1DL Landyachting Autumn Cup at Portland Sailing Academy
by Matt Curthoys 22 Sep 2002 10:14 BST
Photos © Mark Jardine/Emma Holloway
Windward mark roundings
...and collisions!
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After an absence of nearly 2 years the 1DL Radio Controlled Landyacht Circuit re-started at the Weymouth and Portland Sailing Academy on the 21st September. Six teams took part with a guest appearance by some of the crew of Maiden 2 fresh from their Cowes-St Malo record trip. Light winds made the going slow for the 18 foot skiffs and the National Match racing yachts but the 1DL’s happily zipped round at up to 20 miles an hour.
On a short windward/leeward course a few practice races were held before the start of the main event to get everyone back into the swing of things. Yachts and Yachting online editor Mark Jardine showed incredible upwind speed, with the other teams quickly trying to adjust their rig to match.
Using a two lap races of approx. 2 minute duration, a 10 race series was conducted with no discards. Mark showed his early form, winning the first 3 races with Kevin George of North Sails and Ilbruck navigator Ian Moore fighting for the next spot. The Maiden II team, consisting of Helena Darvelid, Paul Larsen and Fraser Brown were still getting to grips with the pace and agility of the 1DLs. They commented on the fact that the 1DL was the complete opposite in size to the 110’ catamaran Maiden 2, but very similar in speed!
Towards the end of the series the light 6-8 knot wind died away to leave some large holes on the race course. These holes in the breeze, and the steady improvement of the Maiden team allowed them to fight back with a couple of close finishes with Matt Curthoys and Emily Moorman.
In the end Marks’ superior upwind speed allowed him to take the series from Kevin and Emily. Thanks to the Weymouth and Portland Sailing Academy for the use of their car park and to the band of spectators who cheered on the helms (and ran to help right the 1DL’s in the case of a capsizes!).
Go to the 1DL page for more photos.
Overall Results:
| Pos | Helm | Boat Name | R1 | R2 | R3 | R4 | R5 | R6 | R7 | R8 | R9 | R10 | Pts |
|---|
| 1 | Mark Jardine | YachtsandYachting.com | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 20 |
| 2 | Kevin George | North Sails | 2 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 6 | 1 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 26 |
| 3 | Emily Moorman | | 5 | 5 | 4 | 2 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 35 |
| 4 | Ian Moore | 1DL | 3 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 1 | 40 |
| 5 | Matt Curthoys | | 4 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 6 | 4 | 4 | 41 |
| 6 | Helena Darvelid, Paul Larsen, Fraser Brown | Maiden II | 6 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 6 | 3 | 5 | 3 | 49 |