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Sailing Today |
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RS800 Sailing Today is brought to you by
Progressive Technology Systems
Limited |
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The RS800 associations e-Newsletter |
July/August 2006 edition |
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RS800
Breaking News...
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The
RS Ball 2006 dates are now set!
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The
2006 RS800 UK Gul National Championships is only
2 months away - get your entries in to
receive a discount!!
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Less
than 1 month to Garda!
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Next
Fat Face event is Lymington Town on the 8th and
9th July!
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Welcome
Welcome to the first addition of RS800 Sailing Today,
the new planned regular e-newsletter from the RS association.
We plan to bring you the latest news, views and
technical articles and anything else that maybe of
interest to the RS800 sailor!
To make this
happen though we need your help with providing the material. So don't
delay - Get writing and email me with your RS800
articles and don't forget those pictures!
In this
issue we have:
GUL RS Racing Sprint Champs and RS Ball
RS800 National
Championships update
Full
report from Draycote
Rutland
Water report
What happened at
Stokes Bay
Yorkshire
Dales
Paignton
RS800 Fat Face
Circuit 2006
An article on General Sail
care from Hyde Sails
Its been a
busy start to the season with 5 Fat Face circuit events
already having taken place. The best turn out so far has
been 40 at Stokes Bay. Next stop is Lymington Town
on the south coast in July.
Have a great
Nationals at Weymouth and enjoy Garda!!
Enjoy the read!
Duncan Ellis
duncan.ellis@progressivetechnology.co.uk
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For 2006 .... A brand new event for the RS
fleets! And a date for the 2006 RS Ball for
those of you worrying that you'd heard nothing
to date.
Saturday November 4th - Rutland Sailing Club &
Barnsdale Lodge Hotel
The Sprint Champs will be a series of short
(15-20 minute) races in flights of 10 boats in
separate fleets, with a complicated scoring
system, finishing off with flight finals.
Something very different, excellent racing and
spectating, and great prizes, courtesy of GUL.
The RS Racing Ball will be held 3 miles from
Rutland SC at the Barnsdale Lodge, a beautiful
18th century privately owned hotel. There
will be the normal revelry of band, disco, 4
course dinner, bar extension, and maybe even a
few fireworks ... Dress will be black tie.
The Sprint Champs will cost approximately
£10/boat in advance, and will double for entries
received after 14th October. The RS Ball is
£25 per person, tickets must be booked by 14th
October via the RS Office at East Hayes, Grove
Road, Lymington, SO41 3RN.
There is lovely, plush accommodation at the
Barnsdale Lodge from £40/person., and
dormitories at Rutland SC from £12/person, and
lots in between. See the RS website under
events for more details.
Put it in your diary now! And don't forget to
book in ...
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RS800 National
Championships
The reduced entry fee deadline is fast approaching for
the GUL RS 800 National Championships 2006.
With 6 solid days of racing scheduled at the Weymouth &
Portland Sailing Academy plus a social calendar packed
with activities this year’s event promises to be the
best Nationals in the history of 800 racing! Here’s what
we’ve got in store:
Date: 27 August – September 1st 2006
15 races – both inside the harbour and out
Daily prizes
Gold and Silver fleets
Daily informal seminars looking at everything from rig
set-up to starting!
A buddy system – with an overall prize to the winning
duo courtesy of West Country Boat Repairs.
Inclusive drinks vouchers and meal deals!
HUGE PRIZE GIVING BONANZA ON THE FINAL NIGHT!
The fee: A bargain at £165 per boat if you enter before
June 30th – that’s £15 per person per day!
Student discount obviously applies: £155 per boat for
you guys.
The late fee applies after June 30th. At £190 per boat
it’s well worth getting your entries in early! For any
enquiries, please contact the class association, all
questions welcome!
Come along and join in the fun and be part of this huge
event – all entries welcome!
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Draycote Water SC -
11th/12th March
The first round of the RS 800 Fat Face circuit kicked
off this weekend at Draycote Water Sailing Club.
Twenty-Two boats braved the chilly forecast for a
weekend of competitive racing in everything from 4 knots
to 15 plus snow!Day One, Race One and it’s the lightest
breeze the 800s have seen in a while. With the crews
remembering how to trapeze in front of the shrouds,
there were gains to be made early on. Top mark for the
first time and Matt Gill/Jimbo Hughes rounded just ahead
of Steve Irish and Martin Gotrel (Magic Marine). Ian
Martin and Claire Booth (Sail4Cancer) rounded in 3rd.
