The National 12 Championships - Burton Week 2003
National 12 Burton Week 2003 was hosted by Looe Sailing Club from 9-15 August. The 59 boat fleet was dominated by the performance of Tom Stewart & Liz Ross who won both the premier race of the week, the Sir William Burton Cup, and (with a race to spare) the Yachting World Silver National Points Trophy. In the final analysis, Stewart & Ross did not count a result outside the first 3, although they won only 2 of the 8 races. Given that the sailing was conducted in the middle of the summer heatwave, such consistency was outstanding in what for the remainder of the fleet was a high scoring regatta, during which the wind did not play ball.
The fight for second was won by the 2002 Burton winners, Graham Camm & Zoe Ballantyne, who pipped Ian & Alex Gore by a point. Both won races during the week and were consistently in the top 10. Other race winners were overall fourth placed Chris Mayhew & Nicole McKenna, Tim & Mayumi Knight (in their first Burton week), Richard Williams & Stella Brown, and Bruce & Clare Johnson.
4 different hull shapes won races, the Feeling Foolish and Final Chapter getting 3 wins each and a Numinous and Annie Apple winning the other races. In terms of sailmakers, both Pinnell & Bax and Rowsell had 3 race wins, with single race wins for Alverbank and Batt.
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19 boats were eligible as older boats to compete for the Admirals Cup. 2002 winners Gavin and Chloe/Jamsine Willis won narrowly from Kevin Iles & Jane Jones and Tim Laws & Emma Wilkins. Laws & Wilkins won the Beeston Goblet being first old boat home in the Burton Cup. The Willises victory owed much to a second place in the penultimate race, a race that they lead round every buoy. 13 helms were competing in their first Burton Week and competed for the Arrows Trophy. Four of them achieved top 10 finishes during the week. Chris Bishop and Pip Jefferis won from the Knights, Brian & George Kitching and Rebecca Johnson & Ian Sharpes. 17 of the crews were also new to Burton Week, and Pip Jefferis was the winner of the Gill Supercrew Cup. |
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Mike Cooke & Helen Hunt sailed their home built 'Big Issue' design to fifth overall, and in a genuinely light week there was still enough wind to power the leading heavyweights - John & Katy Meadowcroft - round the course to take sixth overall.
In the subsidry trophies
Mike Hoyle & Henry Johnson in seventh were the winners of the Canter Trophy for helmsmen over 40, whilst Richard Williams & Stella Brown followed up their race win by taking the Corrigan Cup for helmsmen under 21. Dare Barry crewed by Lucy Horsley in his new Steam Pudding Design was first helmsman over 55. First of the eight ladies helms was Caroline Martin crewed by Sophie Mackley in tenth overall.
John & Mandy Thornton won the Joe Yorke Trophy for the most improved mid fleet boat, while the Kitchings took home the Cross Wins Trophy for the biggest improvement from first to last race.
3 brand new boats took to the water during the week. In addition to Dare Barry's 'Steam Pudding' 2 new as yet unnamed hull shapes from the Bim Daser / Nigel Waller stable were launched. Sailed by Jon Brown & Charlotte Ibbotson, and Antony & Jo Gifford, they ended up in 18th and 12th overall.
2003 Burton Week was generously supported by Greene King, Gill, CraftInsure.com, Musto, Pinnell & Bax, Ashurt Morris Crisp, Trident and Sailpower.com
| Sir William Burton Cup 1 N3476 Tom Stewart & Elizabeth Ross Royal Harwich YC Feeling Foolish 2 N3450 Richard Williams & Stella Brown Royal Harwich YC Final Chapter 3 N3441 Ian & Alex Gore Up River YC Feeling Foolish 4 N3472 Mike Cooke & Helen Hunt Notts County SC Big Issue 5 N3431 Frances Gifford & Guy Johnson Aldeburgh YC Feeling Foolish 6 N3473 John & Katy Meadowcroft Henley SC Final Chapter |
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Yachting World Silver National Points Trophy 1 N3476 Tom Stewart & Elizabeth Ross Royal Harwich YC Feeling Foolish 11 2 N3460 Graham Camm & Zoe Ballantyne Burghfield SC Numinous 28 3 N3441 Ian & Alex Gore Up River YC Feeling Foolish 29 4 N3443 Chris Mayhew & Nicole McKenna Royal Harwich YC Final Chapter 33 5 N3472 Mike Cooke & Helen Hunt Notts County SC Big Issue 34 |