Results / Southern Championship Parkstone YC - 20/06/2015

 

Great RS Southern Championships this weekend 20-21 June at Parkstone YC.  RS100s, RS200s, RS300s, RS400s, RS500s and RS800s made up the 114 RS dinghies competing in 6 races on 2 race tracks in Poole Bay.  Thanks to Race Officers Bryan Drake and Richard Whitworth for setting courses that enabled so many different types of RS dinghies to have such great racing throughout the weekend.

 

Parkstone YC hosted the fleet splendidly with delicious food throughout the weekend.  Saturday night we had a great party to Jay Tamkin's fab band Dfunk.

 

Superb photos from David Harding at Sailing Scenes.  All the weeked's photos will be available to purchase at sailingscenes.com

 

The results are thanks to Tom Bufton.

 

Click on your fleet report to be taken to its top.  Only the RS500 report isoutstanding now.

 

All the results are underneath the reports.  I am working on the anchor links.  But for now I am afraid you will have to scroll through them all.

 

RS100 Report

 

RS200 Report

RS300 Report

 

RS400 Report

 

RS800 Report

 

RS100 Southern Championship 20-21 June Parkstone YC by Clive Eplett

 

A fleet of 16 8.4 rig RS100s appeared for the RS Southerns held at Parkstone YC.  The usual suspects were nearly all in attendance, boosted by, among others, three always fast but reluctant to travel Parkstone boats.  One notable exception was your usual correspondent David Smartie-blue-stripe.  Given David and Greg Booth are seldom more than 5 boats apart at any regatta, would Greg be able to cope without his Daemon?

 

For most of the week, the forecast had been for a light to moderate breeze, but happily there was sufficient to heat up downwind, with the breeze blowing off the shore providing some interesting shifts. 

 

Race 1: It’s always good to get an event kicked off with a nice clean start.  Oops.  Accounts differ as to the chain of events, but the upshot of a 10-seconds-to-go tangle-up included Al Dickson capsizing (and his favourite cap completely disappearing), Hywel Roberts breaking his tiller extension and Clive Eplett doing a penalty turn having failed to keep clear of Neil Freeman to leeward.  We never have this trouble when the Parkstone fleet are absent.

 

Meantime. the rest of the fleet sailed off, with Tom Powell from Cardiff YC leading around the first mark, closely followed by a pack comprising Greg (no, not missing Smartie at all) Booth, Huw Powell, Neal Freeman and Phil Jackson.  These three enjoyed a tussle for the rest of the two-lap race, with Greg showing superior downwind speed to take the bullet, Neal taking second, Phil third and Huw ("I need more wind") crossing fourth. Al Dickson’s excuse for his 12th place was that he finally found his cap at the first windward mark attached to the bottom of his centreboard.  Answers on a postcard please as to how this could actually happen.

 

Race 2: Having upset several people in the first race, Al Dickson decided to stay well out of everyone's way and start on his own at the pin.  He’d clearly forgotten that the pin at 100 events categorically belongs to Al Hall.  No respect these youngsters but, showing further insensitivity, he converted this to a never to be contested lead.  Clive also started towards the pin end, arriving third at the first mark with the ever consistent Greg arriving second.  Clive and Greg then had a great tussle for the rest of the race until slippery-downwind-Greg slipped on the final gybe and went for a swim, dropping to 8th.  Meantime, Neal finds more pressure on the right to grab second, with Clive third, Hywell fourth and not-having-a-good-day Chairman Mark Harrison fifth.

 

Race 3:  Al Dickson again steals Mr Hall’s pin, but clearly there is a bit more wind as Huw Powell is in his more familiar position of leading around the first mark.  The not-to-be-missed incident was elsewhere though, where my-day-is-getting-even-worse Mark Harrison capsizes on his final approach tack, inverts and proceeds to sit on his boat rewarding (!) himself with a chocolate bar.  Very Flaky psychology that, surely, although once upon a time, this could instead have made a good cigar commercial.  Adverts over and back with the sailing, Greg’s earlier dip seemed to have woken him up, as he rounds next, chased by Al Dickson, Neal  and Tom Powell.  Al gybes off to grab second from Greg then does the same to Huw approaching the gate on the next run to secure another bullet, with Huw second, followed by Greg, Neal then Hywel.  Allegedly, Harrison did eventually finish his mid-race snack and complete the course.  Is being a grandfather slowing him down?

 

Day 2, Race 4: Not on Sunday morning it wasn’t.  Despite not being able to work out where the windward mark was, Harrison “got lifted every time I tacked” majorly over-standing but nevertheless reaching in with a never to be challenged lead.  Phil Jackson was next but was eventually hunted down by Neal.  Hywel then made it a solid Parkstone 2-3-4 (please come to some more events guys).  Al Dickson claimed that Greg buying him too much beer the night before was the cause of his expensive 8th. 

