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The RS400 associations e-Newsletter		Issue 02
RS400 Breaking News... The RS Ball 2006 and Gul Sprint Championships take place on the 4th November 117 boats took part in this years Fat Face Circuit 60 boats travelled to Mounts Bay for this years nationals 31 boats take part in the Irish National Championships 51 RS400's take part at the Inland Championships
Welcome Welcome to the second addition of RS400 Sailing Today, the new planned regular e-newsletter from the RS400 Owners Club. In this second issue we have: RS400 Sailors Excel at Endeavour Draft RS400 Circuit 2007 Review on Roosters Aqua Pro gloves RS400 Fat Face Circuit Final Results RS400 Nationals 2007 Nationals Seminar with Nick Craig Nationals Seminar notes from Paul Hilliar 2006 Eurocup - Riva del Garda 3 different views on the 2006 Nationals	2006 RS400 National Champions, Inland Champions and Endeavour Trophy Winners!!
Its been a great season for the RS400's with 117 boats taking part over the season in the Fat Face Circuit. With 60 entries at the Nationals and 51 at the recent Inlands the class is looking strong. Congratulations to Nick Craig and James Stewart who have recently added both  the Inland Championships and the Endeavour trophy to their National Championship win !! Thanks to  fotoboat, Paul Wyeth Marine Photography and Photolounge for allowing us to include pictures included within this newsletter. Check out www.fotoboat.com , www.pwpictures.com  and www.photolounge.co.uk where you can purchase some great pictures from many of the RS400 events this year. Duncan Ellis duncan.ellis@progressivetechnology.co.uk
RS400 Sailors Excel at Endeavour   Well the RS sailors representing the RS classes at the Endeavour, the Champion of Champions trophy, had a field day last weekend Many congratulations to RS400 National Champions Nick Craig and James Stewart (also a leading RS200 helm) who won the Endeavour. This is the third year in a row that Nick has won the Endeavour, looking at the previous list of winners I believe this is the first time someone has won the Endeavour three years in row. Nick won the Endeavour in 2004 with Keith Bedborogh (an achievement in itself) and in 2005 with James. Second this year were RS200 National Champions Roger and Katrina Gilbert. In 6th place was RS700 National Champion Paul Bayliss being crewed by and dragged round the course by, RS800 star Jane Olive. I am sure you will all want to join me congratulating all concerned on such success.
Draft RS400 Circuit 2007 Below you will find the first draft of the 2007 circuit. Please note that this is a draft and will be confirmed by the 14th December including dates and venues for the Irish Nationals and 2nd Euro event. 10/11 Feb - Winter Championships, Bristol Corinthian YC 3/4 Mar - Dinghy Sailing Show 17/18 Mar - Leigh & Lowton SC, Circuit 31 Mar/1 Apr - Queen Mary SC, Circuit 12/13 May - Weymouth & Portland NSA, Circuit (T.B.C.) 26/27 May - Hayling Island SC, Circuit 9/10 Jun - Stokes Bay SC, Circuit 23/24 Jun - Brixham SC, Circuit 7/8 Jul - Aldeburgh YC, Circuit 23-27 Jul - Travemunde Woche, Eurocup 11/12 Aug - Weston, Circuit (T.B.C.) 20-24 Aug - National Championships, Parkstone YC 15/16 Sep - Irish Nationals, Eurocup 29/30 Sep - Inland Championships Rutland SC
RS700 sailor Matt Humphreys reviews Roosters Aqua Pro Winter Sailing Gloves These are quite simply the best winter sailing gloves that I have come across. My previous experience of winter sailing gloves has been of thick gloves that impede the movement of the fingers and remove the ability to feel the ropes properly. The Rooster Aqua Pro gloves are made from a similar material to the Rooster Aqua Fleece, the material is thin and stretchy with a thin layer of fleece on the inside. This enables the gloves to be the same thickness as summer sailing gloves, giving the full range of movement and feel. The gloves eliminate wind-chill keeping your hands nice and toasty even in a gale. The fleecy inner is comfortable and very quickly warms up even when putting the gloves on wet.
