Results / Northampton RS Open Northampton SC - 31/03/2001

FIRST ROUND OF GUL RS400 2001 RACING CIRCUIT AT NORTHAMPTON.

The RS Association has held a Racing Circuit event at Northampton SC every year for the last six years and the weather gods have always graced the event with strong winds.
This year was no different with the RS400 GUL Racing Circuit starting in style at Northampton on Saturday March 31 with a force 5-6, sunshine, spectacular racing and capsizing on the opening day!
The great MAFF god had also been kind by allowing the Club to re-open; it had been shut for three weeks due to Foot and Mouth.

The opening race saw only 13 boats finish with vicious gusts and some new crew combinations leading to regular wipe-outs.
All boats though were racing hard, the leading boats made things look easy as they threw their boats around looking for that vital advantage at the leeward mark.
Last years GUL RS Racing Circuit winners, Roger Gilbert/James Stewart carried on where they left off last year with a narrow victory over Craig Burlton/Andrew Bonsey.
Phil Jackson/Gerard Barron showed that their hard winters training was paying off with a 3rd. Bill & Lynda Handley, celebrating the 50 landmark this year, showed many of the younger teams how to do it with a 4th - both enjoy running marathons so a days RS400 sailing probably seems easy!

Nick Craig has to take the last month off sailing because of injury and was restricted to one race on Saturday because of this injury.
Nick Craig/Keith Bedborough made the one race a good one winning the second race by a big margin from Mark Needler/Simon Potts, who were motoring upwind.
This pushed Gilbert/Stewart back to 3rd followed by David Giles/Jarad Halligan.

Heavy rain reduced the wind for Race 3 which was very close with the top 3 finishing within a few yards of each other, with Gilbert/Stewart winning again to move into a strong overnight lead followed by Burlton/Bonsey and Giles/Halligan.

Northampton Sailing Club laid on an excellent evening of cheap food & drink, disco and some well known RS characters providing plenty of entertainment.
Many tired bodies were pleased to see a gentle force 2-4 for Sunday and lots of sunshine.
Many were not really awake when the Club announced at the briefing on Sunday, April 1st that a 7ft Pike had been seen in the lake; their advice if you fell in was not to move!!

The wind was very shifty and patchy; it was very easy to see all parts of the fleet in the same race. It also meant that almost the whole fleet arrived at leeward marks together in some spectacular action. It soon became clear that a consistent set of results on Sunday was going to be difficult to achieve and this would be the key to overall victory.

Chris Jennings/Ed Nicklin showed their skill in these conditions with an excellent scoreline of 1,5,2 for the day to move them up to 4th overall despite their poor Saturday.
Outside of the front few, some others were having fantastic days.
In race 5, Charlie Duchesne/Dan Sanders (sailing the aptly named �wot port and starboard�) opened up an early lead before the doldrums attacked them up the beat dropping them to 11th. However, Malcolm & Martin Green took over the lead for the 1st time at a GUL RS Racing Circuit event and clearly enjoyed it as they sailed off into a good lead! However, the doldrums attacked them on the run to allow crafty Giles/Halligan to win but the Greens were still delighted with 2nd.

In the final race, Duchesne/Sanders led at the windward mark showing that winter training had paid off. They extended their lead to win their 1st ever Circuit race and record their best ever overall GUL RS Racing Circuit event position in 5th. Behind though the battle for overall victory was going down to the wire. Three boats had gone into the final race with chance of winning. Roger Gilbert could not get of the start line and had slipped from the overall lead with a 4.6 score.
In the final race a large wind shift dumped him right out of contention and he retired.

This left Giles/Halligan chasing a 3rd to win overall and Burlton/Bonsey a 4th. Giles/Halligan were 3rd at the windward mark, moved up to 2nd when Craig/Bedborough retired due to injury but were under strong pressure from Jennings/Nicklin and Carl & Julie Mayhew all race.
Jennings/Nicklin got through on the last run to leave Giles/Halligan third, Burlton/Bonsey moved rapidly through the fleet after a poor start and got back to 5th at the finish.
Ashore calculators came out and rule books consulted; Giles/Halligan, Burlton/Bonsey were on equal points and Giles incorrectly assumed he had finished second overall until the prize giving.
Burlton/Bonsey had come very close to winning overall without winning a race but Giles/Halligan�s victory in Race 5 was vital.
Yet another close finish to an RS400 GUL Racing Circuit event! Special mention should be made of David Brown/Sheena Craig�s attempt to start on port and for taking the early lead in the OCS table and Pete Vincent taking foot in mouth to a new art form at the prize giving. Next round sees the fleet go North to East Lothian YC On early May 5/6

Overall results
1st David Giles/Jarad Halligan 14 pts Weirwood
2nd Craig Burlton/Andrew Bonsey 14 Northampton
3rd Roger Gilbert/James Stewart 15 Frensham Pond
4th Chris Jennings/Ed Nicklin 21 Burghfield
5th Charlie Duchesne/Dan Sanders 31 RORC
6th Bill & Lynda Handley 40 Swanage
7th Carl & Julie Mayhew 45 Island Barn
8th Malcolm & Martin Green 46 RYA
9th Phil Jackson & Gerard Barron 53 Poole
10th Pete Vincent & Nuala McGrogan 55 Bristol Corinthian