 

Race 5:  A left shift during the countdown made the line port biased, with the pin going to Al Dickson (again, but bear in mind that Al Hall had decided to give Sunday a miss).  However it was Neal Freeman who led at the first mark, followed by Al and Clive Eplett, who had started on the lifted port tack, then Hywel.  The latter two both got past Al on the run after which Neal and Hywel had a tight race, settled when Neal capsized one-sail gybing between the gate and the finish.  Doh! Al had got past Clive on the fourth (and supernumerary) beat but was not close enough to capitalise on Neal's swim. 

 

Race 6:  The wind and chop increased substantially as the wind moved left 60 degrees.  With only 5 starters, and Neal heading in for an early shower with the event already in the bag, there were some handy scores to be gained.  Dickson had sobered up further (or perhaps it’s the decades less wear and tear) and led from the off, surviving some iffy gybes but taking his third bullet of the weekend to cement second overall.  Huw “any-not-capsizing-gybe-was-a-good-gybe” took second, for third overall.  Harrison put down his third place finish to gobbling yet another choccy bar but this time with the boat the right way up.  Methinks he’s hoping for some sponsorship from the confectionary sector.  Gregg’s fourth put him level on points with Mark, but Greg came out ahead on count-back.  An honourable mention also goes to Tom Powell for hanging on in for the last race when the rest of us were dodging the chain-ferry or in the showers.

 

Thanks go to Parkstone for organising a great event and for putting our course miles closer to the harbour than the 200s, 300s and 400s who were buying ice-creams from Bournemouth beach. Or was it Highcliffe?  Oh, and a toast to the jellyfish that hide just beneath the surface and knock your centreboard and rudder up when you least expect it, making for some ‘interesting’ moments. Perhaps jellyfish should be fitted with a bright-blue stripe - we know just the man for the job.

 

RS200 Southern Championships at Parkstone YC 20-21 June 2015   Report by Lucy Preston

 

Over the weekend of 20-21 June, our biggest fleet this year of 40 boats assembled at Parkstone Yacht Club for the Southern Championships.  After sailing out of the Harbour, we set up course with the 400s and 300s along the coast line.

 

The first race got underway in a decent 10 knot breeze.  Ian Martin and Chloe Martin stormed off with Nick Charles/Alice Eyre in close pursuit.  The local knowledge in their boat wasn’t quite enough to clasp the victory leaving Ian/Chloe with the win, Nick/Alice in 2^nd and David Jessop/Clare Michelmore in 3^rd.

 

The second race threw up a more open racetrack and after trucking downwind, Mark Heather/Lucy Preston seized the win with George Yeoman/Sophie Ormsby and Ian/Chloe chasing them down.

The breeze picked up for the third race, with some big black rain clouds blowing through. This time it was George and Sophie who took the win, with Ally Martin/Simon Potts and Matt Mee/Emma Norris behind.

 

We then faced a huge sail in and after seven hours on the water, we rested our weary bones in the clubhouse.

 

The forecast for the Sunday was light… but luckily for the race officer, and most members of the fleet, this was certainly not the case.

 

We arrived on the race course with more breeze and a keen fleet.  Race 4 was underway and it was clear from the first upwind that there was a tight battle to be fought.  In the end, Ian/Chloe pulled away and took the victory with Mark/Lucy, George/Sophie following behind.

 

The breeze was building by the 5^th race and there were some big gains to be made. Ian/Chloe went on to consolidate with another win.  Locals Ed Whitehead and Kate Allam found 2^nd with George/Sophie in 3^rd.

 

Now if any of you have keen maths skills, or were paying attention to the results, at this point Ian and Chloe had the event with a necessary discard.  George and Sophie had a consistent score line which meant victory could be theirs.  So what do team racing pros like George and Sophie do?  Hunt Ian and Chloe down of course!  The breeze was steadily building and as the rest of the fleet got racing, George/Sophie held Ian/Chloe behind the start line.  In the front, Mark/Lucy stole first from Tim Saxton and Holly Scott on the first downwind leg.  Unfortunately for them, they lost out to Ally/Simon who absolutely bossed the second upwind and sailed on for the win with Mark/Lucy in 2^nd.  It’s certainly not Ian/Chloe’s first rodeo, and they managed to get out from George/Sophie’s aggressive jib flapping and battled through to 3^rd, having stuck George/Sophie behind the pack.  This meant that an impressive show from Ian/Chloe left them in the top spot with George/Sophie in 2^nd and Mark/Lucy in 3^rd.

 

Thanks to Parkstone for hosting such a fantastic event and it was great to catch up with the other fleets.

