Results / Gul Championship Weymouth and Portland SA - 13/11/2004
GUL RS Pursuit Race at Weymouth and Portland Sailing Academy.
OK, let's get the football commentators clich� book out; this was a game
of two halves. Never has an event more clearly shown why a more
comprehensive Portsmouth Yardstick system needs to be developed where
PY�s change according to wind strength and sea state. The GUL RS Pursuit
race had attracted helms right at the front of their respective classes
nationals fleets all capable of sailing their class to its full potential
in the given conditions. WPSA race team did a good job of setting good
true courses over the weekend, same course shape and length of legs. The
only thing that changed between the two days was the wind strength.
Saturday
In relatively good weather for November the fleets enjoyed excellent
conditions of a puffy force 3-4. The 200�s had the largest fleet with a
high calibre roll call and it was new team of Ian Pickard and Sarah
Taylor that blobbed their way down the first tight reach into the lead,
the only boat able to carry their kite. Pickard/Taylor successfully held
off Jon Lewis/Katy Nichol and Geoff Carveth/Jane Willen but could do
nothing about 400 National Champion Nick Craig, with Toby Lewis crewing,
cruising through with plenty of time left. The 400�s catching the 200�s
was totally academic though as the 800�s were totally powered up doing a
lot of twin wiring and the 700�s were equally efficient down wind.
Brothers James and John Date in an 800 took the lead with 15 minutes to
go to win with 800�s Ollie Page/Tom Odell second and soon to be married
Spod Olive/Jane Norris third. Seven 800�s were in the top ten, Jerry
Wales and Jon Hessig were 6th and 9th in their 700�s whilst Nick
Craig/Toby Lewis were the only hiking boat to break into the top ten. In
fact only two other hiking boats, both 400�s, made it into the top twenty
with Pickard/Taylor the first 200 at 24th.
Sunday.
Lovely clear blue skies but much less wind at around 8 knots, which was
also very patchy over Portland Harbour with quite large flat areas. Once
all the fleets had started it soon became obvious that the trapeze boats
were not going to get to the front. The only thing that was going to stop
the hiking boats was if they fleet raced too hard and slowed each other
down. The leading ten 200�s were having a really hot race whilst the
leading 400 trio of Craig/Lewis, Paul Hillier/Toby Ashton, Mark
Littlejohn and son Sam were having a battle royal. At two thirds point
James Stewart/Lucy Loopy Matthews broke clear in the 200�s with Colin
Staite/Emma WMD Clarke not far behind. These two stayed clear and it
became a question of could the 400�s catch the 200�s. There was not quite
enough wind on the final run for the 400�s, Stewart/Matthews comfortably
won from Staite/Clarke, the big clump of 200�s just finished ahead of the
rapidly approaching 400�s to fill the top 8 places. Craig/Lewis just beat
Hillier/Ashton with the Littlejohn�s in very close company filling the
next 3 places. The first trapeze boat was Andy Hessig in his 600 in a
very credible 15th whilst the first 800 of Olive/Norris limped home in
24th place.
Ashore and no one had a clue who had won overall with all the leading
boats in one race having a cricket score to count from their other race.
The 400�s relative consistency across wind strengths rather than star
turn proved conclusive. Nick Craig and Toby Lewis were the only boat to
score two top ten results and won by 7pts with an 8th and 9th. The
Littlejohn�s finished second overall, a surprised father Mark commenting
that results of 11th and 13th usually gave a shocking overall finish
rather than second.
