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Result Details

Event name: RS Racing Circuit
Date: 18 April 2009
Type:
Club: Highcliffe Sailing Club
Classtype:RS200 , see more results
RS 200
Ben Saxton (1328), event winner with lots to do in Race 3
© Peter Bell

A glorious weekend was enjoyed by the 35 RS200s who descended on Highcliffe Sailing Club on 18/19 April 2009. With little breeze forecast the week before, the fleet was met with a good F2-4 and sun cream requiring strength sunshine all weekend.

 

With the breeze from the northwest (offshore) and around 10 – 12 knots, race one started and, three quarters of the way up the beat those on the right were looking good. However, a huge 50 degree shift to the left, which set the tone for the weekend, saw those on the left let out of jail. James Stewart/Eluned Jones took full advantage to win, followed closely by Ben Saxton/Kate McGregor in 2nd and, in a rare appearance, Hamish Calder/Severine Rees-Jones 3rd.

Race two started in slightly less breeze, but with some interesting shifts and puffs coming off the shore. Calder/Rees-Jones showed they had lost none of their skills by winning comfortably. Saxton/McGregor were a consistent 2nd again while Trudie Fell/Rachel Jones showed the boys how to read the shifts best to finish 3rd.

With a little sea mist rolling across the course, the PRO sneaked in a final race for the day. The first beat saw a good breeze and Saxton/McGregor take the early lead. However, as the leaders approached the 2nd leeward mark, the breeze decided to play some cruel games. The final leg started normally, but soon saw a 180 degree shift and spinnakers popping up on the ‘beat’, with the fleet concertinaing together nicely. Saxton/McGregor held their nerve to take the win, but behind chaos reigned. Fell/Jones masterly decided to sail round the outside of the stationary fleet to go from the mid twenties and steal 2nd place, while James Peters/Alan Roberts just held on for 3rd. An exhausted fleet then had a long sail in, hoping the wind would reappear on Sunday.

The prayers were answered Sunday morning with a lovely F4 blowing, although still coming off the northwest shore. Big shifts were again the order of the day, with those boats who could sniff them out generally ending up smelling of roses.

Saxton/McGregor stamped their authority all over the fleet recording a 2nd and 1st in the first two races of the day to win the event overall with a race to spare. Behind them the form book of the fleet returned a little, with Peters/Roberts recording a 1st and 2nd and Dave Hivey/Emma Clarke taking two thirds in the first two races of the day.

The final race of the day saw the fleet being a little over eager to start (was it the hangovers kicking in or too much sun affecting them?), resulting in 14 boats being OCS or having a 20% penalty. Hivey/Clarke kept cool to finish the weekend on a high with a first place, Saxton/McGregor had another 2nd and James Boyce/Sam Tozer finally found the throttle pedal to take 3rd.

At the final count, Saxton/McGregor were comfortable winners, showing great consistency in the tricky conditions. Peters/Roberts pulled through to finish 2nd, just two points in front of Hivey/Clarke in 3rd.

The silver fleet was won by Karen Baker/Ed Whitehead, a heady 8th o/a, from John Teague/Lynn Billowes, while Matt Sheahan/Ellie Sheahan won a tightly contested bronze fleet from Neil Chadborn/Lucy Hall.

Overall, a cracking weekend, with many thanks to all at Highcliffe SC, especially PRO Peter Bell and the mark laying team, for running great racing in some tricky breeze and providing such warm hospitality (and having such a cheap bar!). Next racing circuit event is up north at Yorkshire Dales SC on 9/10th May.
 

