The National Scorpion Association organises racing events and events to promote the class every year. The Silver Scorpion Travellers' series of Open Meetings sponsored by CraftInsure are spread over the season and over the country. The annual highlight is the National Championships, which were hosted in 2023 by Eastbourne Sovereign Sailing Club in Sussex. The TCL - Scorpion National Championships 2024 are at Castle Cove SC in Weymouth.
TCL - Scorpion National Championships 2024 in association with Craftinsure at Castle Cove SC, Weymouth, Dorset
The National Scorpion Association would like to welcome TCL as the fleet's headline supporter as we are delighted to announce the TCL – Scorpion National Championships.
TCL is a leading global tech brand in display panels, TV’s, home comfort and mobile devices. Dedicated to improving people’s lives and experiences with innovative technology.
Their products and services aim to solve problems, bring joy to families and friends, and create a safer healthier world. Inspiring and empowering people to pursue greatness in their lives.
We are pleased that TCL will help support the Association's activities, our youth foundation, as we encourage all to sail Scorpions and benefit from a sporting lifestyle, and maybe pursue greatness in our lives, as many of our current and past members have done in their sailing careers.
Despite the best efforts of the Race Officer and his team the light and variable breeze was insufficient to start the 76 boat Scorpion fleet - many fingers were crossed for the following day's forecast easterly arriving as predicted.
Day 2 - Monday
We have been very fortunate to have been lent a beautiful boat to sail our first Scorpion Nationals. Andy and Tess Groves have very kindly lent us The Heart of Gold a beautiful wooden Scorpion.
The first day of racing scheduled was lost due to fickle breeze so today was our first time racing with the Scorpion fleet, being the youngest crew, there were a few nerves, but as the Scorpion fleet run a system called Pro-Ams where the crews are buddied up across the fleet to give those less experience the opportunity to learn from others.
On a beautiful sunny day we set to setting up the boat with the help of our Pros Steven Graham and John Clementson whose help and knowledge was really forthcoming, extremely helpful and very gratefully received!
We launched in glamour Weymouth conditions and headed out of a reasonably long sail to the bay, made longer by having to go back to retrieve Freddie's hat when it went overboard.
Castle Cove SC cadets were out in force, with an amazing 7 cadets competing in various boats, making it really fun event. Once ready we got set up for the practice gate start, after a little bit of confusion, we got some clarification on exactly how it worked we got into the swing of it.
Race 1
13-15kts made for some great racing. From where we were, we didn't necessarily see the front finishing boats, but congratulations to Tom Gillard and Rachael Gray for winning race 1 followed by CCSC's Sam Pascoe and Sam Barker in second and third was Ollie Meadowcroft and Simon Forbes.
Race 2
This saw Tom and Rachael take the send race win, Ollie and Simon took second and third was Matt Burge and Rob Gardner.
Race 3
The wind dropped for the start of race 3 making the gate start much trickier and more need for concentration which we may have been lacking at this point, the highlight of the race for Freddie was when I exited the boat having missed the toe straps, this was not found to be the fastest way round the course! Congratulations to those that completed the course without mishap, Ollie and Simon were first, followed by the fabulous Catherine Maguire and Andrea Fellows and third were Sam and Sam meaning CCSC had 3 members in the top three boats in this race!
Following a long leisurely sail back we returned to shore to find that I was in good company and not only I, but three CCSC cadets went for a little dip. Naming no names, James and Ben!
Following racing we had a debrief from Adam Bowers with video and even got a 'beautiful' for our leeward mark rounding, we'll take that!
The evening finished with Pro-Am drinks which was a great opportunity for the Pro and Amateur teams to discuss the days racing, what worked and didn't and how we would tackle tomorrow. Our first experience of a Scorpion Nationals was great. Good fun and the fleet are super helpful and welcoming.
Thank you Scorpions and CCSC, day 2 of the champs but first day of racing complete, looking forward to Tuesday.
Many thanks to the sponsors for the Championships TCL, Craftinsure, Cerne Abbas Brewery, ribs.auction, AJE Asset Management.
Day 3 - Tuesday
A relaxed start to the morning as we knew we would be waiting for wind on the shore. The day started with a packed room listening to an engaging Adam Bowers coaching session. He had us all thinking about our fourth corner, 20 units and the 'fickle finger of fate' (patented).
