With the 2014 Hurricane Nationals less than a week away this year’s event is   shaping up to be one of the best and most competitive for years. Pre entries   currently stand at 35 which are the highest since 2005.     The event is being hosted by Harwich Town sailing club who last hosted the   event in 2005 and although the club is not recognised as a major regatta   event the view is taken that when they host an event they make sure they host   a good one. The Club have the added advantage of Andy Webb, class builder and   long-time supporter being involved, as it is his home club, to ensure that the hurricanes are well looked after.

And so to the list of potential front runners based on this season results.     John Ready and Henry Siefert. Current 2013 National Champion and 2014 Inland   Champion. John is the Tigger on speed of the fleet and is always willing to   share tips and settings to assist moving people up the fleet. John is quick   when the chances go his way

John Tuckwell and   Chelsea Furber. Winners of the Datchet and Bala open meetings. John long term   support of the Hurricane and is here due to the length of time in the class.   Has certainly found speed sailing with his step daughter Chelsea Furber who   has only been in the class for two years previous sailing toppers. Good at   Inland events where they can smell out the shifts but will struggle in sea   conditions.     Kevin and Trevor Bawden. As brothers who have campaigned their own boats they   have both come together for this season and have proved to be quick. Kevin   won the Canvey open meeting and 3rd at the Stone event. Both have substantial   experience in the class and as brothers will gel as a crew it will just   depend if they do not get too phased out by the event.     Richard and Chris Hanmore. Another long-term Hurricane sailors with Richard a   previous National Champion as both helm and crew. This year Richard is also   sailing with his brother Chris again long time super crew. Both showed speed   at the Stone event which was their first outing this year finishing second.   Richie is quick on any given day and in any given conditions and with brother   Chris who is a steadying influence this is a strong pairing     Jack Tindale and Hugo Bull. Another new pairing for this season and their   first event was the Stone event which they won 5 of the 6 races against a   very competitive fleet. Jack has the Tindale DNA in his blood which has been   passed down from his father Geoff and for whom he regularly crewed for. Both   have substantial event experience but will they have the speed on the day??

And then there are the stalking horses, the ones that the fleet need to be   afraid, very afraid of.  Andy Webb and Paul Gray.   Andy is the Yoda, the Guru of the fleet. Hurricane   sailors in dinghy parks all over the UK still speak of Andy’s tuning tips in   hushed tones. Paul makes an art of sledging the competitors, the Australian   cricket team would lean a lot from Paul and his on and off the water   comments. Last time Andy and Paul sailed together was in 2010 when they   battled against the three sailed boats in the old two sail mode and still   ended up 3rd. This year they do have the advantage of the extra sail so with   this and the year and years of experience it would be a brave man not to bet   against this pair.

Grant and Adam Piggott. Grant is multi F18 winner and the pinup for NACRA in   the UK. He is sailing with is son Adam who has taken a break as professional   crew on the GC32 catamaran series. Need we say more??? As father and son both   and enormous amounts of experience that they can draw on, it will just depend   if they can sail together and not be affected by father / son bonding and the   barrage of sledging. They just happened to be in the area for a wedding is   their excuse for attending the event but clearly they could not resist   resuming old east coast rivalries.

Neil Connelly and Dave Wood. Neil another multi-winner Hurricane sailor who   has made a return for a last chance of glory. Sailing with Dave Wood who will   no doubt provide the engine around the boat all Neil needs to do is steer in   the right direction. This is a strong pairing, it will just depend on Neil   body holding up including his back and knees during the event. Neil may end   up writing cheques his body may not be able to cash.

These are only 7 teams which may be in with a shout. No mention has been made   of the teams from Thorpe Bay including Nick Elmore sailing with is son or the   Palmer brothers and the other 4 boats. This does not include the Starcross   sisterhood which includes the evergreen John Donavan and the other 3 boats or   Stone Massive all of whom have been practising and all have the potential of   producing results on the day.

 

One noticeable change in the fleet is the increase of father and son/daughter   teams and the mixed teams. This is evidenced by Nick Moore and Oliver who   have shown good speed at opens. Long standing helms are now sailing with   younger fitter crews as seen with Geoff Tindale who is sailing with Johnny   Van Ingen and class chairman sailing Andy Bedford sailing with Arthur Brooks,   both are new crews this season. This influx of youth in the fleet have  assisted some of the older sailors and has made evenings a little more   entertaining rather than just sitting around talking about former glories.     The hurricane fleet is going through a mini resurgence helped by the value of   money that a boat can be purchased for, competitive sailing and strong   support from sailors within the fleet creating good atmosphere both on and   off the water.

As with all major events this would not happen without the support of the   class sponsors, Insurance4dinghies by Towergate, Andark, Typhoon and A W   Sailboats.     Given the interest the F18 worlds generated when hosted in Ireland this   year’s Hurricane Nationals are shaping up to generate just as much interest   within the UK catamaran community and beyond.

Hurricane Pre event   write up – also posted on Yachts and Yachting   and face book

By John Tuckwell

Hurricane Nationals – Pre Event Write Up

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