Western Area Championship Reports

On the 8th and 9th of September force 5 to 6 winds blew down the exe estuary making testing conditions for the 30 competitors who travelled from as far as Cumbria for the weekend. This was the fourth and final selector for the National Squad and also a selector for the South West Zone Squad.

The race officer, Russell Gibbs, set "P" courses for the 5 race series. The high quality of the fleet was show by 4 different race winners. At the end of the first day, Elliot Jago and Ben Arscott shared first position with Steve and Juliet Long. The gusty winds and large swell claimed half the fleet by retirement, turning each race into more of a survival.

A record turnout for a Mirror Class Area Championship with forty Mirrors from 21 Clubs around the country attending. This was the last event in a hard fought season with the younger sailors competing for a place in the National and Regional Youth Squads as well as a last chance to gain ranking points for inclusion in the UK team for the World Championships in Ireland in August 2001. The Sunday results also counted towards the Southwest Travellers Series and for several of the SW region's younger sailors this was their first taste of the excitement of a major championship. The event was hosted by Plym Yacht Club at the impressive new Mount Batten Centre.

Sailed at Mount's Bay Sailing Club 21st & 22nd July. Peter Knight, writing in 2018, takes up the story:

"I remember it well. It was the year after I sold my Mirror (Fugio) and got a Firefly, age 15. Peter Jenkins sailed with me. We borrowed Nigel Parish's Mirror. It didn't have a spinaker, so we lost out a bit on the downwind legs, and on the Sunday we borrowed a spinaker and tied on some blocks through the rowlock holes to sheet it! Luckily it was blowing old boots, so it didn't matter too much."