The 2016 RS400 Rooster2ndhanddinghies.com Southern Tour and RS400 Northern Tour kicked off last weekend at Bartley SC in south Birmingham under bright skies and light winds. Sic visitors joined seven home boats to make a small but competitive fleet, with two former sprint champions and one 29er hotshot looking to take the early initiative in this year’s series. With a tricky wind direction severely restricting the length of the beats, PRO John Ling set a tight round the cans course for the two morning races. Flying out of the start and up the first beat was Steve Restall and Chris Stubbs closely followed by Sam and John Knight with the rest of the fleet in hot pursuit. An unfortunate navigation error by Chris and Steve let the Knights through towards the end of the first lap, and from there they could hold to take the first bullet of the day. The sole north representation Bill Kenyon and crew Chris Hall Having sailed an excellent race to finish second, with Caroline Whitehouse and Jason McDonnell showing ominous speed to pull through into third. It was apparent that the large shifts and holes in this breeze meant the gains and losses were going to be huge in every race!

Another clean start for the second race, and with a small gust tempting the fleet right Caroline and Jason made a clean break sailing into a huge shift on the left. From there they were never challenged, the rest of the fleet fighting for the minor placing’s behind them. In the end Steve and Chris picking their way cleanly through the shifts to take second with the Knights close behind, and brothers Crispin and Hamish Beaumont very close to the leaders in fourth.

It was all square between the Knights and Team CJ going into lunch and the fleet launched again into an increasingly light breeze. A late swing in direction allowed Bartley 400’s “most improved (2015”) Howard Eeles and Wayne Hancox into an early lead, with the peloton chasing hard. Caroline and Jason chased them down, making their move mid race to secure another bullet, surely putting them in the driving seat for the event? With the Knights picking up a discard, they could still take the title if they could take the last race, with Caroline finishing third or worse. Steve and Chris had picked up a third, meaning they could still take second and the Beaumont’s were looking good with all top 5 results.

A change to 6-lap windward/leewards for the last race caused the fleet to get a bit over-excited, leading to the first recall of the day, and PRO Ling bringing out his black flag for the last start. Caroline and Jason played an ace, crossing the fleet in plenty of breeze on port, with the Knights marooned by the committee boat. It should have been all over from there, but with the new course allowing better tactical options downwind the Knights were able to start scything through the fleet towards the front. By the second lap, both Sam and Caroline were neck and neck in the pack. Downwind, they headed for opposite sides, reaching the bottom buoy still side by side in 5th/6th. Unfortunately, a late drop for CJ handed the initiative to the Knights. Caroline and Jason could only watch for the next two laps as Sam and John took 4th, then 3rd, then 2nd… could they possibly do it?!

Having slipped one place on the next downwind, Sam made an error rounding into the final lap, leaving him in the dirty air of leaders Steve/Chris and Bill Kenyon/Chris Hill. He tacked away early, but could only watch as the first two pulled away, then Crispin and Hamish sailed round all three to land themselves at the top! Another bad call on the final downwind left then losing more places, with Caroline and Jason breathing a big sigh of relief as they climbed back into the podium places, taking a well-deserved first overall. Confusion at the finish meant Steve and Chris lost what they had gained downwind, handing the final bullet to the youngsters Crispin and Hamish.
Although the wind didn’t play ball for a lot of the day, the fleet had great fun and close racing, so thanks must go to John Ling and his team for putting together a great day. Back in the clubhouse, we could see Caroline and Jason had a clear lead overall. Despite them gifting away the lead in the last race Steve and Chris were clear second, and the Beaumont’s in third.

Next up in the southern series is Salcombe over the May bank holiday, then the big one; The southern championships at Lymington in June. Remember, entries are restricted so enter early to make sure you get there!