Sadly for Tim Collins and Simon Coleridge, their
spectacular tangle which left them floundering on the
spreader mark for quite some time was caught on camera
by none other than Jane Olive who took up the coaching
spot this weekend while poor Spod recovered from man
flu!As the wind died there was lots of place changing
further back in the fleet, but the top three showed
speed and consistency; Irish and Gotrel (Magic Marine)
taking the first bullet of the day, Gill and Hughes in
second, Booth and Martin (Sail4Cancer) in third.
Thankfully the wind filled in a little for race two and
the tactic at the start was to get onto Port as soon as
possible! Local boys Irish and Gotrel (Magic Marine)
lead from the word go, Paddy Gamble and Fiona Lockwood
back on form sailed their way into second place and held
their own to the finish line. Fleet newcomers Charlie
Roome and Steve Hall posted their best result of the day
with a third place, great work! Great also to see Rob
Watson and Gimp back on the racecourse after a season’s
break, a 4th place for them.
Last race of the day and this time left up the first
beat paid off. Calling the shots right this time was
Martin and Booth (Sail4Cancer) rounding the top mark
just ahead of Justin Deal and Sarah Marriott, Irish and
Gotrel (Magic Marine) hot on their heels. The puffs and
shifts lead to lots of place changing but Martin and
Booth held their nerve to the finish to take the bullet.
Irish and Gotrel fought their way into second place
forcing Deal and Marriott to settle for third.
After a much needed hot shower Steve Irish and Jane
Olive treated the fleet to an excellent debrief of the
days racing…. Just when we were all feeling so confident
with our performance we realised where we were going so
wrong! But a huge thanks to Jane and Steve who gave us
all some excellent advice and some race winning tips –
made so much clearer with the video camera! A few beers
later and one or two kebabs it was off to bed – the
lucky ones in the fleet had friends living nearby, or
indeed booked a B&B – others opted for a night under
canvas or even in the car… Snow greeted them in the
morning!
Frozen boat covers, a biting wind and snow flurries made
for the most inviting days sailing of the season so
far…! Dry suits and steamers at the ready…. This was
going to be cold!
Race four and the wind had piped up significantly from
Saturday. The race officer made no mistake and got us
all off without a hitch (except for one or two to the
right!) By the top Mark Irish and Gotrel rounded in
first, shaking off the icicles as they bore away! Deal
and Marriott close behind with Gamble/Lockwood, Roz
Allen & Neil Ashby and Peter Barton & Sally Wakefield in
the chasing pack. Frozen kite sheets and halyards made
frustrating work for the crews and before you knew it we
were gybing onto port and laying the leeward gate. Ashby
and Allen made the biggest gains in the fleet sailing
into second place just behind the Magic Marine boys who
secured their third victory of the event. Gamble and
Lockwood sailed over the line in 3rd place with Martin
and Booth in 4th after a spectacular recovery from a
capsize.
Things were definitely getting colder… more snow
flurries and ice coated trapeze strings – the race
officer got us all off promptly again! Same story, Irish
and Gotrel (Magic Marine) stomped all over the fleet to
take the bullet while Ashby and Allen, still on
spectacular form secured another second place close
behind. Barton & Wakefield secured third place – an
excellent recovery after a dodgy start whereby Pete fell
out the boat with 30 seconds to go!
Last race of the day and only eleven boats left on the
course! The snow and ice proved far too much for the
sensible ones who left the final line up to battle it
out for the podium positions! Barton and Wakefield lead
the fleet round the first windward mark, but true to
form (and with no Irish/Gotrel on the course!) Ashby and
Allen secured the bullet! Gamble and Lockwood hung in
there to take second with Barton and Wakefield in third.
And so the podium positions were filled. Third place
after an excellent weekend of consistent results went to
Ian Martin and Claire Booth (Sail4Cancer). Paddy Gamble
and Fiona Lockwood sailed themselves into second on the
final day while Steve Irish and Martin Gotrel (Magic
Marine) proved victorious once again to claim top spot,
the Winners of the Fat Face RS 800 Draycote open
meeting.
Victory in the Silver fleet went to Charlie Roome and
Steve Hall – an excellent circuit debut for them, while
second place was awarded to Phillip Highfield and Tamsin
Butcher who put in an excellent effort to take 10th
place.
Thanks to everyone who took part and to Draycote Water
Sailing Club for making a cold and miserable weekend
into a thoroughly enjoyable and competitive one! Next
circuit event is April 22/23rd at Rutland - spring will
definitely be upon us so we hope to see you all there!