I took a pair of these gloves with me on the Round Britain and Ireland race this year and was very impressed. Off the Shetland Isles I was very glad of them, I was still able to feel and grip the sail on the foredeck for sail changes when some of the crew were resorting to taking their winter sailing gloves off. Even coming on watch in at 4 in the morning and putting them on wet was fine because they warmed up within a minute from the heat of my hands. I would thoroughly recommend these gloves to everyone, and I will certainly be wearing them this winter. Matt Humphreys
RS 400 Fat Face Racing Circuit 2006 Final Results Sailed: 8  Discards: 3 Rank Fleet Sail No Helm Crew Club             1 Gold 1240 Tom Halhead Chris Bishop BCYC 2 Gold 1121 Paul Hilliar Stuart Jagger Bristol Corinthian YC 3 Gold 1204 Chris Gowers Julie Riley Port Dinorwic 4 Silver 1251 Howard Farbrother Louise Hosken Queen Mary SC 5 Silver 1267 Ronan Kenneally Roger O’Gorman Queen Mary SC 6 Silver 693 Jon Smith Debbie Smith Bartley SC 7 Gold 1237 Nick Craig James Stewart Frensham Pond 8 Silver 1217 John Cooper Becci Wigley Lymington Town SC 9 Silver 1275 Sam Parker Anna Ludgate Burghfield SC 10   1262 Hywel Roberts Mike Child Parkstone Click here to view full results.
RS400 Nationals, 2007 The 2007 Nationals have been booked at Parkstone YC. We are expecting a fantastic turnout, and Howard Farbrother has already started work on sponsors.... Read below for more details Where is Parkstone? Parkstone Yacht Club is situated in Poole Harbour in Dorset, which is just left of the Isle of Wight when you look on the map. It’s very easy to get to and is well worth the trip. When? Monday 20th August through to Friday 24th August 2007 Local Area Poole Harbour and the surrounding area is a beautiful, with loads of touristy stuff to do. We have just about everything to entertain a young (or old) family and/or RS400 sailor, and all within a couple of miles of the club. http://www.pooletourism.com/ describes Poole and all the old bits and natural bobs. Racing PYC is a big club with lots of experience in running large events. In 2006 we have hosted the J24 Europeans, 2005 the Flying Fifteen Nationals as well as youth week (250+ boats) and Poole week (280 boats). So we're getting pretty slick at running major events. Our 2007 Nationals will be run in conjunction with Poole week which is going to make the socials extremely sociable. The race area will be in Poole Bay, which is approx. a 30 minute sail.  The tides will be small and with us for getting in and out of the harbour. We will have our own race area with dedicated race management and rescue boats. The tides in the bay are pretty benign especially as we are on neaps. The other thing of note with regard to Poole Bay, on a South Easterly we get real waves. We've got is a very big local fleet, around 25 boats, and very active. This year we also had a large contingent going to Mounts Bay. We are a 400 club and so the membership are keen to have a successful champs. Fantastic Facilities The club is going through a major refit at present. We've just completed some new changing facilities, which are absolutely fantastic, honestly I mean it. There are 16 showers just in the gents and we don't run out of hot water!  I (Jon G) also assured that the ladies are excellent. Along with the late bar, there are professional caterers who provide good food all day long, including breakfast. The compound is huge and with a couple of big sheds to hold our own events in (after we've worn out the Poole week lot) there is plenty of space. Socials and off the water As the champs are being run in conjunction with Poole Week, we are planning on combining a couple of socials with the Poole week competitors, but we will have our own “special” socials too. We're also considering on holding a Team racing event in the club Picos first thing in the morning, starting with heats at the beginning of the week and ending with the finals on Friday morning. Places to stay Just stacks of hotels and B&Bs, there are also a lot of self catering places with 2 miles of the club, but book early (before Christmas)! We are also in negotiation with the council to obtain camping within a 15 min walk/5 min cycle ride from the club. When we know more, we'll let you know. http://www.pooletourism.com/atozlisting_accom.asp?propertytype=7&areaheader=_placestostay
