Results / Winter Championships Carsington SC - 08/02/2003
GUL RS200 WINTER CHAMPIONSHIPS, CARSINGTON SC
� It�s never over �til the fat lady sings.
A fantastic turnout of 41 boats made the trip to Derbyshire for the first
visit by an RS fleet to Carsington SC for the GUL RS200 Winter
Championships. The fleet included boats that had travelled from Penzance
and Dublin!! The Club did an excellent job of organising the event with a
very friendly atmosphere and some top race management, which saw very
good courses, and rapid turn arounds. Someone should have turned the
heaters on as it was cold but a very lively wind kept the crews very
active. Saturday saw 2 races in a force 3-4, which slowly dropped for the
third race. Sunday was full on with force 4-5 regularly rising to force 5-
6 as lumps of wind hit the fleet; usually in gybe corner, giving some
spectacular downwind action.
The event was in all reality totally dominated by two boats. RS400
National Champion crew for the last three years, James Stewart bought a
RS200 in December and for his first outing he thought he would get his
400 helm, Roger Gilbert to crew. This led to much pre race leg pulling
and there was still much light hearted banter when the dynamic duo just
led round the first mark. They then very rudely disappeared into the
distance in a cloud of spray to win by a mile. Most others leading
contender�s egos put this down to them getting a lucky patch of wind on
the first run but James repeated the story in the second race to again
win by a mile. By the time they survived a very patchy first run in the
third race to still lead the fleet knew they had been white washed with a
Stewart/Gilbert score of 1.1.1. David Giles and Fiona Clark had been the
only other consistent performer with a 2.2.3.scoreline.
Ashore most crews wanted to lynch Roger for causing them so much grief by
straight leg hiking his way up all the beats.
Sunday, and it seemed that the only thing that had changed was an
increase in the wind, as Stewart /Gilbert won the first race of the day
in style. Their grip on the championship seemed even more secure with
Giles and Clark collecting an OCS. The fifth race was a really close
race. Stewart/Gilbert were leading again but with several boats pressing.
Giles/Clark took advantage of a big gust to sail over the duo; almost in
shock at being overtaken for the first time in the weekend
Stewart/Gilbert capsized in the ensuring gybe battle for the layline.
Giles/Clark won with Stewart 6th.
Stewart seemed to have sorted that blip out by leading the final race
with 2 laps to go. But the expression �it�s not over �til the fat lady
sings� really came to mind when the outhaul clew on their main pulled out
leaving the main un-attached to the boom. Giles/Clark had won the battle
for second place and suddenly found themselves in first. With Stewart
unable to finish Giles and Clark score of 2.2.3.2.1.1 gave them the
championship by one point. The domination of the leading two was shown by
the fact that they were 14pts clear of Pete Vincent/Elly Haines in third
overall. Vincent and Craig Burlton had prepared well for the event by
adopting the text book rule of having crews that had never sailed 200s
and with whom they had never sailed. Obviously Elly Haines and Jodi Dyer
must be top rate crews to get that pair to third and fifth overall in
those circumstances. Defending Winter Champion Jon Lewis and Milly
Parsons were 4th suffering from counting a 15th. Slightly lighter weight
crew combinations in Ollie Holden/Sarah Freestone and Cliff/Bec Millner
scored some notable results in the breezier conditions to claim 6th and
7th overall. First youth Andy Robertson/Emily Howarth sailed a storming
last race to finish second and 12th overall.
If 41 boats travel to the Winter Championships in early February then the
RS200s are going to have a bumper season when the Fat Face circuit starts
at Bristol CYC on March 15/16.
1.David Giles - Fiona Clark | Weir Wood SC | 9 1 |
2. James Stewart - Roger Gilbert | Stokes Bay SC | 10 2 |
3. Peter Vincent - Elly Haines | Bristol Corinthian YC | 24 3 |
4. Jonathan Lewis - Milly Parsons | Burghfield SC | 29 4 |
5. Craig Burlton - Jodi? | RYA | 29 5 |
6. Ollie Holden - Sarah Freestone | HISC | 32 6 |
7. Cliff Millner - Bec Millner | CSC | 35 7 |
8. Ian Pickard - Lucy Matthews | Locks SC | 36 8 |
9. Mason Woodworth - Sarah Allan | HRSC | 38 9 |
10. Michael Saul - Sophie Hartley | Grimworth SC | 42 10 |
11. Ralph Singleton - Sophie Singleton | Chew Vallley SC | 46 11 |
12. Andy Robertson - Emily Howarth | Bowmoor SC | 52 12 |
13. Andi Riley - Julie Marsden | 61 13 | |
14. Trudie Danbury - Bert Ryder | Bristol Corinthian YC | 61 14 |
15. Sarah Taylor - Claire Upton-Brown | HISC | 64 15 |
16. Sam Mettam - Geoff Phillips | RNSA | 75 16 |
17. Marshall King - Heather King | Datchet SC | 87 17 |
18. Paul Dorer - Ian Robertson | Bowmoor SC | 90 18 |
19. Chris Bran - George Wainwright | Bristol Corinthian YC | 91 19 |
20. Ann Jackson - Alan Skeens | Burghfield SC | 94 20 |
Christian Humphrey - Michelle Maynard | Bristol Corinthian YC | 101 21 |
Jane Robertson - Helen Rollinson | Bowmoor SC | 101 22 |
Chris Chatterton - Nicola Barker-Wyatt | Carsington SC | 101 23 |
Ben Lister - Ceri Shave | Grimworth SC | 102 24 |
Alex Good - Nikki Smith | Ripon SC | 106 25 |
Ben Alexander - Liz Alexander | Deben YC | 116 26 |
Jon Watkins - Caedemon Shayer | Hunts SC | 123 27 |
Jonathan Briggs - Amy Holland | Winsford Flash SC | 138 28 |
Colin Haighton - Simon Haighton | Hykeham SC | 140 29 |
Jeremy Stephens - Adam Poole | Penzance SC | 141 30 |
Jonathan Thompson - Anne Saul | Ripon SC | 145 31 |
Joe Turnbull - Ben Saynor | RNSA | 147 32 |
Martin Smith - Barbara Haworth | Delph SC | 150 33 |
Richard Forder - Susan Forder | Sheffield Viking SC | 150 34 |
Andrew Hartley - Eve Hartley | Ripon SC | 151 35 |
Steve Irish - Paula Irish | Draycote SC | 153 36 |
Stephen Blake - Elizabeth Stirzaker | Carsington SC | 163 37 |
Mick Steer - John Pape | Carsington SC | 167 38 |
Mike Dencheil - Anne Harding | Chew Vallley SC | 171 39 |
Paul Goodwin - Laurie Dunn | Draycote SC | 182 40 |
Darren Kirkham - Victoria Burr | RNSA | 204 41 |