Sarah Marriott
RS800 1054 |
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Overall
Results
Sailed: 6 Discards: 1 Ratings: None
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Pos |
Sail No |
Helm |
Crew |
Club |
R1 |
R2 |
R3 |
R4 |
R5 |
R6 |
Pts |
Notes |
|
1 |
1058 |
Steve Irish
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Martin Gotrel
|
Draycote Water SC
|
1 |
1 |
2 |
1 |
1 |
DNC |
6 |
|
|
2 |
1012 |
Paddy Gamble
|
Fiona Lockwood
|
Stokes Bay SC
|
13 |
2 |
5 |
3 |
4 |
2 |
16 |
|
|
3 |
1089 |
Ian Martin
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Claire Booth
|
Bough Beech SC
|
3 |
5 |
1 |
5 |
5 |
4 |
18 |
|
|
4 |
1016 |
Peter Barton
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Sally Wakefield
|
Royal Lymington
|
11 |
6 |
7 |
7 |
3 |
3 |
26 |
|
|
5 |
1101 |
Neil Ashby
|
|
Whistable
|
10 |
12 |
DNF |
2 |
2 |
1 |
27 |
|
|
6 |
1010 |
Ollie Page
|
Tom Odell
|
Lancing |
5 |
9 |
6 |
4 |
6 |
DNC |
30 |
|
|
7 |
1054 |
Sarah Marriott
|
|
FPSC |
6 |
8 |
3 |
6 |
9 |
DNC |
32 |
|
|
8 |
1075 |
Matt Gill
|
James Hughes
|
Royal Corinthian
|
2 |
11 |
9 |
8 |
10 |
DNC |
40 |
|
|
9 |
964 |
Charlie Roome
|
Steve Hall
|
Draycote Water SC
|
7 |
3 |
4 |
18 |
11 |
DNC |
43 |
|
|
10 |
848 |
Phillip Highfield
|
Tamsin Butcher
|
Waveney & Oulton
Broad |
4 |
15 |
8 |
10 |
13 |
10 |
45 |
|
|
11 |
1059 |
Ralph Singleton
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Sophie Singleton
|
Chew Valley Lake SC
|
DNF |
7 |
14 |
12 |
8 |
6 |
47 |
|
|
12 |
1076 |
Robert Watson
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James Holmes
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Royal Corinthian
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15 |
4 |
DSQ |
17 |
7 |
5 |
48 |
|
|
13 |
808 |
Daniel Tregastes
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Polly Tregastes
|
Restronguet SC
|
17 |
20 |
10 |
11 |
12 |
7 |
57 |
|
|
14 |
991 |
Malcolm Streeter
|
Miles Roebuck
|
HISC |
9 |
10 |
17 |
15 |
15 |
9 |
58 |
|
|
15 |
836 |
Derek Buchanan
|
Elaine Buchanan
|
Oxford |
16 |
17 |
12 |
9 |
14 |
8 |
59 |
|
|
16 |
1047 |
Simon Grundy
|
Guy Whitby
|
HISC |
8 |
14 |
13 |
14 |
16 |
11 |
60 |
|
|
17 |
883 |
Kate Gillow
|
Andy Griffiths
|
Draycote Water SC
|
12 |
13 |
16 |
13 |
DNC |
DNC |
77 |
|
|
18 |
987 |
Tim Collins
|
Simon Coleridge
|
RORC |
18 |
16 |
11 |
16 |
DNC |
DNC |
84 |
|
|
19 |
989 |
Ben Schooling
|
Tim Hirst
|
Datchet |
14 |
DSQ |
15 |
DNC |
DNC |
DNC |
98 |
|
|
20 |
815 |
Sam Ferens
|
A Harvey
|
|
19 |
19 |
18 |
DNF |
DNC |
DNC |
102 |
|
|
21 |
909 |
Iain Christie
|
Adam Smith
|
Draycote Water SC
|
20 |
18 |
19 |
DNC |
DNC |
DNC |
103 |
|
|
22 |
1105 |
Jane Smethwick
|
Nicholas Hand
|
|
21 |
DNC |
DNC |
DNC |
DNC |
DNC |
113 |
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Rutland Water SC -
22nd/23rd April
The RS 800
fleet descended upon Rutland Water Sailing Club this
weekend for round two of the Fat Face Race Circuit 2006.
25 boats braved the dire
forecast and much to everyone’s surprise a full series
of six races got underway!
Race one, day one and it was straight into bow down mode
for a patchy 5 knots of breeze. Fastest out of the
blocks was Ollie Page and Tom Odell (Farècla) who sailed
a brilliant first beat to round the top mark in first
ahead of Justin Deal and Sarah Marriott, Spod & Jane
Olive (Sola Harken) in third. By the bottom mark places
were just the same, but the first to spot the increasing
pressure on the left hand side was Spod and Jane Olive (Sola
Harken) who hitched over in what proved to be a
race-winning move! 2 further laps later and the Olives (Sola
Harken) took the first bullet of the day. Things were
tight in the chasing pack but Dom Johnson and Jenny
Heeley played it cool down the last run to take 2nd,
Page and Odell (Farècla) settling for third.