3 hour postponement and a social experiment of Scorpion sailors mostly fell in to 3 camps... The swimmers... 'its alright once you're in'... the fiddlers... 'I'll break it so I can fix it'... and the chatters... 'tea and lemon drizzle cake?'
D flag was raised and we were released from the beach with a SW 6-8 knots.
Race 4
In the first race the path finder was Pete Grey and Richard Pepperdine and the race was won by 19 yo Joe Warwicker and 63 yo Andy Service (1929). 2nd was Pete and Rich and 3rd was Tom Gillard and Rachel Grey. From our point of view the racing was really tight with big shifts and limited pressure. Huge gains were not the order of the day, it was all about boat speed, handling, eyes on the shifts and having fun! We finished 11th to find that we were going to be the pathfinder for race 5.
Race 5
This found us nervous about the responsibility to start the race, wine gums helped at one minute into the start and we realised that in reality it was just a port hand flyer. We have no idea how everyone started as we were so focused on sailing steady. Being path finder paid off and we rounded in 3rd! Triangle and a sausage later we finished in a very happy 4th. Joe & Andy in the 34 year old 1929 lead from start to finish with some beautiful sailing in the conditions. 2nd was Pete and Rich (again) and 3rd was Dan Henderson and Amy Clay.
We loved 1927 Chloe and Al Clarke who crossed us on starboard up the beat with huge smiles on their faces. Its Chloe's first nationals and sailing with her talented Dad!
Other notable performances from the day. Sam Mason who chose to sail with Mum today! A great score card with an 18th and a 14th. Moving up the standings from yesterday.
We had great day...we raced, it was sunny, we had fun, drank prosecco; THE END.
Many thanks to all the sponsors for this Championship: TCL, Craftinsure, Cerne Abbas Brewery, AJE Asset Management Ltd and Ribs.Auction. And huge thanks to Lee @photolounge for all the Photgraphy and Video footage and to Adam Bowers for the coaching insights he's giving across the fleet and in his coaching sessions.
Day 4 - Wednesday
Greetings from the back of the fleet! Here's the latest update from the underdogs of the Scorpion Fleet, also known as the bronze fleet.
Delays and Postponements
The morning saw expectations of an early start with the potential for three races, but these hopes evaporated under the blazing Weybiza (Weymouth) sun. This gave us the opportunity to watch some of the Olympics, enjoy a swim and hold a lunchtime AGM where we heard about the impressive progress of the Scorpion Fleet as a class. A three-hour postponement took us to a 2 PM release and a 2:55 PM planned warning signal.
Race 6 Recap
By the time racing commenced the wind was a light yet steady 5-6 knots, which for us means just a mild lean. From our vantage point at the back, it was a distant view of the leaders:
1. 2057 - Tom Gillard and Rach Gray 2. 2051 - Ollie Meadowcroft and Simon Forbes 3. 2062 - Sam Pascoe and Sam Barker
Unfortunately, the wind died right off resulting in Race 7 being postponed to Thursday (fingers crossed).
Coaching
Once off the water and changed, we had yet another marvellous coaching session for the fleet from Adam Bowers, covering various hints and tips for light wind sailing, including roll tacks, with video demonstrations from Tom and Rach.
These sessions have been invaluable to us, and our improvements have largely been due to them and the help we've received from other more experienced sailors in the fleet who have been kind enough to take the time to look at our setup and help us make numerous modifications to Polycrooz.
Post-Race Festivities
The real excitement began with the evening's games night. The competition was fierce, and the camaraderie even fiercer!
Despite her prowess on the water, Rachael Gray's team lost out on first place due to her balloon knot-tying abilities, much to everyone's surprise! And John Tailby (AKA King of String) lost against his opponent in the boat winding race, which also provided some giggles amongst friends.
Team 5 (Richard Haines, Zoe Grant, Janet Richie, Lauren Wills, Rob and Mandy Morsley) won overall due to their well-thought-out strategies, despite a couple of teammates struggling to stay on their feet, with Janet Richie facing minor injury!
Conclusion
While the racing part of the day had its ups and downs, the post-race activities highlighted the spirit of the fleet - competitive yet filled with camaraderie and fun. Here's to more days of great sailing and unforgettable nights!
