, Tyrrell took the win from Beanie Ayling with Simon Whiteley.

For the last race, after yet another wind change, Tyrell took first place with Paul Mecklenburgh second and Simon Whiteley third.

Sunday dawned dry for once and, after setting the course, the wind swung 90 degrees so a change was needed to get the first race under way.

Twenty minutes after the start, the wind went back, making the beat to the first mark a reach. The race officer had no choice but to shorten the course, with Simon Whiteley on the right-hand side of the course taking advantage of the wind change to win with Tyrrell second and Helen Audsley third.

After yet another relaying of the course, Tim Tyrrell took his fourth win in the final race to claim the championships.

Simon Whiteley was second overall and Helen Audsley third.

  • The weather was not too kind to Lymington Town Sailing Club and its regatta.

Saturday was horrible with driving rain and fierce wind coming from the South South East, averaging 18 knots and gusting 22.

Unsurprisingly, only eight 29ers and eight RS 700s turned up for their Open meetings, with the remainder made up of the club boats from both the RLymYC and LTSC.

Sunday brought better weather with less wind, only 10 knots gusting 16 knots, from the North West, but the sun was shining.

This brought out a further few boats to bring the total up to a respectable 50.

Overall Results (LTSC unless stated), 29er: 1 Ruth Allan/Alice Masterman (Emsworth SC), 2 Joan Furness/Abbie Page (Draycote Water), 3 Hugo Andrews/Elliot Spensley-Corfield (HISC).

RS 700: 1 Jerry Wales (Windsport SC), 2 Steve Powell (Queen Mary SC), 3 Tony Dencher.

Fast Fleet: 1 Luke/Emma McEwen (RS 800 - RlymYC), 2 John Cooper/Becci Wigley (RS 400), 3 Simon/Nikki Hadley (B14).

Medium Fleet: 1 Richard Russell (RS 100), 2 Ian Sanderson (Blaze – RlymYC), 3 Adrian Baker (Streaker).

Slow Fleet: 1 Anna Prescott/Jess Eales (RS Feva), 2 James Eales/Henry Collings (RS Feva), 3 Robby Boyd (RS Terra).

  • Despite its best efforts, the miserable weather could not dampen the enthusiasm and energy of the 21 Dutch, English and Polish Splash sailors who assembled at Christchurch Sailing Club for the biggest and most memorable Splash National Championship in recent years.

With 12 members of the Netherlands’ ‘Top Talent’ team arriving fresh from Nieuwpoort Week, the event had a truly international feel and the atmosphere both on and off the water was terrific.

The Dutch team and four British sailors will meet up again in Nieuwpoort, Belgium, for the Splash Dinghy World championships next week.