Race two and the tables were about to turn….The left
looked good to begin with but those who made the early
hitch to the right got to the top mark with style….
Rounding in first was Richard Keeton and Helen Rumbold
closely followed by the students, Nathan Bachelor and
James Clarke. A frustrated pack of seven others rounded
just behind, all opting for the gybe-set back into the
pressure. Second Beat and Bachelor and Clarke creamed
into top spot and took up the reins at the front of the
fleet. Not allowing the pressure to mount, a lap and a
half later they crossed the line taking the second
bullet of the day,
Keeton and Rumbold sailed brilliantly to take second
with Justin Deal and Sarah Marriott in 3rd, Jo &
Caroline Llewellyn 4th
Last race of the day and the breeze was beginning to
freshen….Ian Martin and Claire Booth (Sail4Cancer)
called the shots right up the first beat to round in
with a healthy lead over the chasing pack. After a bit
of a tacking dual, Deal & Marriott rounded in second,
with Page/Odell (Farècla), Olive & Olive and
Johnson/Heeley not far behind and not giving an inch.
Three laps later Martin and Booth took the final bullet
of the day, Deal and Marriott in second, Page and Odell
(Farècla) in third.
Back to the shore and spring was definitely in the air…
flip flops were out, patio doors open and everyone
feeling a flush of colour in their cheeks (except for
Julia Coatsworth with the factor 50 sun cream, her glow
was due to beer rather than sun!). A great night filled
with drinking games followed, and a special mention must
go to fleet newcomer, Jamie Hilton, for his sailing
orientated dance moves – classic!
Day two, race four and a dying breeze….. Not put off by
the light stuff the entire fleet were keen at the start
resulting in several teams being recalled! Johnson and
Heeley picked their way through the shifts to round the
top mark in first place. A huge pack followed behind and
the key here was to take the puffs and sink down low!
Coming out in pole position by the leeward mark was Deal
& Marriott, Johnson & Heeley and Jamie Reed & Alistair
Rose (Worldcom) just inches behind. Deal & Marriott
consolidated their lead by the end of the race to take
the first bullet of the day, Johnson and Heeley crossed
in second,
Reed & Rose (Worldcom), third.
Race 5 and the breeze got lighter….. The committee still
went for a start and by the top of the beat barely a
zephyr was to be seen. After just one
lap and much to everyone’s relief the shorten course
flag was raised and Johnson/Heeley crossed the line in
first. Reid and Rose took second while Olive & Olive (Sola
Harken) finished up third.
Race 6…. Just when we thought it was over… By now
Rutland Water resembled nothing more than a mirror and
the Rutland Bell pleasure cruiser seemed the only way
back to the shore!But the wind gods finally arrived in
the form of a huge cloud … and with it the best breeze
of the weekend! Another quick course change and the
fleet were off! Lot’s riding on a good result in this
one, the pressure was on!Loving the stronger breeze Ben
Schooling and Tim Hirst reached the top mark in first
having taken an early hitch over to the right hand side.
Martin & Booth, the Olives (Sola Harken) and Andy
Jeffries & Ally Ody rounded high in the chasing pack and
went for an immediate gybe set. Suddenly a big course
was beginning to feel tiny as the teams yee-ha’d it down
to the starboard layline in true twin-stringing style!
By lap 3 the Olives had pulled out a healthy lead but
couldn’t resist giving the others a chance but putting
in a short capsize on the final beat! Not quite enough
for Martin and Booth to take advantage of… Jane and Spod
went onto win the race, Martin and Booth second and
Jeffries and Ody in third.
The fleet burnt back to shore in the best breeze of the
day for prize giving and the overall standings looked
like this:1st place was tied on points, but it was Dom
Johnson and Jenny Heeley who proved victorious on count
back to take their first circuit win. Justin Deal and
Sarah Marriott settled for second and Spod and Jane
Olive (Sola Harken) rounded off the podium in 3rd place.
Thanks as always to Rutland Sailing Club who hosted
another top event for the 800 fleet. The next circuit
event is at Stokes Bay Sailing Club in two weeks time, a
huge turn out is expected and the top notch social is
guaranteed!
