Budworth Open & NW Championship

Budworth, UK, September 15, 2019

Report by Mark Antonelli

In the heart of rural Cheshire, Budworth Sailing Club hosted the SCIRA NW Championship where 22 competitors from the far Northern isles of Orkney to the southern corners of Devon & Kent.

Having won the first race, locals Mark and Tracy Antonelli in race two having gained an 80 boat length lead had it whittled away by Peter Wolstenholme and Sian Baird ending in a scrap for the line separated by a few centimetres. The 10 knots breeze held for the third race when Eric and daughter Eve Paalman stuck out form the start with hot on their transom Ian and daughter Charlotte Knight, the rest of the fleet lay in their wake as the two crews extended their lead to just short of a country mile by the finish.

Day two: The rain and flat calm dried up and filled in with 7knot by the start of the first of the day (race 4). Matthew Wolstenholme with Lloyd Roberts found their form leading to the finish from Richard and daughter Bonnie Marshall. The pressure built nicely to a more interesting 14 knots. After three winners from four races, it was Ian Gregory with first time Snipe crew George Holbrook who gained the lead on the final run as they benefited from a cheeky band of pressure that bypassed the three vying Snipes for the front. Antonellis took an ill-conceived tack having rounded the final mark in second let though the Paalmans as well as Ian and son Callum Marshall who pipped them for third on the line.

Wolstenholme & Roberts fuelled with Northern Pies for lunch popped out of the port end of the line of race 6 into higher pressure making the first mark in the lead which they held the whole race with the Paalmans marking up a consecutive second place.

Clean away at the second start the final race, Richard and Bonnie took an early lead that they held to the finish as the breeze of the day dropped steadily to a gentle 6 knots. Antonellis in fifth headed for pressure on the right of the final beat whilst those ahead went left. The final throw of the dice fell in favour of Antonelli who pulled up three places to take second but fell short by one point to the overall winners Wolstenholme / Roberts.

More than half of the crews were family partnerships which is a great characteristic of the Snipe fleet in the UK.

Sail No.	Helm	Crew	Club	Race 1	Race 2	Race 3	Race 4	Race 5	Race 6	Race 7	Total	Discard	Total Points	Position
28541	Matthew Wolstenholme	Lloyd Roberts	Bough Beach SC	4	9	3	1	7	1	4	29	9	20	1
30226	Mark Antonelli	Tracy Antonelli	Budworth SC	1	1	9	4	4	10	2	31	10	21	2
29970	Richard Marshall	Bonnie Marshall	Blackwater YC	5	3	5	2	6	6	1	28	6	22	3
30757	Peter Wolstenhome	Sian Baird	Bough Beach SC	2	2	4	5	5	DNF	5	23	24	-1	5
30834	Eric Paalman	Eve Paalman	Budworth SC	6	6	1	7	2	2	9	33	9	24	4
29164	Ian Knight	Charlotte Knight	Budworth SC	9	7	2	3	15	5	13	54	15	39	6
30617	Phil Hackney	Emma Hackney	Budworth SC	8	4	8	8	14	4	14	60	14	46	7
28451	Ian Gregory	George Holbrook	Bough Beach SC	13	10	19	9	1	8	6	66	19	47	8
30227	James Prestwich	Miles Buckley	Budworth SC	3	8	10	12	9	7	12	61	12	49	10
30315	Brian Gregory	Diana Gregory	Bough Beach SC	10	18	16	11	11	14	7	87	18	53	14
26734	Nigel Harrison	Andrew Fullard	Budworth SC	7	12	14	13	8	3	18	75	18	57	11
29501	Iain Marshall	Callum Marshall	Blackwater YC	DNC	DNC	7	6	3	15	3	34	24	10	9
28276	Will Williams	Steve Williams	Budworth SC	12	5	11	15	10	9	15	77	15	62	12
29611	Sue Roberts	Steve Roberts	Bough Beach SC	11	13	6	10	12	16	DNF	68	24	44	13
28385	Liz Pike	Thomas Pike	Teign Corinthian	14	24	15	14	16	12	8	103	24	79	15
29677	Katheryn Alexander	David Alexander	Budworth SC	17	19	21	16	13	11	16	113	21	92	16
30774	Malcolm Tipler	Iso Tipler	Stromness SC	16	16	17	20	19	17	10	115	20	95	17
29538	Robin Mister	Gary Thompson	Budworth SC	18	20	13	18	17	20	11	117	20	97	18
29190	Bernice Hulme	James Alexander	Budworth SC	19	15	17	17	21	18	19	126	21	105	20
26996	Ross Baird	Matthew Baid	Budworth SC	20	14	18	19	20	19	17	127	20	107	21
30881	Roland Antonelli	Pauline Penny	Budworth SC	15	11	12	dnc	dnc	dnc	dnc	38	24	14	19
29834	Dave Leyland	Mark Williams	Budworth SC	24	21	20	21	18	21	20	145	21	124	22
30441	David Whittaker	Will Ainscough	Budworth SC	24	17	24	dnc	dnc	dnc	dnc	65	24	41	23