RS700 Fat Face Circuit Event 1
Chew Valley Lake Sailing Club –11th
& 12th March 2006
Relatively mild and sunny weather
greeted the excellent turnout of 25
sailors who had travelled from
across the country for the first
RS700 Fat Face event of the season
at Chew valley Lake sailing club
over the weekend of the 11th and
12th of March.
Race 1 started in a shifty five know
breeze. On a busy start line it was
the group who started at the port
end of the line in clear air who
soon moved into the lead. Nigel
Walbank from Lymington established
an early lead with a pursuing group
including Andy Holland (Kings Lynn
Audi), Steve Marshall and Matt
Humphreys (Harken) challenging hard.
By the last lap the chasing group
had caught up and 3 boats came into
the leeward abreast. Walbank and
Humphreys went right but it was Andy
Holland who went left, found breeze
and blasted through the line to take
a maiden victory on the circuit.
Race two started in similar
conditions with a very even start
line. Andy Holland continued his
excellent light wind form by leading
at the first mark only to
immediately sail into a hole. Ian
Nolan went right and found the best
breeze to take the lead half way
down the run only for Holland and
Humphries to catch up so the boats
arrived in a bunch at the leeward
mark. Places continued to change
throughout the race in the patchy
conditions but it was Humphreys who
took the win from local sailor Tim
Johnson with Nolan coming in 3rd.
With the wind varying from nothing
to not a lot the PRO took the
sensible decision to send the fleet
home. This left the winners of the
overnight leader prizes as Matt
Humphries in Gold fleet and Ian
Nolan in the Silver.
Sunday dawned with snow settled on
the ground and snowflakes blowing in
from the East. After throwing the
white stuff off the covers and
grabbing a quick bacon butty (or
three) the fleet took to the water
dressed in everything they could
find to fend off the cold ready for
the planned
four races.
The third race started promptly in a
shifty Easterly F2 with F3 gusts
dropping off the Mendip Hills.
Making the best of the conditions it
was Johnson who led at the windward
mark from White mark with the rest
of the overnight leaders in close
pursuit. Downwind the heavyweights
managed to keep ahead of the pack
before extending their lead up the
right hand side of the second beat.
As the leaders began the final run
the wind dropped to an F1 and
progress slowed. The Mendips then
provided a lake wide gust which
barrelled down just as the middle of
the fleet arrived at the windward
mark. This compressed the top ten
boats, resulting in a frenzy of
gybes and luffs for position going
into the leeward mark. Johnson held
his nerve, rounded first and led to
the finish. Walbank worked the gust
brilliantly and sailed around the
fighting pack to finish second
followed by Marshall and Humphreys
in 3rd and 4th.
For the fourth race the wind built
to a shifty F3 with F4 gusts.
Johnson was again fast off the line
and led at the windward mark from
Humphreys. They were locked together
around the course over the next two
laps with both winning alternate
shifts and gusts. So intense was the
contest they missed the shortened
course and allowed White to steal
the win with Smithwhite and Marshall
closing out the top five.
The wind was building; veering
further South and the temperature
dropped even further. Fingers were
numb and hands were beginning to
lose grip. Even the hardest 700
sailors had hats and gloves on as F5
gusts ripped down the lake as the
fifth race started. It was White who
led at the windward mark, followed
closely led by Johnson, Humphreys &
Albrecht.
The gusts produced some wildly
varying downwind lanes which
resulted in all four boats
converging on the leeward mark at
speed from different directions.
White rounded first, and dominated
the race from that point onwards.
Albrecht gybed early on the final
run to overtake Humphreys for
second, whilst Smithwhite and
Marshall sailed to a controlled and
secure 4th and 5th.
For the sixth and final race the
wind was building to a South
Easterly shifty F5 gusting F6. The
intense cold, evil shifts,
sledgehammer gusts, sailor damage
and the thought of the long drive
home was causing attrition in the
fleet with only 11 of the original
25 finishing. Again it was White,
Johnson and Marshall who led around
the windward mark as a F6 gust
arrived. White capsized as he gybed
off, joined by Johnson leaving
Marshall to provide a demonstration
in downwind technique. He quoted in
the bar afterwards. ‘As I looked
back upwind all I could see
were 700s capsized.’ With the race
turning into a battle of survival,
the hares were spending too much
time swimming and it was the quality
of Marshall, White, Smithwhite,
Walbank and Offer which shone
through as they finished 1st through
5th.
Despite a late charge from White
Johnson and Marshall, it was Matt
Humphries who had sailed
consistently at the front of the
fleet over both days who took a
deserved overall victory. In the
silver fleet Nolan held onto his
overnight lead followed by Jonathan
Cameron and Stewart Speer.
Our thanks go to CVLSC for their
warm welcome and to the event
sponsors Fat Face for their
continued support This was a great
turnout for the first Fat Face event
of the season with a lot of new
faces as well a number of the more
established names returning to the
fleet. Things are
certainly looking promising for the
rest of the season continuing the
improvements seen last year.
The next event on the circuit will
be at a new venue for the 700 fleet,
Hunstanton Sailing Club on the North
Norfolk coast on the 22nd and 23rd
of April.
Tim Johnson & Ian Nolan
All sailing shots at Chew Valley
Lake courtesy of Primrose Salt
Primrose@salt71.freeserve.co.uk