Sarah Marriott
RS 800 1054 |
|
Rank |
Fleet |
Sail
No |
Helm |
Crew |
Club |
R1 |
R2 |
R3 |
R4 |
R5 |
R6 |
Nett |
|
RS800 Fleet - Sailed: 6 Discards: 1 |
|
1 |
RS800 |
932 |
Dom
Johnson |
Jenny Heeley |
Spinnaker |
2 |
6 |
4 |
2 |
1 |
12 |
15 |
|
2 |
RS800 |
1054 |
Justin Deal |
Sarah Marriott |
Datchet |
4 |
3 |
2 |
1 |
6 |
5 |
15 |
|
3 |
RS800 |
1083 |
Spod
Olive |
Jane
Olive |
Stokes Bay |
1 |
13 |
7 |
9 |
3 |
1 |
21 |
|
4 |
RS800 |
874 |
Jamie Reid |
Alistair Rose |
Society |
5 |
14 |
8 |
3 |
2 |
8 |
26 |
|
5 |
RS800 |
962 |
Nathan Batchelor |
James Clare |
Chew
Valley |
6 |
1 |
17 |
5 |
7 |
9 |
28 |
|
6 |
RS800 |
1089 |
Ian
Martin |
Claire Booth |
Bough Beech |
9 |
7 |
1 |
15 |
11 |
2 |
30 |
|
7 |
RS800 |
964 |
Charlie Roome |
Steve Hall |
Draycote |
8 |
8 |
5 |
14 |
4 |
7 |
32 |
|
8 |
RS800 |
1114 |
Andy
Jeffries |
Allyson Ody |
Eastbourne |
10 |
10 |
6 |
4 |
12 |
3 |
33 |
|
9 |
RS800 |
1010 |
Ollie Page |
Tom
Odell |
Lancing |
3 |
17 |
3 |
11 |
19 |
11 |
45 |
|
10 |
RS800 |
1087 |
Mick
Whitmore |
Sarah Smith |
Eastbourne |
7 |
15 |
12 |
6 |
17 |
6 |
46 |
|
11 |
RS800 |
890 |
Richard Keeton |
Helen Rumbold |
Lymington |
11 |
2 |
21 |
12 |
5 |
18 |
48 |
|
12 |
RS800 |
989 |
Ben
Scholing |
Tim
Hurst |
Datchet |
12 |
12 |
11 |
10 |
15 |
4 |
49 |
|
13 |
RS800 |
883 |
Kate
Gillow |
Andy
Griffith |
Draycote |
15 |
5 |
9 |
7 |
14 |
17 |
50 |
|
14 |
RS800 |
1074 |
Joe
Llewellyn |
Caroline Llewellyn |
Royal Torbay |
17 |
4 |
16 |
16 |
8 |
10 |
54 |
|
15 |
RS800 |
864 |
Adrian Coatsworth |
Julia Coatsworth |
Waldringfield |
14 |
20 |
13 |
13 |
9 |
13 |
62 |
|
16 |
RS800 |
892 |
David Pike |
Nick
Jenkins |
Eastbourne |
16 |
9 |
10 |
22 |
18 |
15 |
68 |
|
17 |
RS800 |
991 |
Max
Streeton |
Miles Roebuck |
Hayling Island |
20 |
21 |
18 |
8 |
16 |
14 |
76 |
|
18 |
RS800 |
1050 |
Jamie Hilton |
Tom
Street |
Datchet |
19 |
19 |
15 |
18 |
13 |
16 |
81 |
|
19 |
RS800 |
931 |
Matt
Sharman |
Jenny Brindle |
Delph |
13 |
22 |
19 |
19 |
10 |
DNC |
83 |
|
20 |
RS800 |
901 |
James Wilkes |
Edward Wilkes |
RSC |
18 |
11 |
14 |
DNC |
DNC |
DNC |
95 |
|
21 |
RS800 |
808 |
Daniel Tregaskes |
Polly Tregaskes |
Restronguet |
21 |
23 |
20 |
17 |
21 |
DNC |
102 |
|
22 |
RS800 |
908 |
Stuart Coles |
Claire Coles |
Emsworth Slipper |
24 |
18 |
22 |
21 |
22 |
DNC |
107 |
|
23 |
RS800 |
809 |
Bill
Smith |
Mandy Hindle |
Lymington |
22 |
24 |
23 |
20 |
20 |
DNC |
109 |
|
24 |
RS800 |
1011 |
James Ross |
Heather Back |
Weston |
23 |
16 |
25 |
DNC |
DNC |
DNC |
116 |
|
25 |
RS800 |
1105 |
Jane
Smithwick |
Nick
Hand |
Wimbleball |
25 |
25 |
24 |
DNC |
DNC |
DNC |
126 |
|
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Stokes Bay SC - 6th/7th May
Stokes Bay
Sailing Club played host to round three of the RS 800
Fat Face Racing circuit this weekend. After two days of
blistering sunshine and strong sea breezes the
forty-strong fleet had to settle for just five knots and
drizzling rain come Saturday morning!!
