Results / RS Fat Face Circuit Highcliffe SC - 28/09/2002

The final round of the RS200 Fat Face Racing Circuit was held at Highcliffe SC on Sept 28/29. This was the first visit to Highcliffe for any RS Circuit event and Highcliffe turned on a wonderful show by both ordering glorious weather and supplying great race management. Saturday featured blue skies and a force 2-3 from the Southeast whilst the fleet was distressed to find totally clear blue skies and a force 4 from the South east with god waves on Sunday. Most people spent the weekend pinching themselves that it was virtually October whilst wishing they had packed the sun block. Highcliffe Race Officer used these conditions well to set excellent courses all weekend. Doing well in the 28 boat fleet was going to be difficult as 6 of the top ten at the Nationals were competing and so it proved. Race 1 featured a close battle between National Champions Tom and Jo Hewitson and Pete Vincent/Trudie Danbury with the lead swapping three times on the final run before the Hewitsons won. Simon Gillow/Tracey Hill stormed the first beat in race 2 but had to settle for second place when David Giles/Fiona Clark pulled through on the runs. Race 3 felt like a repeat of the Nationals with the Hewitsons just winning from Giles with Vincent third. The Hewitsons were in a strong position overall overnight which they improved even further by winning the first race on Sunday with Giles again second and Jon Lewis, with new crew Camille Parsons, third. Giles led race 5 but lost out as Vincent/Danbury telly tubbied their way from 6th to 1st on the first run to win the race. The Hewitsons though were always in the hunt and finished second just ahead of Lewis. This gave the Hewitsons the event with a race to spare. Race 6 looked like being a repeat of race 5; Giles and Harry/Prue Roome were 1.2 at the first mark but again Vincent blasted round the outside of the leading group. Martyn Jones/Claire Rowbottom sailed an even better first run and pulled through from 10th to lead. On the second run they pulled out a big lead and won convincingly from Lewis and Vincent. The Hewitsons won by a good distance overall with Giles getting the better of Lewis on discard, Vincent fourth, the very consistent Ollie Holden/Sarah Freestone 5th with Sarah Taylor/Karen Baker continuing their impressive performance at the Nationals with sixth place. Jon Lewis and Paula Hall were very clear winners of the Fat Face Circuit with Steve Dunn/Dottie Cormack just winning the scrap for second overall from Ian Pickard/Laurie Dunn and Pete Vincent/Trudie Danbury.