We finally managed to kick off the inaugural Itchenor Sailing Club RS200 Winter Warmer on the 1^st & 2^nd of Feb after losing the first weekend in Jan to storms.

Whilst Saturday was a blow out with gusts of nearly 40 knots and a tide that came well over the jetty, Sunday proved to be a perfect 12-16 knots with a strong tide. RO Roger Yeoman managed to fit in 4 back to back 20 minute races in a corner by Rookwood for the 8 boats.

In the 1st race it was slightly pin end bias and Ben Palmer & Lucy Preston went of winning that end. However it was not enough to get across the midline starters and it was George Yeoman & Sophie Ormsby who led at the top mark followed by Ben & Lucy. By lap 3 Tim Saxton & Holly Scott had managed to pull through to 2nd place and Ben & Lucy finished 3rd.

Boom cam video from race 1:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hECjVxly8mk

Race 2 again was slightly pin end bias and this time George & Sophie who won the pin however could not quite get across the starboard tackers again. So it was Ben & Lucy at the top mark 1st but George & Sophie just managed to squeeze inside to block the tack, however ended up hitting the mark after misjudging the tide. This meant Ben & Lucy led from James Rusden & Will Rusden, followed by Tim & Holly. On the run the Rusdens managed to squeeze past Ben & Lucy to take the lead which they extended till the finish.

Boom cam video from race 2:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=umDwhyGbi4k

Race 3 was starboard end bias and George & Sophie managed to come in late and squeeze out Nick Charles at the boat end. After a bit of a tacking dual up the beat it was George & Sophie followed by Nick and this stayed the way the whole way round the course with a bit of elastic keeping them together. While a close race between the Rusdens, Tim & Holly and Ben & Lucy rounded off the top 5.

Boom cam video from race 3:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JYaRbnKB6Dc

Race 4 was a fairly square line with Tim & Holly winning the pin and George & Sophie winning the boat end. Tim & Holly decided to tack early and duck the Rusdens and George & Sophie and this ended paying off as they came in on the starboard lay line to lead at the top mark. A tacking match up the next few beats led to Tim & Holly held on to their lead whilst being closely followed by George & Sophie. The Rusdens finished 3rd.

Boom cam video from race 4:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fnkBlk-nF48

The final weekend of the Itchenor SC RS200 Winter Warmer could not have had 2 more contrasting days.  Saturday saw 11 boats turn out to the race course and they were greeted with 7 knots and glorious sunny weather. Sunday had 14 boats and a strong south-westerly 17-24 knots.

4 races were completed on Saturday with 20 minute windward-leeward races.

Race 1 saw Tim Saxton & Tim Goodhew lead at the windward mark and hung on the right hand side of the run to try and cheat the tide.  George Yeoman & Sophie Ormsby gybed across early to the left with Rob Struckett & Isabel Elliman and found an eddy in the tide.  This allowed them to take 1 & 2 which they held till the end of the race.

Race 2 and Tim & Tim won the start to lead at the top mark again this time they made no mistake and stayed left down the run and extended whilst Ben Palmer & Lucy Preston managed to over haul Neil Barrett & Sophie Jones at the last leeward make to take 2^nd.

Race 3 and this time George & Sophie managed to get away off the pin and led at the windward mark, gybe setting off to the favoured left hand side with Imogen Stanley & Olly Spensly-Corfield.  Ben & Lucy and Maria Stanley & Jon Pinner came across the tide on a nice gust and managed to squeeze through to 2^nd & 3^rd by the bottom mark.  George & Sophie led to the finish, whilst a battle ensued behind between Ben & Lucy and Maria & Jon.  Maria & Jon managed to squeeze through on the final downwind to take 2^nd.

Race 4 saw Ben & Lucy lead around the first windward mark closely followed by Rob & Isabel, George & Sophie and Maria & Jon. Rob & Isabel decided to break right down the run after the windward mark had drifted upwind and this looked very good until the final 3^rd of the run where George & Sophie and Maria & Jon over took.  Up the next beat the mark had been moved back downwind again, but unfortunately Ben & Lucy missed how far it had been moved and this let George & Sophie through to take the gun.

On Sunday there was a question on whether the wind would pick up to the expected 30 knots, but luckily some Itchenor members agreed to help with extra rescue cover and this allowed the 14 boats to complete 3 races.

Race 5 and Tim & Tim once again won the pin end and led by a good distance at the windward mark.  Behind a group of boats fought over the remaining places with Tom Morris & Emma Porteous leading from Ben & Lucy.  Up the 2^nd beat George & Sophie managed to close the gap to Tom & Emma overhauling Ben & Lucy, and then managing to squeak through to 2^nd down the run.  Ben & Lucy managed to take 3^rd at the expenses of Tom & Emma who had a slight horizontal incident at the leeward mark, resulting in a swim.

Race 6 and the wind had increased slightly and the top mark saw a close rounding with Tim & Tim leading from George & Sophie, Maria & Jon and James & Will Rusden.  On the first run a change of places saw Maria & Jon overtake the group with James & Will coming in 2^nd.  Up the next beat George & Sophie and Tim & Tim split left while Maria & Jon and James & Will carried on right and at the next cross they had 1^st and 2^nd.  George & Sophie then extended down the next run to win the race with Tim & Tim 2^nd with Maria & Jon 3^rd.

In race 7 the tide had turned making some very choppy conditions which made downwind quite frisky.  Tom & Emma led with Maria & Jon, Ben Ainsworth & Imogen Stanley, Ben & Lucy and George & Sophie all close behind until George & Sophie capsized on the leeward mark making mark rounding difficult for the following boats.  Tim & Tim made the most of their extra weight up the next beat to pull up to 4^th and right behind the leading group, and then sneak past on the final downwind. Ben & Lucy took 2^nd with Tom & Emma 3^rd.

This was the final weekend of the inaugural Itchenor RS200 Winter Warmer and with 14 boats racing on the last day it had to be said it was a great success.  Many many thanks must go to the PRO Roger Yeoman who ran all the racing often from a RIB on his own and it would not have been possible to have such great racing.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UNuJ318JB7o&list=UUK0h2Yj6jcyeXGeITonYnOA