Results / Winter Championships Leigh & Lowton SC - 17/03/2012

A healthy fleet of 39 assembled on the sea front at Lee on Solent for the 4th Fat Face circuit event. The fleet included some new faces and boats including one Glen Bourke, one time Laser legend and current Volvo Ocean Race CEO�. were we to be racing Volvo 60s this weekend? The overnight gales had eased to a more gentile force 3 from the North. It was going to be an �interesting� days racing. Race 1 began with a course set very close inshore and consequently the breeze was up and down like a fiddlers elbow. However the fleet amassed at the committee boat end of a heavily starboard biased line, the guns fired and yes� we had a general recall. The extreme starboard bias was always going to make starting somewhat fraught, especially with Badger cordoning off the position closest to the committee boat, however we got away at the second time of asking. Paul Hilliar/Toby Ashton romped up the first beat and rounded to a corus of �Who is your Daddy�. Most appropriate as the Littlejohns rounded second and Sam was able to say �well he is sat just here�. Hilliar and the Littlejohns lost there way a little down wind and the Burlton/Bonsey, Jennings/Nicklin combos snurged through and escaped for the 1-2 with Mark and Sam recovering to 3rd. In race 2 more starboard bias on the line was combined with a heavy cross course tide which made for interesting sailing. The Littlejohns rounded first followed by Dave Green/Jude Pryde in 966 who went on to have a very consistent race to bag a commendable 2nd. The Littlejohns lead to take the win and Jennings Nicklin came through for 3rd. Race 3 now switched to a heavily port biased line which we duly crossed at the second attempt. The heavy tide made for a one-sided port tack beat. The left hand corner bell on the beat was heard clanging as Mark and Julie Tucker in 1152 hit it and romped in to round the windward mark first. Jennings/Nicklin rounded 2nd and were first to gybe allowing them to take advantage of the one sided run to get to the leeward mark first. Jennings/Nicklin managed a leap to light speed at one point enabling them to take the race win by a large margin. Burlton/Bonsey were subjected to a tag-team attempt to shift them from 2nd position by Littlejohns, Halhead/Johnson and Venables/Brown who eventually got a plea for submission and took the second. An exhausted Burton/Bonsey eventually took the 3rd. The evenings� entertainment was full of High Jinks as we all paraded off to the RS Ball in our posh frocks and black tie. It was a masked ball which some took to the extreme with full face replicas of Tony Blair, a Pig and a Gimp Mask � in no particular order. The Fairbrothers kept the 400 fleet's reputation high by winning the best mask competition with a pair of Fat Face masks (teachers pets). A jolly evening was had by all. Excellent organisation ensured good food, drink, band and dancing, what more could an RS sailor ask for. A sunny Sunday morning welcomed a sorry looking fleet from the night before. The Bailey brothers managed an extremely rare occurrence by actually making the Sunday races, along with tales of foxes stealing socks and licking ears�likely story??!! Race 4 started in a Force 3 with the tide under us. Mark Littlejohn was seen over in the left hand corner teaching everyone the �how to stay calm in a difficult situation��section of the Olympic coaching manual. A full on, toys out of pram session ensued, and a wise crew duly retired his helm from the race by uncleating the jib to allow enough simmering off time for the next race. Burlton /Bonsey un-distracted by this, managed to shake of the hangover from the night before to get away to a healthy lead which they took to the finish bagging the bullet. Jennings/Nicklin took 2nd . with John Goringe/Gareth Ayre 3rd. Race 5 started with lots of port bias on the line and lots of tide under us, a port tack across to stronger tide was the order of the day. Green/pryde made another appearance at the front by some margin by bravely port tacked the fleet, they were pegged back up the beat and just rounded first. Burlton/Bonsey rounded second but managed to soak low to squeeze through on the first part of the run to take the lead. A now calm Littlejohn team followed closely behind and Tom Halhead/Ruth Johnson were also in with a shout. It all came down to the final run and Burlton/Bonsey snatched defeat from the jaws of victory by sailing into a hole to allow Littlejohns to take the win. Halhead/Johnson finished a very close 3rd. Final Race. With only 2 points separating Littlejohns, Jennings/Nicklin and Burtlon Bonsey going in to the final race there was everything to play for. The tide was now on the turn just to spice things up. A tricky/sloppy first beat saw Hilliar/Ashton lead at the windward mark. Jennings Nicklin had a shocker of a first beat and rounded near the back of the fleet after negotiating a bemused raft of boats at the windward mark. The leading trio managed to weave through the fleet to leave it all down to the final run. Burlton/Bonsey managed to take their 3rd win of the weekend followed by the Littlejohns and Jennings /Nicklin took 3rd. An excellent weekends sailing concluded with Burton/Bonsey taking the event with Jenning/Nicklin 2nd and the Littlejohns 3rd after some very close racing. Next stop on the Fat Face Circuit is Hayling Island SC on 18/19 June. With the prospect of bay sailing and some decent waves it�s bound to be another tight fought event. Wonder which legend will turn up at this one???