Nationals Seminar summary - PRE-START & 1st Beat - Nick Craig Getting to 1st mark in good shape in 4 stages: On shore – avoiding cock-ups.  I am very experience in this area (doing cock-ups not avoiding!) 1 hr. before race – gathering info. Start 1st beat – easy if get 1st 3 right. On shore Be anal, extremely dull, I am the master of the cock-up so learnt the hard way – done extra laps, forgotten my food (most importantly), gone round the windward mark in Cadet in lead at age 12 and found no spinnaker pole and 3 weeks ago missed speader mark in opening race at Ents so started with a RTD – I just don’t learn!!! Reason lot to remember, water, bung in, food, mast rake, tally, sign for turns, kite rigged right, watch,.   Different every event. It’s a pain in arse but avoidable. Inexcusable – aircraft pilot analogy Have a list – added to mine over time with every cock-up….!!  Mine has 28 items pre-start & 8 post sail. Depends how approach Champs – don’t bother at small events b/c fall asleep at own tediousness.  Have to accept odd cock-up, sick of them at big events. Now understand why I wouldn’t do this talk in the AM – need to arrive early to do all this. Don’t ruin routine by doing pre-start talks!! 1 hour before Gathering information – how did they know that – top guys always seem go right way?? Actually no-one knows, just gather more info. so increase chances of getting it right All game of chance, will keep coming back to this. Enough bullshit, lets get specific, what info do we look for? 5 bits info….. 1  1st bit info always beat bias. – platform everything else based on 2  History – chat mates, anal – keep race log, past races.  Reality better than any theory 3  Wind (shift pattern, land influence, weather forecast, sea breeze, stability) 4  Waves Balance factors, give a rough “zone” – hard right, mid right, mid etc 5  Risk – measure as where are you vs. objective (why important to have).  Usually low, draw back towards centre or high towards edges.
1st beat Very simple if done homework & got good start (will come back to harder bit if don’t get a good start) Should aim to be uncomfortable as soon as outside target zone%, looking for way back on a shift.  Aim well disciplined in this – should have sinking nervous feeling in stomach when going outside target area Key vs. pack not vs. racetrack. Flexible - consolidating if ahead, attack more if behind.
Bad start Minimising losses if behind – lose 2 lengths, keep it that way and 2nd!!  Finding a lane – key to know where these fall in   Better to have a bad strategy than no strategy RS400s/your sailing style.  Greatest sailors adapt sailing style so can sail in shit air 1st shift key so freedom to tack => start in space Get back on plan where possible.
Nationals Seminar summary – Sailing upwind in waves and windy gybes - Paul Hilliar Waves – upwind Helm: Focus your attention on the five metres in front of the bow.  Work out whether each wave is helpful to you. Crew: Look five to twenty metres in front of the bow – by the time a wave is closer than that it is too late to warn!  Assess the waves and alert your helm to any big or unfriendly waves coming your way. Sailing into/through a wave is really very slow.  Be alert and ready to steer quite a lot off your course to avoid this.  Big waves will wash over the bow and fill the boat up with water, which is doubly slow! Be ready to dump a full armful of mainsheet if a wave is going to trip you over sideways Keep the boat as stable side to side as possible – this way your centreboard/rudder will work most efficiently and you will point highest.
To avoid a nasty wave, pre-heel the boat slightly to leeward about 10 degrees and violently stab the tiller to leeward to lift the bow.  The exact timing of the stabbing movement comes with practice but it needs to happen far enough in advance so that the bow has time to lift. To make the best upwind progress, particularly out of the start, look to be sailing as much as possible on the wave slopes that will be taking you upwind.  A short term pinch into the wind to get you onto a down slope will gain a lot.  It’s OK to bear away a bit to avoid a slope that will push you to leeward.
