York’s sailing first team put in one of their best performances in recent years to finish third in the annual ‘Angel of the North’ event. Hosted by Durham and Newcastle universities, ‘Angel of the North’ was held over the weekend of the 3rd and 4th of November and, being York’s first competition of the season, proved how well the team are progressing.
Representing York were Matt Goacher, Jo Bradley, Sam Edom, Annie Brough, Dan Pingstone and George Fuest. The team’s efforts meant they finished level with winners Durham Dambuster and only missed out on the title due to a points countback.
Saturday morning delivered cold drizzle but ideal wind conditions as York kicked off the full round robin with races against Newcastle seconds followed by Newcastle firsts. A perfect 1, 2, 3 combination in the first race provided the confidence to execute another straightforward win against their firsts. Further wins over Durham Red and the Durham Dambuster alumni team meant that York topped the leaderboard.
Dan and George were particularly impressive as the new partnership worked together well to deliver excellent speed and tactical moves. After lunch, the team suffered a setback with disappointing defeats to both Manchester firsts and seconds, while Liverpool firsts showed better speed off the startline, giving little opportunity to pull the match back.
York soon found their form again to complete the Newcastle clean sweep by beating their Old Boys in a race where superior knowledge proved decisive, particularly from Sam and Annie. The day was finished with a solid win over Liverpool seconds to cement qualification for the Gold Fleet in third place.
A slow start to Sunday morning suited many, as the wind took its time to materialise. When racing did get underway, York again flew out of the blocks with wins over Durham Red and Newcastle Old Boys. Matt and Jo were most at home in the light and flukey conditions, often taking one of the all-important positions at the forefront of the race.
This continued into the match against overnight leaders, Liverpool firsts, with the team determined to overturn the defeat from Saturday. Superior starting tactics gave York the upper hand which was held throughout the race, resisting significant pressure from Liverpool firsts up the final leg of the course to claim the victory.
A narrow loss to the Dambusters in the final race meant that Liverpool firsts and York joined them on a 75 per cent win ratio, and also tied on head-to-head victories. On countback of points, the Dambusters won the Angel of the North, with York finishing third.
This acts as fantastic starting point for the season as many top teams were beaten overall. For the team to finish level with Liverpool firsts, the 2012 Northern Champions, is a great sign that York pose a serious threat this year.