Results / Winter Championships Northampton SC - 21/02/2004

The 2004 RS 400 circuit got off to a dramatic start with the Gul sponsored Winter Championships at Northampton on the 21st and 22nd of February. An entry of 28 boats were met with near perfect conditions � clear blue skies and a steady but cold northerly force 4-5 enabling the PRO to set an excellent windward/leeward course the length of the reservoir. After a general recall, which conveniently enabled your author time to launch, the fleet began the long beat - with legs unfit from the winters break. Steve Venables and Richard Brown made the best of the shifts up the left hand side and after Nick Craig and Toby Lewis decided to go for a swim, led to the windward mark. However, Simon Potts and Alan Woosey soon stormed past to take the first race win of the season. Craig Burlton & Andrew Bonsey came second while Craig & Lewis fought their way back impressively from their early capsize to finish 3rd. After a quick turnaround, race 2 began badly for the winners of Race 1, Potts & Woosey - as they were swimming within the first few seconds. Burlton & Bonsey were first to the windward mark but couldn�t match the downwind speed of the lightweight Craig & Lewis. However, Craig & Lewis would probably have been better staying behind Burlton & Bonsey - as then they wouldn�t have started a fifth lap in a four lap race. This mistake dropped them down to 4th and let Phil Jackson and Gerard Baron into 2nd ahead of Roger Gilbert and Adam Brushett. Race 3, and in a slightly reduced wind, Craig & Lewis finally got it right - leading to the windward mark and sailing clear to lead the fleet relatively un-challenged. Chris Jennings and Ed Nicklin were also going well and bagged their best result of the weekend in 2nd. Burlton and Bonsey continued to sail consistently with a 3rd. For the evening most of the fleet opted to make the short drive over to Draycote Water for a combined social with the RS 200�s. For some reason the evening ended with most of the males in the room being forcibly stripped by the Doris contingent and dancing around a big pile of clothes� On arrival back at Northampton on Sunday morning, the forecast for even more wind proved right and with the wind now blowing solidly over 30 knots, it was not really a surprise to see a slightly reduced fleet venturing out for the first start. Potts & Woosey began the day with a black flag - showing at least that despite the strengthening wind, the competition was still close. However, the fleet was quickly reduced further by multiple capsizes and a few broken boats. Nevertheless Craig & Lewis made the best of the conditions to take the win followed by Gilbert & Brushett and Venables & Brown. As the wind strengthened even further in race 5, it became all about survival. Craig & Lewis led to the windward mark only to capsize on the first gybe. Three times national champion, Gilbert also went for a swim on the first downwind leg, effectively dumping himself back in to last place in the process - much to the amusement of the growing crowd of spectators. However, they were soon silenced as both Gilbert & Brushett and Craig and Lewis powered their way back through the fleet overtaking absolutely everyone except Burlton & Bonsey to finish 2nd and 3rd respectively. By the start of the final race, only 6 boats were left on the water. The points table however remained tight - with both Craig & Lewis and Burlton & Bonsey capable of winning the event. The race was actually won by Gilbert & Brushett, who led from start to finish, but the real battle was for 2nd place, between the 2 potential event winners. This battle was won by Craig & Lewis, after an extremely windy downwind port-starboard cross in which Burlton was forced to luff� something that in 30+ knots is only going to end one way! This early bath handed the event to Craig & Lewis and reduced the final count of finishers to a mere 4 boats. Second overall went to Burlton & Bonsey whilst Gilbert & Brushett's last race win was enough to secure 3rd overall. Only 3 boats managed to finish all 6 races - surely an RS record?