Pete Vincent
1 1173 400 Nick Craig Toby Lewis 30 17 8 9
2 1174 400 Mark Littlejohn Sam Littlejohn 55 24 13 11
3 888 700 Jerry Wales 23 25 6 19
4 1057 800 Spod Olive Jane Norris 39 27 3 24
5 882 700 Jon Heissig 12 27 9 18
6 901 200 Ian Pickard Sarah Taylor 63 28 24 4
7 858 200 Jonathan Lewis Katy Nichol 62 30 27 3
8 845 200 James Stewart Lucy Matthews 56 31 30 1
9 1054 800 Justin Deal Sarah Marriott 4 31 4 27
10 1240 400 Tom Halhead Ruth Johnson 44 31 18 13
11 1010A 800 Ollie Page Tom Odell 33 34 2 32
12 751 200 Geoff Carveth Jane Willan 22 34 28 6
13 984 600 Andy Heissig 15 34 19 15
14 976 400 David Lenz Vicky Lenz 34 37 23 14
15 1010 200 Colin Staite Emma Clarke 46 40 38 2
16 864 800 Adrian Coatsworth Julia Jenkins 5 40 10 30
17 1217 400 John Cooper Becci Wigley 35 41 29 12
18 880 200 Sarah Allan Elaine Turner 43 42 34 8
19 1055 800 Rory Sharvill James Cooke 36 42 16 26
20 966 200 Richard Edwards Paru Edwards 58 44 39 5
21 777 200 Pete Ugly Millie Parsons 54 44 37 7
22 964 800 Ian Martin Chris Martin 7 45 11 34
23 7 600 Alex Knight 51 45 20 25
24 1201 400 Bill Handley Lynda Handley 53 46 26 20
25 885 700 David Evans 60 48 17 31
26 826 600 David Nunn 52 50 22 28
27 861 700 Eddie Gatehouse 26 52 15 37
28 1000 800 Simon Smith Dom Simon 45 54 7 47
29 1213 400 Paul Lewis Sam Parker 25 56 33 23
30 879 700 Joe Turnbull 3 58 14 44
31 916 200 Sarah Covington Helen Clarke 27 58 42 16
32 1080 800 James Date John Date 1 65 1 DNF64
33 903 200 Rick Newcombe Rosie Sands 41 66 44 22
34 898 200 Martin Lilley Alice Morgan 47 67 50 17
35 1007A 800 Simon Geyman Rosie Geyman 59 69 5 DNF64
36 1063 800 Stuart Swan Robert Holdway 20 69 31 38
37 1121 400 Paul Hilliar Toby Ashton 24 74 RET64 10
38 989 800 Ben Schooling Ian Smyth 6 74 41 33
39 876 700 Ben Cooper 49 76 12 DNF64
40 809 800 Bill Smith Phil Hodgkins 11 81 46 35
41 907 800 Mark Ampleford Jon Fish 37 83 43 40
42 405 200 Alan Tarrant Dale Phillips 42 85 DNF64 21
43 413 300 Richard Gould 16 85 21 DNF64
44 848 600 Diana Shanks 29 86 45 41
45 887 600 Matthew Smith 50 87 48 39
46 479 300 Steve Cook 8 89 25 DNF64
47 434 300 Phil Underwood 17 89 47 42
48 145 K6 Jonathan Cameron Rob Chaplin 38 92 49 43
49 143 K6 Paul Wallis Tom Wallis 64 93 DNC64 29
50 815 200 Micky Wright Howie ? 48 96 32 DNF64
51 1007 200 Paul Goodwin Anna Row 21 97 51 46
52 172 Vareo Hugh Wrat-McCann 18 99 35 DNF64
53 124 K6 Fraser Elms Matt Davies 19 100 DNF64 36
54 491 200 John Greenland Pippa Williams 28 100 36 DNF64
55 853 Feva XL Holly Watson Fraje Watson 31 103 55 48
56 102 K6 Martin Wadhams Amanda Davies Claire Upton-Brown 14 104
40 DNF64
57 349 Feva XL David Watson Jordan Watson 32 105 56 49
58 930 800 Paul White Andy Lloyd 61 109 DNF64 45
59 126 K6 Peter Kirkby Richard Barker 40 116 52 DNF64
60 929 200 Gael Pawson Harriet Prest 57 117 53 DNF64
61 127 K6 Alex Willard Becca Willard 9 118 54 DNF64
62 212 200 Melissa Heppell Bex Marriott 10 128 DNF64 DNF64
62 849 800 Matt Critchley Ryan Crawford 2 128 DNF64 DNF64