From Saturday 11th - Sunday 12th January 3rd year Marine Technology with Composites student Ted Blowers competed in the Winter Match Racing Event at the Weymouth and Portland National Sailing Academy (WPNSA).
Ted competed alongside two students from Southampton in the first match racing event of the year. The team raced against teams from across the country, from as far as Scotland. Unis such as Bath, Exeter and Southampton were represented. High winds were forecast for most of the weekend so it was some trepidation that the eight teams headed out in to Portland Harbour in winds of around 30 knots but it wasn’t long before racing was underway.
“With high winds forecast there was no certainty we would race this weekend but it was great that we were able to give the sailors the chance to race in such strong winds as its not often you get to race in 30+ knots of breeze. I was really impressed not only with how they coped with the conditions but also that the level of the racing was so high with teams still chasing after any advantage they could.”
Jack Fenwick, RYA Keelboat Development Manager
After the first day of competition the fleet was tight, at the top was Ted with a win ration of 100%. This was quickly removed after the first set of races where Ted suffered his first loss, although was not enough to deny him a space in the semi finals. The semi finals and finals continued in much the same way with Ted being dominant, winning every race.
“Our weekend was good. We were one of the lighter teams so it was good to go out and test ourselves in the heavier breeze. The racing was of a good standard, we only lost one race but all of the races were close so it was good to start the year with a win and hopefully we will continue that in to Winter Match Racing 2 and beyond.”
Ted Blowers, 3rd Year Marine Technology with Composites student
The event is part of a series which aims to allow crews to develop their skills before the BUCS Match Racing Finals in April.
"This was a fantastic result for ted and perfect preparation for his upcoming World Championships campaign as well as the BUCS Match Racing Championships later on in the year"
Joe White, UPSPC Commodore
Ted Blowers will be representing GBR at the upcoming Youth Match Racing World Championships in Auckland, NZ.