National 12 Dinghy Shack National Series 2024 - Overall
by Graham Camm 17 Nov 2024 20:06 UTC
Overall winners Graham and Blue Camm with Tom Stewart presenting the prizes for the Dinghy Shack National Series © Tom Stewart
A grand total of 44 N12s took part in the Dinghy Shack 2024 Series which consisted of seven events spread throughout the year. The competitors came from clubs spanning the country from Salcombe in the West to Royal Tay and Loch Tummel in Scotland and Harwich in the East.
Congratulations to Graham & Blue Camm (3530) who won the 2024 Dinghy Shack Trophy and also the subsidiary Family series. Jon Ibbotson sailing with three different crews; Isobel Stewart, Rhona Enkel and Felix Camm (3540) took second whilst Zoe Meadowcroft and Zoe Ballantyne (3471) came third overall. Zoe and Zoe also won the subsidiary Youth prize whilst Rob and Harley Ford (3459) were victorious in the Non-Foiler series.
The Dinghy Shack National Series started early in the year with the first event on the 6th Jan run as part of the Bloody Mary Pursuit Race hosted by Queen Mary SC. The conditions leading up to the event had been pretty inclement with gales and persistent rain for weeks before.
The weather gods smiled on the event however and when Saturday morning started the rain cleared and a perfect force 3 filled in with a balmy 6 degrees. Graham & Blue Camm won with George Finch & Toby Hunt (3551) second and Matt & Kerry Flynn (3360) third.
The second Dinghy Shack event was held in Salcombe over the first May Bank Holiday weekend and once again Graham & Blue Camm struck gold by winning all 4 races. Jon Ibbotson crewed by Isobel Stewart took second whilst Zoe Meadowcroft & Zoe Ballantyne came third.
The third Dinghy Shack event of 2024 took the fleet to Shoreham Sailing Club in June where the National 12s raced as part of the Festival of the Sea. The results mirrored the previous event with Graham & Blue in first, Jon and Isobel second and Zoe & Zoe in third - not letting the other competitors have a look in!
For the fourth Dinghy Shack Event, the N12 fleet joined in the annual Smugglers' Trophy at Royal Harwich Yacht Club over the weekend of 6th & 7th July. Unseasonable weather including too much rain and some strong gusts greeted the 12 National 12s who had turned up for the weekend. The weather didn't put off the 12 sailors as this was the biggest turnout of the year so far. It also saw some new names come into the mix. Sailing in his first Dinghy Shack event of the year, Tom Stewart crewed by Rhona Enkel (3544) won the meeting with a convincing set of 6 firsts. Graham & Blue Camm were second followed by Chris & Nicole Mayhew (3437) in third.
The fifth event of the year was held at the first weekend of North West Norfolk Week at Snettisham Beach S.C. Three new boats crept into the results with Ian & Alex Gore (3525) winning the event, Nick Copsey & Neal Piper (3548) in second and Stevie & Joanne Sallis (3531) in third place.
A month later in August, the fleet headed to Felixstowe Ferry for the N12 National Championships for the headline Dinghy Shack event of the year. A hotly contested event, it all went down to the wire on the last day with Tom & Isobel Stewart taking the bullet for the Championship. Ollie Meadowcroft & Helen Hilditch (3543) made a great impression in their first Dinghy Shack event by coming second and Graham & Blue Camm coming third.
The seventh and final event of the year was hosted by Northampton Sailing Club. Despite the light and drizzly forecast, 24 boats travelled great distances to take part in the N12 Inland Championships. With the forecast being spot on, the light winds offered challenging conditions. Graham & Blue Camm's consistency throughout the whole series prevailed with them winning the final title. Suited to the light winds, Mark & Jonathan Addison (3515) were second with Jon Ibbotson and Felix Camm in third place.
Our thanks go to Dinghy Shack who have sponsored the N12 National Series.
Overall Results:
1st - 3530 - Graham Camm & Blue Camm
2nd - 3540 - Jon Ibbotson & Isobel Stewart, Rhona Enkel and Felix Camm
3rd - 3471 - Zoe Meadowcroft & Zoe Ballantyne
4th - 3459 - Rob Ford & Harley Ford
5th - 3501 - Robert Stewart & Charlotte Stewart
Family Results:
1st - 3530 - Graham Camm & Blue Camm
2nd - 3459 - Rob Ford & Harley Ford
3rd - 3515 - Mark Addison & Jonathan Addison
4th - 3501 - Robert Stewart & Charlotte Stewart
5th - 3518 - Tom Evans & Fred Evans
Youth Results:
1st - 3471 - Zoe Meadowcroft & Zoe Ballantyne
2nd - 3501 - Robert Stewart & Charlotte Stewart
3rd - 3433/3429 - Tre Jacobs & Lyla Jacobs
4th - 3484 - Chris Hampshire & Finn
5th - 3543 - Ollie Meadowcroft & Helen Hilditch
Non-Foiling Results:
1st - 3459 - Rob Ford & Harley Ford
2nd - 3450 - Richard Williams & Stella Blackwell
3rd - 3433 - Tre Jacobs & Lyla Jacobs
4th - 3360 - -Matt Flynn & Kerry Flynn
5th - 3489 - Steve Burgoine & Austin Burgoine