Results / Gul RS200 Winter Championships Draycote Water SC - 21/02/2004
OK, I know it was the winter championships but did the weather have to so
conclusively prove it was winter; it would have been warmer if the lake
was covered in ice. The weather forecasters were spot on but it was
almost as if the fleet did not believe them as remarkably 44 boats took
to the water for the first points race.
With a 18-24 knot gusty breeze from the north east straight from Lapland
it was very cold stood on the shore but at least some full on competitive
racing kept most of the competitors warm. Race 1 and current National
Champions David Giles/Fiona Clark started the new season where they
finished last, winning just ahead of Jon Lewis/ Mad Millie with Mike
Saul/ Sophie Hartley third and Patrick Altoft/Debbie Greeenland fourth.
The wind was more constant for the second race and saw a close race early
on with the same leading contenders. Lewis looked to be gaining the edge
until Saul went further left on a run to win from Lewis. Marshall and
Heather King gained third from Pete Vincent/Eluned Jones fourth with
Giles slipping to fifth. Race 3 was the closest of the day with Giles,
Lewis, Saul and Vincent constantly swapping places. Saul really decided
the issue on the final run coming through to win by a good margin with
Vincent equally comfortable in second, Giles third and the Kings fourth.
Sunday was crazy with 20-30 knots of wind from the north, big lumps of
nasty wind that constantly arrived at exactly the wrong moment and a wind
chill factor that freezed your bits off before you left the changing
room. It really did become a question of last boat standing and a war of
attrition with even the first three boats overall sitting out a race each
during the day. Only 5 boats completed all three races. The stars of the
day were James Stewart/ Sam Littlejohn who scored 1.1.3, winning the
middle race even after a spectacular wipe out downwind. Steve Dunn/ Andy
Robertson had a disaster on Saturday but scored 4.4.2 on Sunday, which
would have been even better if they had not wrapped their leeward
spinnaker sheet around the stretcher mark at full tilt. Giles and Clark
really pulled the event out of the bank with a second and first in the
last two races. This left them tied with Saul and Hartley on 12 points
and with two race wins each but gained overall victory by having one more
second place.
The merit price popularly went to Sarah Allen/Pippa Williams, 18.5 stone
when wet they scored two top ten results in the strongest wind. The race
team of Chris Avery/Bob Craggs and the rescue boat teams deserve full
praise for running racing over great courses in such conditions; it could
not have been pleasant on the committee boat.
The Fat Face Racing Circuit starts at Carsington on March 20/21 with a
big fleet expected but can we turn on the heaters now.
1 17 753 D Giles F Clark Weir Wood 1 5 3
DNS 2 1 12
2 12 876 M Saul S Hartley Grimwith 3 1
1 3 DNS 4 12
3 38 858 J Lewis M Parsons Burghfield 2 2
7 2 3 DNS 16
4 33 845 J Stewart S Littlejohn Stokes Bay 9
9 5 1 1 3 19
5 11 901 I Pickard N Vidal Bristol Corinthian 6
11 6 DNS 5 5 33
6 39 920 M Harrison J Olden Gurnard 11 12 10
7 6 6 40
7 34 702 M Dencher A Harding Chew Valley Lake
DNF 16 12 12 9 8 57
8 13 743 A Riley J Marsden Stewartby 16 18
9 DNS 11 7 61
9 26 777 P Vincent E Jones Bristol Corinthian 10
4 2 5 DNS DNS 66
10 1 880 S Allen P Williams Hamble River 20 7
18 9 12 DNS 66
11 6 771 M King H King Datchet DNF 3 4
DNF 8 9 69
12 19 359 C Humphrey S Humphrey Bristol Corinthian
12 DNF 14 11 7 DNS 89
13 40 789 S Dunn C Upton Brown Bristol Corinthian
DNF DNF DNF 4 4 2 100
14 35 846 J Stephens R Sault Penzance DNF 21
21 8 DNS 10 105
15 24 852 P Altoft D Greenland Ripon 4 8
8 DNS DNS DNS 110
16 21 739 A Robertson C King Bowmoor 5 15 11
DNS DNS DNS 121
17 30 927 T Danbury G Ryder Bristol Corinthian 14
13 16 DNS DNS DNS 133
18 27 663 T Vance D Snutch Wanlip 25 29 24
13 DNS DNS 136
19 14 888 A Hartley E Hartley Ripon 15 20
15 DNS DNS DNS 140
20 29 369 C Pilling N Phillips Adams Waveney &
Oulton Broad 22 17 13 DNS DNS DNS 142
21 2 821 C Staite J Sutor Bartley 8 DNF
DNS 6 DNS DNS 149
22 22 863 A Perry M Faulkner Wembley 23 19 17
DNS DNS DNS 149
23 9 854 L Sydenham A Vaudry Stokes Bay 7
10 DNF DNS DNS DNS 152
24 23 695 P Dorer I Robertson Bowmoor 13 6
DNF DNS DNS DNS 154
25 44 831 Competitor 44 DNS DNS
DNS 10 10 DNS 155
26 28 912 C Hayward S Webb Staunton Harold 26 28
19 DNS DNS DNS 163
27 5 357 C Moore S Craig Redesmere 29 27 22
DNS DNS DNS 168
28 37 841 J Thompson R Thompson Ripon 18 25
DNF DNS DNS DNS 178
29 25 929 L Ratcliffe G Pawson Tollesbury
DNF 22 23 DNS DNS DNS 180
30 15 835 C Muir J Sands Draycote Water DNF 26 20
DNS DNS DNS 181
31 41 895 B Jordan D Taylor Draycote Water 24
24 DNF DNS DNS DNS 183
32 42 420 S Howell G Oakley Wembley 28 23
DNF DNS DNS DNS 186
33 20 896 S Antonelli J Lloyd Littleton DNF 14
DNF DNS DNS DNS 194
34 36 905 M Burgoine J Field Draycote Water 17
DNS DNF DNS DNS DNS 197
35 10 383 P Goodwin Jodi Dyer Draycote Water 19
DNF DNF DNS DNS DNS 199
36 16 392 B Alexander L Alexander Deben 21
DNF DNS DNS DNS DNS 201
37 8 341 D Barker S Barker Draycote Water 27
DNF DNS DNS DNS DNS 207
38 7 773 P Sowden D Sowden Highcliffe
DNF DNS DNS DNS DNS DNS 225
38 3 542 M Carleton L Carleton Shoreham
DNF DNS DNS DNS DNS DNS 225
38 4 391 C Smith L Turner Draycote Water DNF
DNS DNS DNS DNS DNS 225
38 18 815 M Wright H Grice MBSC DNF DNF
DNS DNS DNS DNS 225
38 43 922 M Rome A Tunningley Ripon DNF DNF
DNF DNS DNS DNS 225
38 31 212 E Clarke P Cruickshank Bristol Corinthian
DNF DNF DNS DNS DNS DNS 225
38 32 907 B Aarons L Anderson Gurnard DNF
DNF DNF DNS DNS DNS 225