But spirits were far from dampened as the fleet took to
the water and the race officer did a sterling job of
bashing the races out……
Race One and judging by the 700s who went off before
hand, hitting the shore looked like a safe bet. Not so
good at the pin end though and spotting that was Ian
Martin and Claire Booth (Sail4Cancer) who shot out the
middle of the line with great pace and reached the top
mark with plenty in hand. Ben Schooling and stand-in
crew Paul Rigg pulled their kite up just metres behind,
while Charlie Roome and Steve Hall skirted round in
third spot.
End of lap three (we only ever do three laps don’t we!),
Martin/Booth (Sail4Cancer) crossed the finish line and
realised that there was still one lap to go! Cursing at
their schoolboy error they headed back up the course.
Final run and things were getting tight at the top!
After a bit of a gybing dual between the top three
places, Roome/Hall crossed the line in first place.
Schooling & Rigg maintained a very well sailed second
place while Martin & Booth (Sail4Cancer) had to settle
for third place this time.
Race two, a fresher breeze, but still the rain came
down! – Marginal twin stringing conditions in the puffs,
the crews finally got let out of the play pen! Top mark
and round in first was Stokes Bay locals Paddy Gamble
and Fiona Lockwood. Chasing hard, Justin Deal and Sarah
Marriott along with David and Fiona Sayce. Also well up
there in the leading pack, Schooling and Rigg fresh from
their second place and Highfield/Butcher. Hitting the
shore and keeping out of the tide was the only way to go
down the run.
The battle between the top markers continued for three
laps but coming out top to take the bullet was Deal &
Marriott. Sayce & Sayce cruised across the line to take
second place while Gamble and Lockwood clinched third. A
special mention must go to Spod and Jane Olive who's
seaman-like behaviour was impeccable! After three
attempts at rounding the penultimate leeward mark they
gave approximately twenty boats room inside, as counted
and verified at the video debrief!
Race three, dropping temperature, dropping wind speed
and still the rain came down!Rob Watson and James Holmes
won the start and raced off up the first beat
with some serious pace on the rest of the fleet. Gibbs
and Johnson from Starcross Sailing club showed excellent
speed, as did Coldridge and Collins from RORC. As the
wind became lighter large rafts of frustrated sailors
appeared at the leeward mark! The first involved the
usual front runners, and coming out of that one nicely
was fleet newcomer (as a helm anyway!) Jo Skinner who
took advantage of the floundering fools and sailed into
a comfortable second place!
As the bunch slowly filtered round (and Paddy did his
turns!) the next raft was on it's way, only three times
the size and made even more entertaining for the on
looking race committee by a ‘turtled’ 800 drifting
nicely into the middle of it all! Oh the fleet was on
form today!
By the end of the Race, Watson/Holmes stormed away to
take the most comfortable victory of the day.
Skinner/Skinner sailed over the line in second place and
Jo deserves huge congratulations for that result, the
highest placed female helm in the history of 800 racing!
Third place went to David and Fiona Sayce, 4th to
Highfield and Butcher.
Back to shore, warm showers and a video debrief from our
very own Spod Olive. Thanks to Roz Allen who did a fine
job of filming the fleet at its best and in some
instances, worst......
Ollie Page received the biggest applause of the night
for a double-whammy – not only did his recently re-glued
in main cleat pull out in race one (gel coat really
isn’t strong enough!) but he also capsized right on cue
for the camera. If only usual super-crew Tom was present
to see this, but sadly he had some repairs of his own to
take care of and missed the entire weekend…
While Stokes Bay's hospitality and Disco didn't go
un-noticed, most of the fleet disappeared pretty early
on in favour of a night in bed and not under canvas!
Day Two and the sun finally made an appearance, but the
wind did not! A couple of zephyrs enticed everyone onto
the water and while attempts to start the racing were
made, it was back to the shore for an ice cream break
and to re-apply the sun cream! The boredom of the
postponement was lifted by some on the water
entertainment in the form of single handed 800 sailing!
Thanks to James Ross, Ian Martin and Justin Deal for
that (700s for them next year!) Just as the 700s had
rolled up their sails a sea breeze from the east filled
in and it was business as usual!
Bang! Race four, 8 knots of breeze and blazing sunshine!
After a general recall to calm the fleet down, Stokes
Bay locals Spod and Jane Olive (Sola/Harken) made an
early break by hitching to the right hand side along
with Ian Martin and Claire Booth (Sail4Cancer)…
Definitely the right call to make, Martin and Booth lead
round the top mark, the Olives very close behind in
second. The chasing pack consisted of Gamble/Lockwood,
Sayce/Sayce, Deal/Marriott and Willows/Farnborough, all
sailing hard and not giving an inch….. Determined to get
all three races in the course was shortened after just
two laps and gave Martin/Booth (Sail4Cancer) a very well
deserved race win. Olive/Olive (Sola/Harken) crossed the
line in second, Deal/Marriott 3rd.