 

Events upcoming:

 

27/28 June – Filey SC

5 July – Weir Wood SC

11/12 July – Weymouth Regatta

17/18 July – HISC

 

Hope to see you all soon!

 

 

RS300 Southern Championship at Parkstone YC 20-21 June 15  report by Tim Keen

 

114 boat from 6 RS classes, of which 9 were RS300s, gathered at Parkstone YC for the Southern Championships.  The Southern contingent got their excuses in that it was too far to travel so close to the Nationals and Martin Harrison was so excited about a local event he entered his surname twice.  Top merit award of the weekend goes to Mark Taylor and Alistair McLaughlin for making the short commute from Prestwick! 

 

The Principal Race Officer decided that we would be racing out in Poole Bay which meant a nice 1h20min sail to the start area in not a lot of wind, but once the racing got going the wind started to pick up which made for some good racing.  Race 1 saw Tim Keen take an early lead from Martin Harrison-Harrison and Sam Knight.  Race 2 was much the same Tim Keen leading, followed by Martin Harrison-Harrison and Rich Le Mare 3rd.  The Start of race 3 was 2 seconds late (according to Tim Keen) which meant Premature Pete Ellis had passed on the early starting batten which he had acquired at the Slalom event earlier in the year.  Sam Knight won the race followed by Martin Harrison-Harrison and Tim Keen.

 

After much of the fleet had been fed, watered and rested at Chris Arnell’s house on Saturday night, (who was unable to participate) the fleet headed out one again towards Poole Bay on Sunday morning.  Sun shining and wind blowing it made the trip out of the harbour a lot more fun and more difficult.  Gary Morris said he was going to have a go at drinking all that water in Poole Harbour but could only managed half of it which finished him off for the day while the other competitors decided on a game of chicken with the Brownsea Island Chain Ferry.  Race 4 saw Rich Le Mare power away for victory closely followed by Tim Keen and Martin Harrison-Harrison.  The wind continued to build for Race 5 where Tim Keen sneaked a win closely followed by Rich Le Mare and Martin Harrison-Harrison.  A depleted fleet of 3 started Race 6.  Not only did they have wind, waves and other RS classes to contend with but a fleet of motor cruisers decided that trying to get an RS300 down wind in 20knts is not hard enough so they thought they would throw themselves into the mix. Tim Keen had a swim while leading but Martin Harrison-Harrison was unable to maximise the situation finishing just behind, closely followed by the ever battling Ben Green. 

 

Many thanks go to Parkstone Yacht Club for hosting the event and also to Clare Sargent for the organisation of the RS classes.

 

 

RS400 Southern Championships at Parkstone YC  Report by Mark Oakey

 

Over the Solstice weekend 114 boats, 28 of them RS400s, descended on Parkstone Yacht Club for the Southern Championships.  In a building 10 to 12 knots the fleet headed out to the start in Poole Bay.

 

Race 1 got underway after a short delay and Jon Gorringe and Nicky Bass (1414) engaged their “go faster up wind” button to wriggle around the first mark in the lead.  They extended around the course to comfortably take the win.  However behind, the race for second wasn’t decided until metres from the finish.  With Paul and Mark Oakey (1441) just edging out Jon Hessig and Nicky Griffin (1407) and Howard Farbrother and Dan Martin (1418).

 

In race 2 Howard and Dan lead at the windward mark but Jon Gorringe and Nicky Bass got past on the first run.  They held the lead until the finish ahead of Howard and Dad with the Oakeys in 3^rd.

 

Before race 3 a big black cloud promising more wind on the right hand side of the course, to go with the slacker tide, suggested right was the best option.  Yet somehow the majority of the fleet found themselves going left, and the wrong way, up the first beat.  This allowed Gorring and Bass to head hard right and lead by a street at the first windward mark.  Never to be seen again.  Hessig and Griffin were 2^nd followed by Farbrother and Martin in 3^rd.

 

A rather tired fleet returned to the yacht club where a fantastic dinner and a band were laid on for the competitors.  As per RS tradition a few hop-based recovery drinks were consumed in the bar before turning in for the night.

 

Sunday morning dawned with a little more breeze than day 1 as the fleet headed out to the start.  In race 4 Howard and Dan proved that Jon Gorringe and Nicky Bass weren’t invincible by taking the race win.  Howard’s hop-based recovery drink induced pep talk to the Oakeys, that they needed better first beats seemed to work and they managed to finish a close 3^rd.

 

Farbrother and Martin and Gorringe and Bass had another epic battle in the 5^th race.  With Gorringe engaging the “go faster up wind” button just enough to take the win and with it the event.  Sources report that Nicky broke a nail on the last spinnaker drop so they decided it was best to head for an early shower as the breeze approached 20 knots.

