Results / Open Penarth YC - 15/07/2012

GUL RS RACING CIRCUIT AT ROYAL TORBAY YC AND PAIGNTON SC- JUNE 16/17. The GUL RS Racing Circuit hit Torbay in a big way on June 16/17 with three courses spread across the bay. The RS200's and 600's launched from Paignton Beach with Paignton SC running their course. The RS300's, 400's and 800's launched off Torre Abbey Sands in Torquay and the Royal Torbay YC managed their two courses. With the sunshine and fresh breezes of Sunday the boats were a spectacular sight downwind from the shore with multi coloured spinnakers everywhere in the bay. The weather was some of the most varied imaginable. As the fleets rigged on Saturday morning there was a steady moderate breeze from the NW. As the fleets launched this wind started to drop and it soon became apparent that something big was brewing to the south of Brixham. As thunder started to rumble under very large, very nasty and very wet looking black clouds, the fleets prepared for a huge downpour. Luckily the clouds took one look at Paignton and rumbled off out to sea causing mayhem with the wind in the process. Poor Race Officers Ken Falcon, John Haslam and Peter Rumbelow then spent over an hour moving the windward marks round every compass point as the wind went NE, SE, then S quickly followed by SW before going back to W to NW. Eventually the wind settled down around a mean direction of NW around a force 3-4. There were though some big slants and patchs in the wind, which gave some snakes and ladders racing. The Race Officers though did very well to fit in three good races despite not being able to start until 15.00. The fleets, although not happy at sitting around, knew full well there was nothing the Race Officers could have done to start racing earlier. Sunday was a lot kinder, the wind stayed in the NW all day, built slowly so that full on racing took place in force 4-5 under generally blue skies and plenty of sunshine. It was a blistering good day and many very tired but happy bunnies left after prize giving's at 16.00. You knew it had been a good weekend; there was many a good word for the race management teams. RS400's 36 400's enjoyed the cracking conditions in Torquay with some great action downwind, plenty of incident, quite a bit of swimming, top notch competition and even sunshine to finish in. With no tide and Race Officer Peter Rumbelow setting good start lines There was only one black flag start with no one disqualified OCS yet it was full on on the start lines. Roger Gilbert and James Stewart won the event but the fleet and their own mistakes made life very difficult for them. Gilbert had race one well and truly under control, even managed to notice that the race had been shortened by a lap but then went to finish on the wrong side of the Committee Boat, had to drop the kite rapidly and beat back to the other side of the Committee Boat to the finish; just beating Chris Jennings by half a boat length. Race 2 was dominated by Mark Needler and Richard Brown who were clear at mid point, Gilbert was second. In Race 3 Gilbert and Craig Burlton/Andy Bonsey broke well clear with David Shiel/Paul Heath and Phil Jackson/Gerard Barron equally secure in third/fourth. Gilbert and Shielsy won the respective match races. Sunday was a really memorable day for 400's; such is the depth in 400's that many boats featured at the front, whilst a small mistake saw many boats shoot through. Race 4 saw the port lay line heavily favoured, the Green brothers led the port charge. Those that went right on the first run gained massive ground. Eventually David Giles/Jarard Halligan kept the boat upright long enough in a race to win with the Fulford brothers from Aldeburgh second and the McQueens third. Gilbert was in a major pack fighting for fourth to tenth at the last leeward mark all playing the macho guessing game "don't think we can hold the kite on the short reach to the finish but I don't want to be the first to drop". Gilbert finished seventh. In Race 5 Gilbert had to do a 720 half way up the first beat and blew the first run big time rounding the first leeward mark with only two boats behind him. At this point their dominant position of Saturday night was collapsing. Up front Chris Jennings and Pete Vincent/Pete Cruickshank were swapping the lead with Craig Burlton and Jason Pyke in close company. A lap later Gilbert was up to seventh and completed a remarkable recovery to grab third at the death behind Jennings and Burlton. It needed Gilbert and Stewart to have a tragic result in the final race and either Needler or Burlton to win to prevent a Gilbert victory. Needler produced another fine performance to win with Jennings second but Gilbert was always in the leading group to finish third and claim overall victory. The front four were well clear on points but those in the chasing pack were not far off the pace. Charlie Duchesne and Dan Sanders must be the most improved boat on the circuit adding more consistent results to their speed to claim fifth overall. Mention must be made of their spectacular capsize on the leeward mark in the strongest wind and then having to sit there as thirty 400's aimed their bowsprits at them. When Charlie claimed this was the most frightening thing he had ever experienced many girls pointed out that was how they felt when dancing with him. Richard Cain produced a great set of results, including a third place, to claim a well-deserved 8th place overall in boat number 411, the oldest boat in the fleet now in its 8th season. At the half way point in the GUL RS Racing Circuit it appears to be a two horse race with Gilbert on 8pts and Burlton on 9ts, counting three out of four events. Duchesne and Vincent are a distant third and fourth. Plenty of people could still emerge from the pack and it's all to play for as the RS Racing Circuit moves to the Weymouth and Portland Sailing Academy for what promises to be a rather large event. Pete Vincent