Gybing Summary: Centre the pole if you are planing.  Uncleat the jib.  Fast and flat into the gybe with the kite filling.  Heel to windward to initiate the turn, let the rudder follow the turn.  Turn fast and sprint to the other side.  Pop the kite and plane off.  Sort the jib out later. In detail: Centre the pole.  If you are planing into the gybe then swinging the pole is not a percentage manoeuvre.  Even if you practice a lot you are unlikely to plane out more than 50% of the time.  And the other 30% you may cock it up really badly. Flat and fast – we all know this makes gybing so much easier. Uncleat the jib.  If it flaps through the entire gybe then this is not a problem.  Just uncleat it and forget.  This is the same for every wind strength Crew should focus on keeping the kite full the whole time going into the gybe.  Really important. Heel to windward a little to initiate the turn.  I like to count out loud 3-2-1 go to give my crew an idea of exactly when the turn will happen. Sprint across the boat.  You need to be across the other side and in the toe straps by the time the sails fill on the new gybe.  Your turning speed should match your speed across the boat.  The faster the turn is and the hotter the exit angle is, the faster your gybe exit speed will be. Be ready to dump mainsheet after the gybe in order to keep the boat flat – this is another reason not to swing the pole mid gybe as you would have to cleat the mainsheet. Once the kite fills, it may need a big ease to lift the bow over the next wave. Only once you are settled, sort the jib out.  This is not at all a priority!  If it doesn’t happen for 15 seconds after the gybe then it doesn’t matter.  Either helm or crew can sort the jib – sheet leads on your jib cleats will help this. Good gybing only comes through practice.  You need to move fast and early across the boat – only time together builds the trust so that you both move well before the boom comes across.
RS Euro Cup - Garda!!! This years continental leg of the Fat face Euro Cup was held at Riva on the Northern end of Lake Garda. How to describe Riva del Garda to someone who has never been there, now that's a problem. Imagine a 30 mile long lake where everyday a warm thermal wind blows from the South starting at about midday and building to force 4/5 most afternoons. The 3000 foot mountains tower above the lake and as the wind funnels through the narrows ( 3 miles wide) the venturi effect builds the pressure under the cliffs even more. It's detractors will say that with the wind bending off the cliffs the beats are a one sided slog and the downwind not the most tactical but the excitement of around 200 RS boats all fighting to be in the best position on the favoured side and the huge gusts of warm wind make for all the excitement most of us can handle. Add to that excellent pasta, good cheap wine and temperature that hit 40C one day and it adds up to one of the best sailing venues in the world. This year 27 Rs 400s made their way to the start line for the first race, not a huge number but up on previous years and a continuing trend among the 400s of making this a holiday with some good competitive sailing. The series was scheduled from Monday 25th to Friday 29th, two races a day so a 10 race series with 8 to count. Monday morning and the Riva virgins were complaining at the lack of wind, those of us who had been there a few times just sat back, waited and smiled. Sure enough the Riva doctor came down the lake dead on schedule and the scramble to launch and get to the race area was on. After two excellent races in the honking thermal wind the pattern for the week was set. David Jones and Mark Hogan won the first from Tom Halhead and Chris Bishop with Halhead/Bishop reversing the positions in the second race. This set up a duel that was to continue for the whole week and was not resolved until the last mark of the last race of the series. In the first race third place was taken by the brothers Grimm (Baileys) who with a 4th in the second race were right on the pace. In the second race Leighton King and Rich Brown grabbed third, making up for their OCS in the first. Tuesday was a straight repeat of Monday with maybe a tad less wind. Again Jones/Hogan won the first race from Halhead/Bishop who again won the second but this time a starting infringement had Jones/Hogan sitting on a DSQ. Third place in the first race went to King/Brown who with a fifth in the second were looking very solid. Second place in the second race was taken but the father and son team of Chris and Rob Martin recovering from a disastrous first day when their main halyard had broken. Third place