Results / Open Aberdeen & Stonehaven YC - 11/08/2012

RS 200 Open Frensham Pond SC, 7^th March 2010 - report by Bruce Hill.

Isn’t it ironic that whatever date is set for the dinghy show you could almost be guaranteed a perfect sunny sailing day and this was no exception for the RS 200 open held at Frensham. A bitterly cold crisp wind greeted the small but elite fleet of 12 competitors with a North Easterly blowing at 18-22 knots.

The racing was close with regularly changing places, especially downwind. Correct angles, combined with catching one of the many gusts and shifts secured many place gains and good crew work was vital.  The youngest crew on the day, 8 year old Nathan Allen, was very pleased to be in 2^nd place at the first windward mark in race one, but his dad Mo lost out on the downwind leg.  There were some very entertaining manoeuvres especially at the leeward gate just metres from the nice warm clubhouse. 

Roger Gilbert/Jane Willan soon established their dominance though with two bullets followed by another in the third race. Second place was close though between Katrina Gilbert/Jenny Rust and David Royce/ Nicola Russell.  The latter had to complete a 720 at the spreader mark in the third race dropping from 2^nd place to 2^nd from the back and made a remarkable recovery back to third with frequent downwind gybing and planing.

The final race saw a slightly depleted fleet and notably longer laps as tiredness set in and Katrina Gilbert/Jenny Rust secured the win giving them 2^nd overall leaving a close 3rd to the first visitors David Royce/Nicola Russell.