Day 5 - Thursday
Hello from 1052, amazingly, not the oldest boat in the fleet at this Nationals at 54 years old! We think its great that old boats can still be competitive which helps to create closeness of racing all the way through the fleet.
Anyway, onto the business of our Day 5 report. So here's a vintage boat's perspective from deep in the melée of mid fleet racing...
The prelude
A serious physical test. A tough mental battle. And only one winner. We are of course talking about the epic games night, kindly organised by Sam Pascoe which we are all recovering from today! Another scorcher with flat calm greeting the early risers. We've not been blessed with big breeze this week but the first sunlight has been welcome for a vitamin D deficient Northerner! So as well as being a cracking champs, it has also been a holiday with beaches either side of the club. Castle Cove; you are blessed!
As we waited for the rumoured South Westerly breeze to arrive (we're never sure where these rumours start!) the usual build up ensued. We were blessed again with some incredible coaching from Adam Bowers. This has been an absolute godsend and really has offered food for thought to most of the fleet. Today's focus was rules - the result being a newfound revival of the word "protested" heard across the bay!
The racing
Going into the day, it was all to play for across the fleet, with 1 point seperating the leaders and several boats very much in the running. The 6 races held previously meant this would be the deciding day and the final opportunity. In summary, there were some big shifts, the left side of the course paid and it was going to be a sweaty one!
Race 7
We got underway with a light South Westerly and after 1 general recall due to a huge shift as the gate boat set off.
Those who went early did well but those who kept all the way left and ended up overstood had to deal with some serious mayhem at the first mark. What seemed like the first strong tide of the week caught everyone off guard with most of the fleet sat pinching and rafting with a chorus of shouting ringing out across the harbour. Port layers like us had a torrid time trying to get round and it's fair to say that spending time getting to know the marks up close and personal does you no favours...
Despite all the chaos, it was Gilly and Rach who rounded first and went on to extend and take the win. This ultimately put the pressure on the rest of the fleet and things were starting to look ominous! 2nd and 3rd went to Matt Burge/Rob Gardner and Angus/Fraser Hemmings respectively.
Race 8
This race got away cleanly with light breeze at times. It was Joe Warwicker and Andy Service in 1929 who managed to sneak ahead by the windward mark and extended their lead quite impressively. This result has landed them third overall so a great sign that old wooden boats are fast.
2nd was Gilly and Rach who at this time had won the event with a race to spare. And coming in 3rd were Matt Burge and Rob Gardner.
Race 9
After another abandoned start, the fleet eventually got away cleanly. And finally, we had some champagne conditions. The last reaches finally saw scorpions in their natural environment (3 sails, bows up and flying along).
It was Matt Burge and Rob Gardner who got an absolute flyer off the line going early and were seen reaching into the windward mark on port. They simply extended from here for a well deserved first win of the event. 2nd were Joe Warwicker and Andy Service, wrapping up a great event for the Very Vintage wooden 1929 and 3rd Pete and Rich.
All the hard graft was worth it for the post sail cold beer and pasty/samosa/snack - it shouldn't be a key reason we love the Scorpion Nationals but it's always a great touch.
The big one: the final night festivities and the Scorpions legendary fancy dress (Olympic themed).
The amazing social programme put together for this event has been building nicely towards a big finale. Rumour has it, our fleet's reputation for drinking clubs dry had the bar team making last minute additions to their usual order. Did the fleet see this as a challenge? Absolutely! And if fancy dress, drinking or Dad dancing were Olympic events, the Scorpion fleet would have some serious medal contenders.
If Team GB are looking for inspiration, then look no further than the effort put into our Olympic themed fancy dress party which is well underway at the time of writing. The outfits, clearly inspired by a lot of Olympics being broadcast on the big screen during our delays throughout the week. Who will win the coveted Peaches of Pennine costume trophy, we are yet to see...
We've already had the appearance of the Jamaican Bobsleigh Team, a candlelit dinner of Olympic torches and representation from every sport under the sun (though we've not seen any slightly smelly sailing fancy dress funnily enough...)
This will hopefully be an epic party and is always the most fantastic way to have a huge send off for what has been an amazing event. So a huge thank you to the organisers and Castle Cove for an excellent programme of racing and socials alike.