went to John Cooper and Becci Wigley who with a fifth in the earlier race completed a good day at the office. Wednesday proved that even the Riva doctor sometime has an off day. First sign that things were not as usual was when Halhead/Bishop clocked up their third win Jones/Hogan could only manage a twelfth after a terrible start. The Martins grabbed their second consecutive second place and David Cheyne and Stephen Kane brought cheer to the Irish camp with a third place. As we waited for the start of the second race a Caribinari boat come up along side the Committee boat. At first it was just assumed that the Grimms had been up to their usual tricks and were about to help them with their enquiries but it turned out a thunder and lightening warning had been issued and the racing was abandoned for the day. As the boats came ashore they were treated to a spectacular firework display by mother nature after which no one could have any real argument with the race committee's decision. Thursday and the situation got back to normal with Jones/Hogan winning the first race and Halhead/Bishop the second. The third place in the first race for Halhead/Bishop was their first result outside the top two for the week which showed their incredible consistency. Splitting the two leaders with a second place in the first race was Cheyne/Kane bringing yet more joy to team Ireland and proving that Guinness really is the food of champions. Entering the last day it was everything to play for but with the dice loaded heavily in favour of Halhead /Bishop. With discards of 2 and 3 against Jones/Hogan's DSQ and 12 they only had to win one of the last two races or see Jones/Hogan have a result out of the top two. After a long delay waiting for the 800's to decide to launch and get to race area the racing got underway later than usual.
The result of Jones/Hogan beating Halhead/Bishop into second place kept the series alive to the last race. With everybody looking their watches to see if the race officer would make his 4 o'clock deadline for starting a race on the final day the fleet got away at 15:58. Halfway up the first beat it was apparent that all was not well with groups of boats becalmed and other pointing at rather strange angles. Finally boats on the right of the beat hoisted their spinnakers and the race officer admitted defeat and flew the N over A. Even then the drama wasn't over. with the results as they stood the two leading boats were level on points but with Jones/Hogan winning on count back. Once ashore Halhead/Bishop put in a protest over an incident at the leeward mark rounding in the first race and it looked as if the whole week was going to be decided on a protest. Unfortunately, or fortunately depending on your point of view Halhead/Bishop had failed to inform the Committee boat on the water of the intention to protest as required in the sailing instructions so the protest was dismissed and the results stood. Third place was also tied and decided on count back in favour of Cheyne/Kane with King/Brown in fourth. A very exciting week of fantastic sailing and tough competition all the way down the fleet. Those who missed it start saving your pennies and booking your holiday now to make sure you don't miss the best sailing in the world next time round. Final Results 1st GBR 962 JONES DAVID, HOGAN MARK 2nd GBR 1240 HALHEAD TOM, BISHOP CHRIS 3rd IRL 1238 CHEYNE DAVID, KANE STEPHEN 4th GBR 1059 KING LEIGHTON, BROWN RICH 5th IRL 1188 POLLY WARREN, FERGUSON CHUNKY 6th GBR 1217 COOPER JOHN, WIGLEY BECCI For full results click here
Gul RS400 Nationals, 2006 – views from the fleet From the Endeavour winner (last boat to finish all races) – James Stuart As my first major event in a number of years and more importantly as my first event in the driver’s seat I was a little apprehensive about the nationals. None of this was necessary as from the first moment I arrived I encountered a friendly and receptive atmosphere that if anything only got better through the week. The Club, Mount's Bay SC, were phenomenal hosts and certainly made a good week great. The other competitors were also a joy to spend time with and the racing was brilliant - no matter where you were in the fleet. I personally duelled at the back and enjoyed many tussles with the navy and a couple who affectionatly became known as gran and granddad (due to the number of years they were senior to Andy and me) it seemed no amount of youth and athleticism up wind could stop them overhauling us down wind! I must commend you on the buddy system as I think that really galvanised the fleet - getting the front to chat to the middle and the back was