1976 National Championships at Newquay SC

: Written by: Sally Karslake

Black and white photo of two Mirrors racing to windward in a big swell

Practice Race, Sunday 29th August

1	48780	Dave Sherwin	Leigh-on-Sea S.C
2	17342	Graham Ellis	Gresford S.C.
3	29263	Peter Robinson	Ripon S.C.
4	47473	Harry Prangnell	Fishers Green S.C.
5	48010	Mark Rushall	Draycote Water S.C.
6	46732	Dave Derby	Broadstairs S.C.

Dave Sherwin led throughout the race, from Colin Gardiner of Forfar S.C., who was disqualified when he forgot his safety tag. Graham Ellis made a poor start, but came up from the twenties to finish in second place. There was a tremendous tussle throughout between Harry Prangnell and Mark Rushall. The World Champion, Roy Partridge, retired early in the race following a port and starboard incident. Welcome “far-flung” (but paid up!) Association Members were Frank Havik and Monique Janssen of Monnickendam, the Club who acted as hosts for the World Championships, and Grant Nicholls. who arrived at Newquay via Holland from Melbourne, Australia, and borrowed the Flag Ship.

Many competitors overstood the windward mark because of the tides, which also caused several unpremeditated gybes on the downwind leg of the Olympic course. The wind freshened slightly throughout the race, but was never more than a force 2. Waves were a little confused, especially at the start of the beat. Good anticipation of the veering winds on the part of the Race Officer meant that the beat, which was biased at first, was true on the last windward leg to the finishing line.

All competitors expressed great pleasure at being once again entertained by the quiet efficiency of Newquay Sailing Club, under Commodore, John Turver.

1st Points Race, Monday 30th August

1	50131	Chris Maxfield	Weaver S.C.
2	29263	Peter Robinson	Ripon S.C
3	48010	Mark Rushall	Draycote Water S.C.
4	42919	Chris Owen	Northwich S.C.
5	7241	Stuart Bottoms	Errwood S.C.
6	43030	Kim Leatt	Broadstairs S.C.

The wind increased from a force 2-3 to a force 5, gusting 6, with confused seas. The northerly winds veered westerly, giving a tremendous lift on the first beat, and allowing the use of spinnakers, before it went back to the north. The Club reckoned there was a twenty-foot ground swell.

Many competitors returned from the finishing line under jib only, and of 135 starters, the sea and the wind claimed 50, leaving 85 to finish. One boat had to be lifted in pieces aboard the Committee boat; a metal mast developed a right-angle, and there was considerable breakage. The veering wind on the first beat caused great congestion on the gybe mark.

The first three to finish maintained their positions at each windward mark throughout the race, but there was a tremendous changing of position down the fleet, where 24 Cornish boats, and a total of 51 different Clubs were battling with the elements.

The World Champion, Roy Partridge, led for the greater part of the race, capsized before the last gybe mark, managed to right himself, and finished 48th. His comments afterwards were “Wet suits? I don’t take a wet-suit because you never capsize a Mirror”.

2nd Points Race, Tuesday 31st August

1	15000	Roy Partridge	I.P.C. (Iver) Y.C.
2	48010	Mark Rushall	Draycote Water S.C.
3	47473	Harry Prangnell	Fishers Green S.C.
4	46732	Dave Derby	Broadstairs S.C.
5	17349	Richard Smallwood	Stokes Bay S.C.
6	17342	Graham Ellis	Gresford S.C.

The second race was postponed because of surf in the mouth of the harbour, which would have made launching totally impossible. However, half-an-hour later, 123 Mirrors set off under brilliant sunshine, with a force 4 wind, and a difficult, lumpy sea. Although Roy Partridge led for most of the way, defending Champion, Mark Rushall, was breathing down his neck. Only ten seconds behind at the third windward mark, Mark Rushall lost to the reigning World Champion by twenty seconds at the finishing line. The last beat was a superb tacking duel between the World Champion and the defending Champion, with the more experienced man just maintaining his control. A newcomer to the top ranks is Lt. Cmdr. Smallwood of Stokes Bay.

Overall positions at this point, taking both races into consideration, were Mark Rushall (Draycote Water) first, Peter Robinson (Ripon) second, Chris Maxfield (Weaver) third.

3rd Points Race, Wednesday 1st September

1	15000	Roy Partridge	I.P.C. (Iver) Y.C.
2	47473	Harry Prangnell	Fishers Green S.C.
3	17342	Graham Ellis	Gresford S.C.
4	6950	Derek Beere	I.P.C. (Iver) Y.C.
5	48780	Dave Sherwin	Leigh-on-Sea S.C.
6	46732	Dave Derby	Broadstairs S.C.

