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Weston Sailing Club hosted the Europe Nationals on 25th/26th August as part of the Weston Open for Singlehanders weekend and what a weekend it was! There were two days of incredible weather!
Saturday had more shifts, holes, puffs and flukes than... I don't know, insert your own choice of flukiest inland venues ever! Savage Sunday brought the Beast from the South – wild and wet as forecast, and the Race Officer's promise of two quick races was more than enough for most people. The unbearable lightness of being may have helped local star Emma Pearson cash in on the Saturday with a first, two seconds (and a fifth?), but lightness alone is not enough – the other Saturday bullets were shared by the heavyweights of the fleet, Graham Hutchings from Royal Belgian YC, and Tom Lonsdale, a newcomer in a borrowed boat. On Savage Sunday Emma hung on gamely to take the Lady's Championship and third overall. Graham gave a heavy-weather lesson to us all and took the British Open Championship, while Tom became Best Newcomer and UK National Champion all at once. Lucy Boreham admitted to being a Roaring Forty and Richard Eagleton held on to the Swinging Sixties trophy (now re-named the Staggering Seventies!) Geoff Newman was a definite improver in performance, just beating Andy Harris who obviously had his mind on his forthcoming Australian emigration. Andy was himself beaten twice by Neil Smith from Bexhill and once by Caitlin Tweedle from Oxford. The Europes thank all those at Weston for having us, especially those who helped us launch on and recover on Savage Sunday. Europes gather again in two weeks on 8th/9th September at Oxford SC for the Inland Championships, sharing with the Finns, so no shortage of muscle-power for any roof-topping Europes!
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