excellent and the combo with the non sailing activities was the perfect catalyst for those relationships to blossom. All in all a great event and I only hope that operations do not scupper my hope to be the most improved next year - a top half finish would do me nicely! From the winners of the Bronze Fleet – Sam Parker & Anna Ludgate The RS 400 Nationals started badly for me. The day we were due to drive down, I was up in the middle of the night finishing a tender document that had come in late. We set off early, with me in the passenger seat on a conference call, left Hampshire, still on a conference call, entered Dorset and were greeted by driving rain, floods and trees in the road. I was tired, tense and irritable and the sailing hadn’t even begun! Then we had a tyre blowout…. Then an old friend rang me to invite me to come and sail with him at the Swan Worlds in Sardinia – and not any old boat either: he runs a much-fancied Swan 601 … the picture was vivid as we surfed into Devon… With all my holiday accounted for, the delights of the Costa Smerelda would have to wait another year. It’s strange that one week later, I would find myself saying to anyone who was prepared to listen that this years 400 Nationals knocked all of the above into a cocked hat! It was the best week of entertainment - both on and off the water, that I can remember for some time. Mounts Bay Sailing Club was fantastic. They know how to put on a good show. My job in real life is running an event-management company and I feel well-placed to enthuse about the catering, the management and organisation both on land and also the race management. It was slick, professional and without fuss. The race management team took us by surprise, actually. Day one, Race one – we thought that there may be a little pre-start faffing going on aboard the committee vessel, so undertook some race course intelligence gathering with another boat (Yes Howard/Anna/Louise it was my suggestion….) and off we went on opposite tacks for five minutes, before tacking and see a glorious spectacle under our booms - the entire fleet going through the gate…..! My own view is that the overriding factor in the success of the week boils down to effort – on behalf of organisers and competitors alike. Some examples of how it all came together so well: - Rather than putting sponsor money behind the bar – the class had secured a local keg for the beach games – Genius! As a result, the fleet enjoyed Harken Pasties as they came off the water on the last day. Perfect Timing – Double Genius!! - Those pasties provided drinking and dancing fuel later for the last night. Disco-Only-Last-Night worked particularly well - The buddy system worked at its best. Significant prizes – special thanks to LDC here… But the crucial bit is that the results were not all scores on the water. A percentage from the games on the beach and in the pub quiz. This had the effect of coaxing out a greater number of participants and what a difference that made. A proper tug of war rope for the games – which made for some interesting line-ups. Imagine Nick & James plus mob of kids vs. the rest. Hilarious! - Duckhams – nothing to add: It worked. All credit to Nick and James for winning with two races to spare, allowing them ample time to get settled into the bar and nicely “warmed up” ready for the prizegiving, which was great entertainment in itself. So many prizes (which were nearly turned into an impressive domino display) Lord St Levyn, turning up personally to hand out the awards – definitely the star of the show and his witty response to Nick has to be one of the funniest pieces of unscripted comedy in years. The race officer welling up as he was acknowledged with thunderous applause and cheering – and whisky. I liked the shrewd use of high-value prizes in different areas of the fleet. Very tactical and very inclusive; I particularly liked the endeavour prizes and the boat makeover – thanks again to LDC! After dancing in the club, a night-club in Penzance, and a party in an army surplus tent our return to the B&B was troublesome… we had a man down. Howard was overcome with fatigue after all of the organising he’d been up to and so he was slung over Patrick’s shoulder who kindly transported him as far as the road at least, and it was for the rest of us to get him home. Just as we were embarking on our journey, there was some rustling in a nearby bush and out popped Toby Lewis looking all startled and surprised to see us! This year’s Nationals should be remembered as “Vintage” and should be used as a benchmark for all fleets. It was inclusive, friendly, entertaining and extremely well-run.
