South West Cup – Marazion – 9 to 11 Apr 2004

Record turn out
Marazion attracted a record turnout of over 120 competitors this year. With over 80 Formulas in total, there was plenty of hot action on the start line! This is yet another sign that windsurfing and racing in particular are becoming increasingly popular in the UK. The pre-event training organised by the RYA was also very well attended with 40 people eager to improve their racing skills. Even the coaches were surprised to be in such demand!

Day 1 – 2 starts but no races completed
It was typical that the wind was fantastic for the training before the event and decided to drop on the first day of official racing. Never mind, the sunshine was glorious and St Michael’s Mount was a beautiful backdrop to the action on the water. Race officer Jay tried hard to get a race in for Formula. Two starts were given but the fickle wind caused both races to be abandoned.

Day 2 – Who’s hot and who’s not
The South West Cup was the first significant event on the UK racing calendar. It’s always interesting to see the new hierarchy amongst top racers after the winter break. Day 2 proved better than day 1 with four races for Formula. Race 1 was won in style by Keith Atkinson ahead of Jamie Lever. Keith has improved dramatically over the winter with training in Egypt, France and also Weymouth with the British Squad. Jamie won the following 3 races with great speed in the shifty offshore winds. He showed that the he’s now fully recovered from back injury.

Alan finished the day in third place. Although Alan won the Formula series last year, he hadn’t sailed a Formula board all winter so it didn’t take him long to get back up to speed during the Squad training at Weymouth the week before. Hot on his heels in 4th place was Xavier Ferlet. Xav beat Alan in the first and the last races after some pure speed battles on the reaches but Alan had more consistent overall results.

Sam Bromley overcame difficult personal circumstances to race with us this weekend. He was rewarded with 5th place overall and a fantastic 2nd place in race 3. Well done Sam! Just behind Sam was Dan Ellis in 6th place overall. Dan doesn’t like light winds but he should soon be back to the form he showed at the last Worlds.

Christine beat most blokes!
Christine Johnston, current Formula Windsurfing World champion beat most of the blokes by finishing 9th in the top fleet of 62. Lucy Horwood, just like boyfriend Dan, didn’t like the light wind conditions but she still finished in the top half. Not far behind was Amy Carter who showed that determination is more important than size or experience for performance.

Day 3 – No wind!
Dan was first out to gauge the conditions but he didn’t even attempt to plane. Xav followed soon, thinking that his lighter frame would get him going but to no avail. Racing was called off at mid day and day 2 results stood unchanged.

Formula Ladies
1. Christine Johnston
2. Lucy Horwood
3. Amy Carter

Top 10 Formula Men
1. Jamie Lever
2. Keith Atkinson
3. Alan Jackson
4. Xavier Ferlet
5. Sam Bromley
6. Dan Ellis
7. Guy Solven
8. Nick Deverell
9. David McKinnes
10. Matt Barnes

Xavier Ferlet.
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