Disregarding any discards, at this stage in the week the overall winner on points was Harry Prangnell, last year’s Western Area Champion who unfortunately failed to qualify, despite predictions, for the World Team to go to Holland. Harry is now back on form, and sailing very consistently in the top five at the National Championships.

A fleet of 136 set out in a lumpy sea, with force 1-2, which freshened to a fairly steady force 3 during the race. Shifting wind on the start line favoured a late start through the gate, and some starters were grievously left. The sea claimed fewer casualties, as 130 of the boats finished. There were a considerable number of protests, and, as the single-handed race also took place on the same day, it was difficult to get the overall positions accurately until all the protests had been heard. It is enough to say that at the top, but not necessarily in this order, were Harry Prangnell, Chris Maxfield, Peter Robinson, Trevor Smith, Graham Ellis, Mark Rushall, Roy Partridge, Chris Owen and Chris Sidey. A welcome return to the top ranks is Derek Beere of I.P.C. (Iver) Y.C., a past National Champion and European runner-up in 1973.

Cohn Gardiner, who actually finished third in this race, qualifies for the sob story of the week. Disqualified from the practice race, when he finished second but had forgotten his safety tag, he was disqualified from the third points race, having finished third, because the position of his thwart contravened the design. Like the sportsman that he is, Cohn worked hard to put his boat into Class, and accepted very graciously the Committee’s decision.

The Committee carried out their intention to measure the top three boats from each race.

4th Points Race, Thursday 2nd September

1	46732	Dave Derby	Broadstairs S.C.
2	17342	Graham Ellis	Gresford S.C.
3	17349	Richard Smallwood	Stokes Bay S.C.
4	48010	Mark Rushall	Draycote Water S.C.
5	29263	Peter Robinson	Ripon S.C.
6	15000	Roy Partridge	I.P.C. (Iver) Y.C.

The Race Committee postponed the start for an hour and a half, due to surf at the mouth of the harbour. The wind, force 3-4, dropped throughout the race, which was quite a short one owing to the need to get the dinghies back through the harbour entrance before they ran any risk of being caught in the surf and swept ashore in pieces. With bright sunshine and white horses, the fleet looked its usual picture, but the sea was much choppier than the wind conditions appeared to warrant.

With a complete change in the leadership, and three new boats requiring measurement under the Committee’s decision to measure the first three of every race, it was interesting to note that 17342 and 17349, both seven-year-old boats, proved that a new boat is not essential to victory.

Roy Partridge’s consistent position in the top of the fleet proves conclusively that mature years are no handicap! At the end of each race there is a positive gleam in the eye of all the over-thirties, when they assess Roy’s position in the race and realise that their day is by no means done.

With protests making it impossible to assess the overall positions at this stage, and with the Championship still wide open, possible winners could be Harry Prangnell, Roy Partridge, Dave Derby, Mark Rushall or Graham Ellis, in other words, the fleet which represented the United Kingdom in Holland, with Harry Prangnell managing to keep ahead of World Runner-up, Chris Owen.

Graham Ellis won the single-handed race, and newcomer to the Committee, Deborah Evelyn. showed the girls that, even among such illustrious competition, third place was attainable.

5th Points Race, Friday 3rd September

1	47473	Harry Prangnell	Fishers Green S.C.
2	17342	Graham Ellis	Gresford S.C.
3	29263	Peter Robinson	Ripon S.C.
4	6950	Derek Beere	l.P.C. (Iver) Y.C.
5	15000	Roy Partridge	I.P.C. (Iver) Y.C.
6	17349	Richard Smallwood	Stokes Bay S.C.

Boats were away to the start of the final race with a wind force 2, variable. Everything depended upon the outcome of this race, and the top ten helmsmen were fighting it out. Roy Partridge did not have a good start, but, with the winds steadying and increasing, he improved his position, particularly on the last beat, and managed to finish fifth. This meant the final results were about the keenest we have ever experienced, with World Champion, Roy Partridge, leading from Harry Prangnell by a quarter of a point, with Harry holding off Graham Ellis by the same margin.

A couple of photos of the fleet launching, kindly provided by Newquay Sailing Club

This was once more a more successful Nationals. Ernie Radcliffe, as Race Officer, deserved the thanks of the entire fleet, and other members and officers of Newquay Sailing Club gave up at least a week of their holiday to tend to our every need. We have been to Newquay now three times for a National Championship. It is among the venues that cause least headaches to the Association, and, as in the case of our report on the Rally, we can only close with the words “When can we come back?”.

