REPORT ON AJAX NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP 1988
The AJAX 23 One Design National Championship, held over the weekend of 15-16 July 1988, was sailed over Olympic-type courses laid in Carrick Roads and most skillfully conducted by the Port of Falmouth Sailing Association.
Force 5 winds and spring tides provided brisk and interesting conditions for the 15 boats competing that included three from the Royal Harwich Y.C.
All four races produced the usual close finishes after two hours of exciting racing during which the leading boats exchanged places on nearly every lap of the course. Nine different boats got a gun for one of the first three places in at least one of the races;
Sandpiper, based at St. Just-in-Roseland, owned and sailed by Alan Smith of Dorchester, emerged as the clear winner of the Championship with two first and two second places. The 2nd, 3rd and 4th places were filled by the boats from Harwich with only 1 3/4 points separating them, the third place being decided on a tie breaker. The next five places were each separated by no more than 1 3/4 total points; you cannot get a much closer result than that!
An excellent buffet supper at the St. Mawes Sailing Club on the Saturday evening provided the opportunity for skippers to explain how they had been robbed of victory, and their crews to say why, and rounded oft the hardest fought-out championship of recent years. After several skirmishes at local regattas over the next three weeks, battle will recommence at the South West Championship to be held in conjunction with Falmouth Week from Sunday 7th to Saturday 13th August.
PLACES & POINTS TABLE
BOAT NAME NO. OWNER (SKIPPER) TOTAL PLACE
SANDPIPER 49 ALAN SMITH 3.5 1
SNOW600SE 55 TOM WRINCH 10.75 2
MERLIN 39 GEORGE JOSSELYN 12 3
WIDGEON 57 MIKE AKEHURST 12 4
POLYPHEMUS 40 (NORMAN DOUGLASS) 14.75 5
SAMAKI 28 GLENN LITHERLAND 16 6
ACHILLES 48 JOHN TOWNSHEND 17 7
INTERIM 19 J0HN DOUGLASS 18 8