Sedbergh win National Sailing Title

Report by Dr Ripley, Head of Sailing at Sedbergh School

After a gap in 2020, due to the Covid-19 pandemic, Sedbergh School retained their National Honours from 2019 by winning both the Argo and Quba classes, and thereby the overall team honours in Southport.

Saturday was a testing, light wind day with racing being abandoned at lunch due to lack of wind. Various rafting and paddling races ensued followed by a battle on the ten pin bowling lanes, however, even in these testing conditions our Quba and Argo were in podium places at the end of 3 races.  Keeping an Argo moving in light winds is difficult, so Year 11 pupil Jan’s sangfroid allied to Talita’s (Year 11) reminders about the top batten and sitting well forward ensured consistent top-level places.  Meanwhile, Sailing Captain, Sam, was battling away with the Dollar Academy Quba sailor who were level-pegging each other and streets ahead of the other Quba sailors.

All the forecasts were unanimous about decent wind on Sunday, so it was disappointing to have to abandon the first race due to no wind but when the wind kicked in, we had 4 excellent races on the Sunday with the Bishop Heber team, scoring an excellent set of results in the Argo but Jan & Talita’s scoreline from Saturday stood them in good stead and despite not getting a single 1st place on Sunday, still were leading the fleet overall.  In these stronger winds, Sam’s experience took him to the front and he scored 4 bullets.   Meanwhile, Toby (Year 9) who had transferred to sailing a Quba on the Sunday for his mixed team, scored a series of 3rd places – if only he had sailed a Quba on Saturday then he too might have come home with a trophy for 3rd place.

Sedbergh Sailing Win National Title 1
Sedbergh Sailing Team Win National Title

After 18 months of little CCF activity and the current Covid cases in schools, it was not surprising that two schools pulled out at the last minute and that many of the sailors were a little rusty.  While this year the entries were predominantly from the Midlands, North and Scotland there was great racing.  Next year’s national regatta is scheduled to be at Plymouth and we hope to continue to hold on to the National trophy!!

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