Results

Position	Boat	Sailors	Club	R1	R2	R3	Points
1	60015 - Funderbird (sailing as 15000)	Roy & Graeme Partridge	I.P.C. (Iver) Y.C.	(48)	1	1
2	47473 - Topaz	Harry & John Prangnell	Fishers Green S.C.		3	2
3	17342	Graham Ellis	Gresford S.C.		6	3
4	48010 - Goldrush	Mark Rushall	Draycote Water S.C.	3	2
5	46732	David Derby	Broadstairs S.C.		4	6
6	29263	Peter Robinson	Ripon S.C.	2
7	50131	Chris Maxfield	Weaver S.C.	1
8	14177	Trevor Smith	l.P.C. (Iver) Y.C.
9	17349	Richard Smallwood	Stokes Bay S.C.		5
10	34912	Colin Gardiner	Forfar S.C.
11	51000	Chris Sidey	l.P.C. (lver) Y.C.
12	43030	Kym Leatt	Broadstairs S.C.	6
13	42919	Chris Owen	Northwich S.C.	4
14	36950	Christopher Cleaves	Newquay S.C.
15	34502	Jonathan Austin	Cransley S.C.
16	47585	Deborah Evelyn	Tynemouth S.C.
17	39935	Nigel Grogan	Newquay S.C.
18	46620	George Mellar	Aldridge S.C.
19	39000 Flag Ship (sailing as 2852)	Grant Nicholls	Melbourne, Australia
20	16275	D. W. Bristow	Thorpe Bay S.C.
21	39292	Lew Owen	Northwich S.C.
22	29946	Richard Major	West Riding S.C
23	50205	Stuart Hastings	Maidstone S.C.
24	1510	Bill Childs	Draycote Water S.C.
25	18951	Edward Dunhill	Worthing Y.C.
26	15497	M. E. Cope	South Caernarvonshire Y.C.
27	43234	Carolyn Eales	Draycote Water S.C.
28	44438	Gordon Foley	Stokes Bay S.C.
29	38263	Tony Shute	Exe S.C.
30	6238	Martin Dare	Restronguet S.C.
31	21193	Clive Eplett	Fowey Gallants S.C.
32	25850	Terry Cherrill	Kingsmead S.C.
33	35603	M. N. Marsden	Blackpool & Fleetwood Y.C.
34	51507	Frank Havik	Monnickendam, Holland
35	42417	Philip Davis	Mumbles Y.C.
36	32445	Ian Cherrill	Kingsmead S.C.
37	42152	Frank H. Cole	Melton Mowbray S.C.
38	6566	Julia Tucker	Porthpean S.C.
39	19518	Walter Maxfield	Weaver S.C.
40	6950	Derek Beere	I.P.C. (Iver) Y.C.			4
41	7241	Stewart Bottoms	Errwood S.C.	5
42	35794	Alan Bambrough	Bexley S.C.
43	49256	Noel Fay	Bough Beech S.C.
44	26343	Philip Bowers	Huddersfield S.C.
45	41960	N. Curry	Burnham-on-Sea S.C.
46	39508	Mark Wilkins	Seasalter S.C.
47	14252	Tony Moore	Fowey Gallants S.C.
48	41871	Angus Broadhurst	Royal Tay Y.C.
49	47361	Paul Radgick	Exe S.C.
50	22151	Huw Stephens	Barry Y.C.
51	6315	S. W. Child	Weston S.C.
52	13963	M. Stevenson	Mounts Bay S.C.
53	48780 - Rosie	Dave Sherwin	Leigh-on-Sea S.C.			5
54	22396	Hugh Jones	CransleyS.C.
55	28209	John K. Gooch	Seasalter S.C.
56	1118	C. Spencer-Smith	Porthpean S.C.
57	28170	Robin Harris	Bexhill S.C.
58	7467	Pam Gough	B.S.C. Margam S.C.
59	1067	C. B. McKinnon	Emsworth S.C.
60	39057	Julian Bridges	Mumbles Y.C.
61	39852	Miss Peddlesden	Bexhill S.C.
62	53136	Monique Janssen	Monnickendam, Holland
63	27567	James Allan	Royal Tay Y.C.
64	43025	Chris Woodard	Deben Y.C.
65	41907	K. C. Price	I.P.C. (Iver) Y.C.
66	7406	R. V. Read	Felpham S.C.
67	19182	Nigel Price	I.P.C. (Iver) Y.C.
68	53435	A. Sawyer	Northwich S.C.
69	20342	Timothy Polglase	Forwey Gallants S.C.
70	36930	Trevor Roberts	Pegasus S.C.
71	28137	John Hope	Redoubt S.C.
72	23270	Peter Agnew	Mounts Bay S. C.
73	47565	Peter Vincent	Exe S.C.
74	27753	G. M. Pullen	I.P.C. (Iver) Y.C.
75	24000	I. B. Farr	Mayflower S.C.
76	31878	Mark Hassall	Newquay S.C. (Wales)