 

The departure of Gorringe and Bass allowed team Farbrother and Martin to romp to victory in the final race ahead of Hessig and Griffin and the ever consistent David Brown and Rebecca Witt (1290).  Team Oakey finishing just behind in 4^th to hold on to 3^rd overall by a point from Jon Hessig and Nicky Griffin.

 

Huge thanks go to Parkstone Yacht Club for putting on a fantastic event.  The race team did an excellent job in shifty conditions while running the racing so smoothly you could barely notice the 2 other fleets sharing the course.  Hopefully we will be back again soon!

 

In summary: Fantastic sailing, great food and excellent hop-based recovery drinks!

 

 

RS800 Southern Championship 20-21 June Parkstone YC  Report by Hugh Shone

 

Parkstone played host to the 800s for a fantastic Southern Championships.  The organisation was slick, the food plentiful and the wind kicked in as well.  Being a new venue for the fleet, many were not sure quite what to expect but we all had a nice tour of the surroundings over the longish commute to the race area - dodging crafts and jellyfish of all sizes.  All this dodging ferry malarkey and the busy harbour certainly reminded some of the Awesome Aussie Skiff videos from the good old days.  We gave the Australian accent an airing.  Not very polished.

 

In terms of the racing, Saturday was a story of it being a lot windier and colder than people expected.  Those who at the last minute decided not to don the wetsuit shorts were mightily relieved.  Race 1 saw a three way battle at the front between the Jimmy Green Marine boys (James Green and Jamie Trewick), Phil Walker & John Mather and Pete Barton & Chris Feibusch - all showing excellent pace uphill. By the finish, John and Phil pulled through for the win, Pete & Chris scooted in for 2nd and Hugh Shone & Hannah Tattersall claimed third as the boys from Beer were OCS.  Race 2 and the wind continued to build to around 15knots.  This one saw some very close racing at the front as Andy & Allyson Jeffries held on for the win, covering the charging Pete & Chris up the last beat.  Whilst Pete & Chris had had to settle for second in the first two races, it was evident that they were going extremely fast in their new ship and they did not have to wait long for their first win in it as they nailed the last race.  James & Jamie took 2nd in this one with last year’s National champions Roger Phillips & Will Crocker finding some form in third.  By the end of the day everyone was absolutely knackered after a full on day of very close racing (as ever) and steep chop to contend with.  Luckily we were all resuscitated via mountains of food, beer and some less than mobile dancing to the talented DFunk.  Overnight Pete & Chris led the field ahead of Hannah & Hugh in 2nd and the McEwens (Luke and Emma) in 3rd.

 

Sunday dawned, some mobility had been regained and bacon was eaten.  We were expecting more wind but for the first two races it was all about the humongous shifts firing off all over the place. The fleet were tacking all over the shop trying to find the ladders upwind and the shoots of extra pressure downhill.  Setting the pace in this one, Roger & Will zoomed off in to a massive lead with Pete & Chris behind and James and Jamie in 3rd.  Round 5 and it was again Roger and Will who seemed to have a grasp on the conditions.  That was until the final beat when the McEwens hooked into a massive lift on the last upwind to propel them towards the bullet.  Roger and Will secured 2nd whilst Hugh & Hannah took 3rd.  Highlight of the race was Jimmy Green Marine sailing full pace into the last windward mark after a particularly aggressive header.  The mark won.

 

Last race and the wind had shifted left and kicked in something fruity.  Ominously the chop was getting steeper by the second.  Joe Joyner & Will Broom showed some excellent upwind pace to round with a clear lead.  Alas they then demonstrated how not to gybe.  With pitchpoling an ever increasing threat it really did get a bit awesome Aussie skiffs.  There were many Ella Bache moments with mines being visited.  It finished with Andy & Allyson having a Nokia moment and overhauling both Hugh and Hannah and Pete and Chris on the last downwind.  It was a battle of balls-out sailing versus conservativeness.  It almost turned to disaster though as they kept the kite up through the finish almost slaying the poor Race Officer who had just delivered this epic.  So A&A in 1st, Pete and Chris in 2nd and Hugh & Hannah in 3rd.

 

Overall, Pete and Chris won by a country mile with top 3 consistency.  Andy & Allyson pulled up to 2nd with the win in the last and Hugh & Hannah came in 3rd.  There were some funny moments with people falling out of boats on the way in - some exemplary breast stroke was demonstrated, coupled with some less than exemplary single handed sailing skills.  Everyone had a laugh, the racing was incredible and the club did a fantastic job.  Onwards to Kiel and then Beer.  If you are reading this and you have an 800 - get your Nationals entry in now!