National 12 - Scottish Championship 2001
The National 12 Scottish Championship was sailed by 13 boats at Kippford Yacht Club on the Solway Firth on Saturday and Sunday 1 and 2 September. Two races were sailed back to back on each day, one race on either side of high tide, with the best three results to count.
Saturday started bright and sunny with a westerly force 3 to 4, blowing up the Solway Firth and across the start area in the Urr estuary exactly as the weather forecast. In the first race, starting on a port biased line, Jon and Jim Whitehead were first to round the windward mark after a short beat, hotly pursued by Peter Miatt/Rudi Holt in second place and Phil/Helen David third. The fleet then set off on the 1½ mile reach towards Castle Point, where they became more exposed to the full force of the wind and waves. Then came the long choppy beat back across the sand banks and main channel to White Port. The sailing order soon became established with little place changing during the two laps of the course. The Whiteheads took a comfortable first place with Peter Miatt second and Phil David third.
By the second race, the weather conditions had changed with rain and mist settling in and the wind increasing to an estimated force 5. On a slightly different course, the Whiteheads again took the lead straight from the start on a port end flier never to be troubled. Peter Miatt followed them round the windward mark, but at this stage the Davids were well down the order. Then followed the highlight of the day with planing reaches out to Castle Point and back again. Despite the exciting conditions the leaders elected to jibe at the leeward mark, Peter Miatt capsizing in the process, but the lower orders seeing his misfortune wisely deciding to wear round. By the first round of the leeward mark, Phil and Helen David were again in contention for a place. At the second rounding, the wind force had increased again, only Bernard Clark and James Shipley daring the jibe. The rest of the fleet took the safer option of tacking up into the wind which was hazardous enough. There were several spectacular capsizes on the reaches, but everyone managed to recover without assistance. At the end, the Whiteheads were first, the Davids second, Peter Miatt and Rudi Holt had recovered to third and Bernard Clark was fourth.
Sunday started almost sunny, again with a force 3 to 4 forecast. The course was the same for both races, again with a short beat across the tidal channel, a reach to Castle Point, a beat back to White Port and a second reach back to the starting area. At the start, on the now customary port biased line, the Whiteheads were over and had to re-round the outer distance mark. The Davids started on port at the ODM and were first round the windward mark. The fleet quickly separated, the newer designs being much faster downwind, but there was a choice to be made either to sail low, closer to Rough Island and cheat the incoming tide or make out to sea for stronger wind. The Davids chose stronger wind closely followed by Bernard Clark and Peter Miatt. The Whiteheads sailed low, appearing to make up some distance by the leeward mark and continued to make progress through the fleet, taking the lead on the second lap and holding it to the finish. The Davids finished second with Bernard Clark third and Peter Miatt fourth.
With the championship and the Scottish Daily Express Trophy already won for the second year, Jon and Jim Whitehead sportingly sat out the fourth and last race, although they admitted to a strong urge to get back to the dinghy park in time to watch local Formula One hero David Coulthard perform in the Belgian Grand Prix at Spa Francorchamps.
The battle was now for second place with the Davids and Peter Miatt the main contenders and Bernard Clark still in with a chance. Once more the Davids rounded the windward mark first after a port start, the rest of the fleet being either line shy or just very polite.
The Davids very soon developed a considerable lead on a sparkling first reach, but the gap was gradually eroded on the beats by Peter Miatt, who took the lead on the beat back to the committee boat after a long port tack into the lifting tide. Bernard Clark sailed consistently into third place, with David and Jenny Davis fourth.
The results for the series were :-
1st Jon & Jim Whitehead - N3458
2nd Peter Miatt and Rudi Holt - N3448
3rd Phil and Helen David - N3217