Results / RS Fat Face Racing Circuit SCYC, Abersoch - 29/04/2006

THIRD LEG OF THE RS200 FAT FACE CIRCUIT AT SOUTH CAERNARVONSHRE YC. The RS200 and RS400 fleets made their annual pilgrimage over the May Day Bank Holiday weekend to Abersoch for the third leg of the Fat Face Racing Circuit; this year with visitors from Northern Ireland and the Shetlands. For the fourth year in a row the North Wales weather gods were both extremely kind and unkind. A glorious Saturday was followed by a lifeless grey drift of a Sunday. At briefing time even Saturdays weather was looking worryingly poor; the one down side of SCYC�s clubhouse location is that the height allows you to see when there is a flat calm in the whole of Cardigan Bay. Then a very nice northerly appeared from nowhere and by the time racing started this had built to 15-17 knots. Race 1 saw Tom/Jo Hewitson in control closely followed by Mark Littlejohn/ Emma Clark recovering well from Emma�s dive out on a tack. The Hewitsons won but the final long reach saw Pete Vincent/Tessa Nicholls and Jon Lewis/KT Nichol power through to second and third ahead of Littlejohn in fourth. By now the sky was a lovely clear blue and scenery of north Wales was majestic as the competitors strained to spot the far off windward mark. Race 2 and the fleet was beginning to learn that left was really paying. Will Storey/Peter Franklin powered their way up the first beat to lead but had no answer when Lewis/Nichol and Ian Pickard/Loopy Lucy Matthews gybed early into good pressure. Lewis and Pickard finished 1.2 from the Hewitsons and Micky Wright/Howie Enkal. Race 3 and with the tide turning several competitors got their approach to the leeward end of the start line wrong which was to have important consequences. Pickard/Loopy were on fire and led throughout although closely pushed by the Hewitsons with Nick Charles/Juliet Kingsworth third. Pickard and Charles were OCS so the Hewitsons won from Lewis/Nichol and the very consistent Matt/Emma Jenkins. Ashore everyone was knackered but with warm glowing faces. It is not often in a season that you get such classic conditions. Sunday did not look hopeful with very light airs and static light grey skies. A gentle northerly did allow a course to be set and a start attempted but the wind faded resulting in the fleet not being able to stem the tide on starboard. Luckily the PRO stopped the start, which saved the fleet from suffering Mark Littlejohn making a perfect port end flyer. The wind then disappeared and with boats heading towards the islands racing was abandoned. With no discard after three races this was particularly hard on Pickard/Loopy and Wright/Howie. The class act of the Hewitsons won by a point from the consistent Lewis/Nichol. Chris Pickles/Laura Westwell from Delph won the close tussle for the Silver Division from Martin Penty/Jeremy Collins of Beaver and Storey/Franklin from Parkstone. Jonny/Kate Harrison from Derwent results improved steadily to win the bronze Division from Draycotes Paul Goodwin/Chessie Saunders. Overall in the Fat Face Circuit Pete Vincent/Tessa Nicholls lead from Steve Dunn/Noelle Vidal with Bristol Corinthian YC boats filling the top six places. Georgie Hill/Roger Tait are probably the furthest travelled boat and deservedly lead the Silver Division. Martin Fear/Chris Georgiou from RNSA/BCYC lead the Bronze Division. In a fortnights time the Fat Face Circuit visits the Yorkshire coast for the first time with leg four hosted by Filey SC; it will be great fun. Pete Vincent