Race 5 and the breeze began to build as did the keenness
of the fleet! Two general recalls later (and the best of
the breeze now gone!) the race finally got off, but
leaving behind it many casualties of the dreaded black
flag!
Twin stringing up the first beat and first to the
windward mark was Neil Baker and Jimbo Hughes followed
closely by Charlie Roome and Steve Hall. But Deal &
Marriott’s Gybe-set at the top Mark that pulled them up
into top spot which they maintained to the finish line
and took the last bullet of the day. Baker& Hughes
finished just behind in second while Watson/Holmes took
3rd.
No time for race 6 and so after yet another weekend of
light wind action the results looked like this:
In first place overall, showing excellent consistency
and taking their first event win was Justin Deal and
Sarah Marriott. Ian Martin and Claire Booth
(Sail4Cancer) leapt up the leader board on the final day
with two great results and clinched second. Third place,
went to David and Fiona Sayce from Hayling Island who
sailed brilliantly in the light stuff.
The silver fleet was a closely fought battle with Simon
Grundy and Tom Sherrington taking top spot; Richard
Keeton and Helen Rumbold from Lymington took second.
A huge thank you to our race officer who succeeded in
firing out five races in some of the most challenging
conditions imaginable! A huge thanks also to Stokes Bay
Sailing club for hosting another superb event, and to
Fat Face for all their prizes. Round 4 of the RS 800 Fat
Face Racing Circuit takes place in the Yorkshire Dale on
the 3rd/4th June. See you all then!
Results
1 1054 G Deal Marriott Datchet Water 4 1 (6) 3 1 15 9
2 1089 G Martin Booth Bough Beech 3 (16) 9 1 5 34 18
3 985 G Sayce Sayce Hayling Island 10 2 3 5 (41) 61 20
4 1012 G Gamble Lochwood Stokes Bay 9 3 10 4 (41) 67 26
5 1076 G Watson Holmes Royal Lymington 11 (13) 1 13 3 41 28
6 964 G Roome Hall Draycote Water 1 12 11 (20) 4 48 28
7 921 G Gibbs Johnson Starcross 6 (9) 5 9 9 38 29
8 1075 G Baker Hughes Royal Corinthian (12) 6 12 11 2 43 31
9 989 G Schooling Rigg Datchet Water 2 5 18 8 (41) 74 33
10 1047 S Grundy Sherrington Hayling Island 8 7 13 (24) 6 58 34
11 962 G Batchelor Knight Chew Valley 5 (20) 7 10 14 56 36
12 890 S Keeton Rumbold Royal Lymington 7 8 (30) 7 16 68 38
13 1083 G Olive Olive Stokes Bay 16 14 8 2 (41) 81 40
14 848 G Highfield Butcher Waveney & Oulton 13 4 (15) 15 11 58 43
15 1114 G Jeffries Ody Eastbourne Sovereign 14 10 (26) 12 12 74 48
16 987 S Coleridge Collins RORC (31) 11 4 16 18 80 49
17 926 G Shires Shires Stokes Bay (41) 24 20 6 10 101 60
18 919 S Skinner Skinner Datchet Water (41) 25 2 17 20 105 64
19 955 G Smith Davison Stokes Bay 23 17 (41) 18 8 107 66
20 1110 G Clampett Clark Stokes Bay 15 19 (24) 23 17 98 74
21 892 S Pike Jerkins Eastbourne Sovereign 19 22 23 (30) 13 107 77
22 968 S Steed Procter Stokes Bay 22 (30) 14 25 21 112 82
23 882 G White Cruttenden Stokes Bay 21 23 19 19 (41) 123 82
24 991 S Streeton Roebuck Hayling Island (30) 29 16 22 22 119 89
25 1078 S Willows Farnborough Gurnard 27 21 (41) 41 7 137 96
26 824 S Barnicoat Barnicoat Restronguet 20 (33) 27 28 23 131 98
27 1087 G Whitmore Smith Eastbourne Sovereign 18 18 25 (41) 41 143 102
28 808 S Tregaskes Tregaskes Restronguet (33) 27 31 26 19 136 103
29 833 S Baker Evans Mounts Bay 29 (35) 32 21 24 141 106
30 836 S Buchanan Buchanan Oxford 32 28 (41) 32 15 148 107
31 972 S Simmonds Judd Hayling Island 25 15 (41) 27 41 149 108
32 1077 G Taylor Taylor Datchet Water 28 31 21 29 (41) 150 109
33 1011 G Ross Back Weston 17 26 29 (41) 41 154 113
34 1097 G Willis Moody Lymington Town 24 34 17 (41) 41 157 116
35 873 S Sickboy Broughton Weston 26 32 22 (41) 41 162 121
36 864 S Coatsworth Coatsworth Waldringfield (41) 41 41 14 41 178 137
37 1067 S Nieveen Fotherby Stokes Bay (41) 41 41 31 25 179 138
38 908 S Coles Johnston Emsworth Slipper (41) 36 28 41 41 187 146
39 1105 S Hand Hirons Wimbleball Lake (41) 37 41 41 41 201 160
40 1010 G Page Baldwin Lancing (41) 41 41 41 41 205 164
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Yorkshire Dales SC - 3rd/4th June
The recently
re-branded Yorkshire Dales Sailing Club on Grimwith
Reservoir played host to the fourth round of the Fat
Face RS800 circuit. It was an early start for some of
the eleven boats who made the trip from as far as
Lymington and Dalgety Bay to join the 4 local boats. A
special mention must go to Bjoern & Moana Monico who had
travelled from Germany to purchase a new Hobie FX but
when it wasn’t ready they bought an 800 instead! Those
who made the effort were blessed with champagne sailing
conditions, F3-4, brilliant sunshine and some very close
racing.
