Results / Gul Inland Championships Chew Valley Lake SC - 19/10/2013

Gul RS200 2013  Inland Championships at Chew Valley, 19 and 20 October 2013

Chew Valley Lake is as cute as an Idaho prom date in bobby sox, but in places just as shallow. This limitation meant the 65 boats raced in 4 flights. This arrangement renders my race report pretty tricky - I was only in half the races. So, to avoid boring you too much, I can only describe our experience and you can draw some inference from the results. 

Oh – and pictures: there was a man there with an improbably large telephoto lens – do get in touch with RS! So, Chew Valley is very picturesque. If you have never been there,

My very game shipmate, who has only been racing 3 months and sailing not much longer, is also lighter than a Kleenex. Can’t say I am that much heavier. This is good for outrageous offwind malarkey in the force 3-5+ zipping off the Mendips. Well, save that her helm managed to bin it on a couple of gybes.

Also, race 3 saw the kind of squall that buggered belief. It had the sort of horizontal rain that gets under your eyelids, and turned the start area into RS200 soup.

Day 2 was forecast to be breezier: probably was, but at least it was more consistent and manageable for limp-wristed types like me. Sacrificial spinnaker was in order. Fun, though I may get wheels on my keel next time I go there.

Overall, the race management was excellent, and both the wet and dry teams are to be congratulated. The line was mostly bob-on, and there wasn’t any messing around between races. We all know the horror of crew progressively going paler than something on a mortuary slab, whilst watching a seemingly slack-jawed yom-yom in a committee boat brandish a wind indicator for half an hour … and not actually move the line or windward mark one iota. (I know, I know, they all do their best ....) So full marks and a cigar to the race team. I was party to one general recall, but didn’t see any black flags (though that doesn’t mean there weren’t any).

Results speak volumes for the competitive nature of the 200 fleet . Matt Mee and Emma Norris repeated their Not-Inlands success earlier this year – just - by dint of more wins from Chris Catt and Ally Martin who were on equal points. The latter team won the Bolle series overall.

Andy and Jill Peters were third by one point, but now are Cherubing – and will sadly miss the SEAS RS200 finale at Wembley this Sunday, 27 October. Forecast looks like an atomic westerly blowing straight down the lake. £200 of Rooster prizes up for grabs, £15 entry (a tenner if 3 or more boats from your club attend), and the clocks go back so you’ve an extra hour in bed for the 11 am start ...more details at http://www.wembleysailingclub.co.uk/Downloads/2013/RS200%20Open%2027%20October%202013.pdf   or just www.wembleysailingclub.co.uk

Thank you to Julian for sending in the report

As there were seperate flights we also have a report from Andrew Peters

Grey sky lay low over the hills surrounding Chew Valley Lake as over 130 RS sailors arrived for their Inland Championships.  After a briefing warning sailors to beware of the Pikeys on the lake (some kind of coarse fishermen apparently, distinguishable from their refined trout fishing cousins as the ones who don’t fiddle with their flies.)  At least there were no killer shrimp this year.  The lake we were warned contained hidden shallows to trap the unwary sailor and due to the lack of water (in the lake not from the sky) the fleet was split into flights.
 
Nevertheless the wind was in a good direction enabling a long windward/leeward course to be set on both days.   Strong enough generally to stretch everyone’s hiking muscles and occasionally strong enough to clench other muscles too.  Saturday was enlivened by a particularly viscous rain squall during the 3rd race which caught everyone’s attention.  A squall so dense it hurt and caused more than a few to see if they could catch a few fish themselves.
 
The racing over the weekend was dominated by 4 teams who were separated by just one point at the end of the 6 races.  Eddie Whitehead and Tobytastic revelled in Sundays conditions to smash in three ‘on the water’ wins.  Unfortunately an OCS in the first race put paid to their chances and they could only finish 4th with 9 points.  Also on 9 points counting 3 race wins were Andrew and Jill Peters.  Just one point ahead Chris Catt and Ally Martin, with no result lower than second,  lost out on count back to the event winners Matt Mee and Emma Norris who added the Inland title to the National title they won in August.
The silver fleet was almost as hard fought with Sam Thopmson and Leanne Hibbard beating Darren McNamara and Alistair Norris by 2.5 points.  Bronze was won by Orkun Soyer and Ismail Inan in 28th position.
 
The club were very hospitable and apparently the 2’s will be back to Chew next year.  £1.90 a pint in the club bar proving an irresistible lure.  However despite Pete Vincent going home for the evening the club ran out of rum.  A lesson for next year perhaps – stock up the rum and please fill up the lake.