Rank Fleet SailNo Helm Crew Club R1 R2 R3 R4 R5 R6
1 Gold 1328 Ben Saxton Kate Macgregor Grafham Water SC / Poole SC -2 2 1 2 1 2
2 Gold 1350 James Peters Alan Roberts Hayling Island SC 4 6 3 1 2 (OCS)
3 Gold 1323 David Hivey Emma Clarke West Lancashire YC / Army SA 5 -7 6 3 3 1
4 Gold 1088 James Boyce Sam Tozer Papercourt SC 15 5 4 9 -21 3
5 Gold 900 Hamish Calder Severine Reed-Jones Royal Highland YC 3 1 21 7 7 (OCS)
6 Gold 1329 Trudie Fell Rachel Jones Burghfield 20 3 2 -30 4 11.0 ZFP
7 Gold 1165 Ian Pickard Karen Falcon Burghfield SC -26 23 7 5 5 6
8 Silver 345 Karen Baker Ed Whitehead Parkstone SC 7 -33 15 10 6 8
9 Gold 988 Chris Martin Vicki Fairhurst Burghfield SC 9 4 10 13 11 (OCS)
10 Gold 1301 Pete Vincent Tessa Nicholls Bristol Corinthian YC 10 10 5 12 10 (OCS)
11 Silver 481 John Teague Lynn Billowes Bristol Corinthinan YC 8 12 -19 16 15 9
12 Gold 1130 Rob Janering Mariantre Evangeledis Wembley SC 6 18 (DNF) 17 13 14
13 Silver 1325 Charlotte Savage Darren McNamara Bristol Corinthian YC -29 8 20 14 9 17
14 Gold 1049 Jane Olive Clare Sargent Thorney Island SC 12 -28 12 8 17 19
15 Gold 953 Nick Charles Helen Wightman Littleton SC 18 13 29 4 8 (OCS)
16 Silver 1293 Andrew Boyce Clare Michelmore Papercourt SC 17 15 8 22 -23 12
17 Silver 529 Toby Ashton Rachel Ashton Burghfield SC 19 16 -28 18 12 11
18 Silver 464 Liz Teague Pete Cruickshank Bristol Corinthian YC 13 17 -30 11 22 15
19 Silver 1285 Paul Teague Pat Teague Bristol Corinthian YC 23 11 22 19 -27 7
20 Silver 584 Paul Whitsread Helen Winward Burghfield SC 21 -30 24 20 14 5
21 Silver 1157 Josh Flack Tom Brophy Parkstone SC 11 14 11 24 24 (OCS)
22 Silver 1336 Roy McCubbin Kirsty McSeveney Strathclyde Loch SC 16 22 25 6 16 (OCS)
23 Silver 537 Clive Eplett Bryony Gregory Frensham Pond SC 14 9 14 23 28 (OCS)
24 Silver 533 Nicola Russell David Royse Oxford SC 24 20 9 25 19 (OCS)
25 Silver 640 Katherine Lovering Ellie Martin BurghField SC (OCS) 21 27 15 18 16
26 Bronze 888 Matt Sheahan Ellie Sheahan Netley SC 22 29 13 29 -32 21
27 Silver 858 Paul Lewis Felicity Pearson Emsworth SC 32 25 18 21 20 (OCS)
28 Bronze 604 Neil Chadborn Lucy Hall Torpoint Mosquito SC 25 24 (DNF) 31 26 18
29 Bronze 1164 Emma Johnson Penny Johnson SCSC 30 27 17 27 25 (OCS)
30 Bronze 832 Wes Kanguizs Jo Kanguizs Bristol Corinthian YC 28 32 (DNF) 28 33 10
31 Silver 1319 Lucy Matthews Stephen Glennie Royal Navy SC 27 26 16 26 (DNC) DNC
32 Bronze 803 Dan Wealthy Alex Wealthy Highcliffe SC 33 34 23 (DNF) 29 13
33 Bronze 593 Chris Bower Mick Church Parkstone SC / S Cerney SC 31 19 26 32 30 (OCS)
34 Gold 1203 James Stewart Eluned Stewart RYA 1 31 (DNF) DNC DNC DNC
35 Bronze 1299 Juan Isidro Alex Isidro Wembley SC (OCS) 35 31 33 31 ZFP
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