West Riding Sailing Club, Wakefield, Yorkshire

West Riding Sailing Club hosted the Streaker Northerns at Wintersett reservoir over the Bank Holiday weekend. Unfortunately the Met. Office was spot on for once, and the forecast put off a number of people and others didn't unpack after they'd arrived. As it was, 14 boats actually took to the water for the first race in a shifty force 4 gusting 5.

Dave Butler was first to the windward mark closely followed by Steve Cockerill, Tom Gillard and Ian Bradley. Gillard and Bradley sailed themselves off to one side while Cockerill and Butler slipped away to the next mark. From then on it was Cockerill's race, with Gillard second and Bradley and Butler scrapping for third with Butler eventually triumphant.

In race two Cockerill quickly built up a commanding lead followed by Gillard and Bradley but unfortunately hadn't noted the change of course, letting most of the fleet get ahead of him. He spent the rest of the race working his way through the fleet but couldn't quite catch up to Gillard. Bradley came third with Butler fourth.

The evening saw live music, food and frivolity for all - except for Mr. C who slept through it all!

Day 2 dawned bright and breezy with a force five to six which was just as shifty and gusty as the previous day. Many decided that spectating was the order of the day and stayed firmly ashore. Of the seven boats that got to the start line for the third race only five survived the race. Steve Cockerill gained his second bullet from Gillard who was closing on him, followed by Bradley, Cogill and Robin Wright.

During lunch competitors watched the wind rise, the occasional gust of force seven or even eight causing trepidation. Race four saw the five finishers from the previous race back at the start line. Cockerill and Bradley broke away with Gillard in hot pursuit. As the leaders caught up with the back of the Regatta fleet, Gillard took second place as Bradley was sailed off into the shallows by an RS200, which cost him 400m. Wright took fourth with Cogill fifth.

The first three places were now decided. Cockerill decided to pack for the long journey home leaving the final four to sail for "fun" and to decide fourth and fifth places. In the event neither Cogill nor Wright could recover from pre-start capsizes, so Gillard and Bradley thrashed around the course by themselves, finishing in that order.

Thus congratulations are due to Steve Cockerill who has added Streaker Northern Champion 2008 to his National title.

Helm                Sail no.   Club                    1       2       3       4       5       Pts       Posn

Steve Cockerill   1657        Stokes Bay          1       2       1       1       15      5          1

Tom Gillard        1581        Sheffield Viking     2       1       2       2       1       6          2

Ian Bradley        1619        Ouse Amateur      4       3       3       3       2       11         3

Peter Coghill      1354        Rotherham           5       6       4       5       15      20         4

Robin Wright     1500        Rotherham           11      7       5       4       15      27         5