The race officer managed to squeeze a decent sized
course in utilising the full extant of the reservoir and
making pre-start manoeuvring between the line and shore
pretty tricky. Race 1 and off the line it was Ian
Martin/Claire Booth Sail4Cancer who got away best to
lead round the windward mark with the chasing pack in
close pursuit. Positions 2nd-6th changed frequently
round the never-ending 5 laps with boats benefiting from
the bands of wind filling down both sides of course. By
the finish Martin/Booth had extended their lead to a
comfortable victory with Nathan Bachelor/James Clark
picking up 2nd, Spod and Jane Olive Sola/Harken 3rd and
Ben Schooling/Tim Hirst 4th.
Race 2 and it was again Martin/Booth who took an early
lead hooking up a nice band of breeze which carried them
into the mark. Half way up the second beat in 3rd place
Schooling/Hirst were forced to take an early bath after
the rig gave way spectacularly at the lower spreaders –
a disappointing end to the weekend for them. By the end
of the 4 laps it was again Martin/Booth who took line
honours with Adrian and Julia Coatsworth sailing a great
race to finish 2nd and the Olives again in 3rd.
Race 3 and the breeze had built slightly to around 15kts
and shifted to the left, which made a great spectacle
(from the shore!) to watch the boats twin wiring round
the narrow course. Another close battle ensued with Spod
& Jane showing great boat speed round the drag race
course to come out on top at the finish with
Martin/Booth a close second and the Coatsworths sailing
well to pick up 3rd.
Saturday evening saw the majority of the travelled fleet
converge at the quaint village of Appletreewick to
sample the cherry beer in the local pub before retiring
to the field/campsite for a reasonably early night.
Sunday dawned overcast with a light breeze and
occasional rain threatening to kill the wind completely.
Racing was postponed for around an hour and by the start
the breeze had filled in. The Olives took an early lead
and pulled out a substantial gap until the wind switched
off on the second beat and with the windward mark tucked
close under the dam the rest of the fleet caught up.
When the new breeze filled in from the left it was the
Coatsworths who benefited first and managed to nip round
the mark a sail off downwind into a convincing lead to
take their first race win of the series. Ross McKerchar
/ Stu Gardiner from Dalgety Bay going great guns in the
lighter breeze were next to pick up the shift and
rounded just ahead of Spod to take 2nd with Spod having
to settle for a frustrating 3rd, Martin/Booth 4th.
The breeze built and stabilised for race 2 and by the
second beat it was marginal twin wiring conditions. The
battle of the grey kites ensued with Martin/Booth,
McKerchar/Gardiner and locals Mike Saul & Sophie Hartley
all contesting the lead. By the third lap Martin/Booth
had pulled out a narrow lead but McKerchar/Gardiner
sailed a superb last run to take line honours by ducking
low for the line. Saul/Hartley showed good pace to
maintain their third from the chasing Olives.
The final race of the weekend saw the return of the sun
to provide some near perfect sailing conditions. The
Coatsworths rounded in 1st just ahead of locals Andrew
Foulds & Oliver Dewhurst who sailed a great first beat.
A tactical downwind leg followed which saw Spod round
the gate narrowly ahead of Saul/Hartley and Mckerchar/Gardiner
and these positions remained unchanged to the finish.
Martin/Booth Sail4Cancer crossed in 4th but had already
secured the event after the 5th race so congratulations
to them for their first Fat Face RS800 circuit win. Spod
and Jane Olive Sola/Harken were a point behind in 2nd.
The third place position couldn’t have been closer
between the Coatsworths and McKerch | | | |