From the Welsh Contingent The prospect of a 9 and a half hour journey all the way from Port Dinorwic Sailing Club in North West Wales, down to Mounts Bay. The very tip of South West England, didn't really inspire or instill a great deal of enthusiasm within the RS sailors of our sailing club. However, the thought of huge rolling waves all the way from America and the tales from other members' previous encounters with the RS Nationals Socials enticed 6 combatants to make the trip. It was decided by the "Committee" that an overnight voyage on Friday would be the best option to avoid the traffic. So three of the six made the grueling journey, however, with the accommodation not available until Saturday, it meant an uncomfortable night sleeping in the cars. That was however, until one bright spark remembered there were two bottles of whiskey and a bottle of rum in one of the bags. A "little" nightcap to help us sleep… That night seemed to set the precedence for the rest of the week. The remaining three boats had dared to brave the Saturday traffic through the Bodmin Moors which appeared to be a good idea until the last 20 miles took about 2 hours to travel. To kill the hours waiting the rest of 'team Wales' helped the sailing club open the bar at 11 am before heading off to the supermarket to stock up on food supplies for the week. Beer, whiskey, wine, spaghetti, more beer, more whiskey, bread, cheese and biscuits, yet more whiskey, chili con carney, and some more wine should do the trick. Well for day 1 anyway. As we all know, bumper to bumper driving is infuriating. So when the others arrived (three pints behind and playing catch up) the boats were soon forgotten and beer was top of the list to settle down after the slog. This was perhaps when it all started going wrong. "The Thirst" soon took over and the social began with the boats still sat on the road base… Thankfully the RS Association got it right this year. There was none of the anti social behaviour associated with a 10 AM start and 4 races a day. The programme for this year was for 1 PM starts and two races a day. Still giving a 10 race series and enough time to enjoy your week off work in a nice venue. So without having to worry about a 9 PM curfew required when making 10 AM starts the whole fleet got involved in the socials throughout the week. Even at the latter end of the week when races had been lost the race officer did not diminish the social by bringing the start forward earlier than 12 PM. Another addition to the social side of racing was the introduction of the "Duckhams Dress". This delightful item of clothing is awarded to the most deserving recipient for doing something foolish any time in the 24 hours since it was last presented. On day 3 the Duckhams award found a home in the "alcohol abusing" homes of the friendly Welsh folk. It was perhaps this "close" friendship that was the cause of the title "Dick of the Day" given to a number of the Welsh contingency. Or perhaps shaving ones pubic hair, (causing severe itchiness), and the random "Z" shaved in to their scalps was the product of a "quiet night in". Ten pints and half a bottle of whiskey each later… The award was well received and taken in good humor, although some might say the imprudent few took to wearing women's clothing a little too easily… With the sociable start times, the excellent effort from the club in putting the social evenings together was thoroughly enjoyed throughout the week by everyone. Especially the free alcohol provided at the "Beach Olympics" and the tour of St Michael's Mount. Again the Welsh found a winner for the coveted Duckhams award. On the return voyage from the Mount the launch driver turned away for a minute and when he turned back his helm had been taken from him and his launch was doing laps around the bay with a drunken Welsh person at the helm. We can safely say that the Welsh sailors have come away from the week, not only with the feeling of having improved their sailing ability from a week of truly excellent sailing and racing. But also having met and made many new friends through the week. Parkstone 2007 now has a lot to live up to, both for sailing and for socials. But was are all confident that they can rise to the challenge and we as a club will be bringing more boats for what promises to be a great week off work with a little bit of sailing thrown in to spice it up. We look forward to seeing you all there. All the best from PDSC, N Wales.
Final Results Pos Sail No Helm Crew Club 1 1237 Nick Craig James Stewart Frencham Pond SC 2 962 David Jones Mark Hogan Port Dinorwic SC 3 1279 Jon Gorringe Toby Lewis Parkstone YC 4 1240 Tom Halhead Chris Bishop Bristol Corinthian YC 5 1121 Paul Hilliar Stuart Jagger Bristol Corinthian YC 6 1262 Hywel Roberts Richard Kenyon Parkstone YC 7 1059 Steve Venables Richar Brown Sutton SC 8 1082 Nick Lowe Elaine Marsh Port Dinorwic SC 9 1201 Rick Peacock Ian Dobson Bartley SC 10 1055 Colin Prince Tony Prince Weir Wood SC 11 1296 Giles Chipperfield Heather Chipperfield Lymington Town SC 12 1128 Steve Middleton Chris Rowland Burghfield SC For full results click here
email:rs400@progressivetechnology.co.uk