77	29105	Neil Cameron	Fowey Gallants S.C.
78	48000	Mike Chilcott	Chew Valley Lake S.C.
79	1682	A. Seaton	Bexhill S.C.
79	35701	Alex Pearce	Kingsmead S.C.
81	41245	Graham Bottoms	Errwood S.C.
82	26355	Diane Baty	Dalgey Bay S.C.
83	38960	Trevor Baker	Arun Y.C.
84	24926	Thomas Legrice	Mounts Bay S.C.
85	49665	Harry Taylor	Worthing Y.C.
86	33577	M. Emerson	Middle Nene CC.
87	37870	A. T. Dennis	North Lincs S.C.
88	25691	Graham Nicholls	Pegasus S.C.
89	27394	Ken Carter	King George S.C.
90	49688	George Matthews	Frampton on Severn S.C.
91	43223	Ken Gosling	Sidmouth S.C.
92	43008	D. S. Smith	West Riding S.C.
93	35567	A. E. Tinker	West Riding S.C.
94	13976	David Crookston	Mumbles S.C.
95	35375	P. McDonald	South Yorkshire S.C.
96	28174	David Hall	Chew Valley Lake S.C.
97	10988	H. C. Ellison	Newquay S.C.
98	28025	David Blyth	Wilsonian S.C.
99	47010	Mark Thomas	Sidmouth S.C.
100	30833	Nick Barnes	Newquay S.C.
101	28751	W. A. Wood	Oxford S.C.
101	12003	William Hastings	Maidstone S.C.
103	48779	Terry Castle	Draycote Water S.C.
104	24855	Keith Clark	West Riding S.C.
105	28587	Joe Hearn	Torpoint Mosquito S.C.
106	32038	William Owen	Restronguet S.C.
107	50803	Brian Watts	Oxford S.C.
108	9018	R. J. Croft	Bexhill S.C.
109	4658	C. W. J. Haughton	Thorpe Bay Y.C.
110	28576	John Kervin	Southport S.C.
111	46837	P. K. Woolf	Penzance S.C.
112	33042	K. C. Major	West Riding S.C.
113	38658	P. W. Auger	Southampton S.C.
114	50950	D. W. Rood	Errwood S.C.
115	39596	Julian Vickery	I.P.C. (lver) Y.C.
116	12364	Norman Frier	Bexley S.C.
117	40420	J. Barker	Errwood S.C.
118	28833	M. R. Ecob	Melton Mowbray S.C.
118	15196	Nigel S. Parriss	Restronguet S.C.
120	28255	Charles Reynolds	Mounts Bay S.C.
121	37989	W. F. Smith	Lyme Regis S.C.
122	20028	Mrs J. Stenson	Stokes Bay S.C.
123	48211	N. Ravenscroft	Deben Y.C.
124	35341	Nigel Fowell	Dudley Y.C.
125	35381	Jane Snell	Barry Y.C.
126	42837	Paul Beacon	Porthpean S.C.
127	14444	Marc Cooper	Torpoint Mosquito S.C.
128	11119	Venetia Bradford	Torpoint Mosquito S.C.
129	25001	Ginger Moore	Dalgety Bay S.C.
130	46445	John Earp	Draycote Water S.C.
131	11111	Sidney Morriss	l.P.C. (Iver) IC.
132	46272	Miss F. A. Ravenscroft	Deben Y.C.
133	38214	Alan Folland	Newquay S.C.
134	477	J. E. Noden	Northwich S.C.
135	33394	W. R. Scarfe	Blackpool & Fleetwood Y.C.
136	48824	Linda Weighill	Torpoint Mosquito S.C.
137	15287	Albert Ashcroft	Sandwell Valley S.C.
138	37609	W. Brian Roberts	Looe S.C.
139	41898	C. V. Courtenay-Stamp	Exmouth S.C.
139	52325	S. J. Rood	Errwood S.C.

SPECIAL AWARDS


Best Lady Helm	47585	Mrs. Deborah Evelyn	Tynemouth S.C.
Best Welsh Helm	17342	Graham Ellis	Gresford S.C.
Best under 19 Helm	48010	Mark Rushall	Draycote Water S.C.
Best Local Junior	36950	C. Cleaves	Newquay S.C.
Endeavour	28576	J. Kervin	Southport S.C.
Furthest Travelled	2852	Grant Nicholls	Melbourne, Australia
Single-handed	17342	Graham Ellis	Gresford S.C.

Editors Note: Some of this article is from Reflections No. 26 October 1976, pages 10, 11, 13, 14 & 15. It has been captured by OCR, so typos & errors are possible.

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