Results / RS400 Fat Face Eurocup Skerries S.C. - 13/10/2006

RS400 Irish National Championships
(Fat Face RS Eurocup at Skerries 13-15 October 2006)
Three days of awesome conditions.
(scroll to the bottom for report/results)













31 boats turned up at Skerries S.C. for the RS400 Irish national championships, held at the same time as the RS200 champs. Everyone that attended had a smile on their faces as they were treated to three days of fantastic racing, including a truly spectacular final day in huge waves. The socials were a strong companion to the racing and Skerries S.C. did everything they could to make the fleets welcome, including complementary food as soon as you got off the water and a late opening bar. With a solid force 4-5 that kept up for the whole of the first two days, racing got underway and it was Alex and Jen Morrison that took an early lead before being rolled downwind first by Paul Hilliar/Stu Jagger then defending champions Dave Jones/Mark Hogan. Jones/Hogan continued the charge and took the lead from Hilliar/Jagger, with these two finishing some way clear of Warren Polly/Jeremy Tomalin in third. In race two, Polly/Tomalin led but Jones/Hogan sped past downwind. These two were then both overtaken by Hilliar/Jagger following the leeward mark rounding. The boats finished in that order following two laps of close covering between the top three. For the final race of the first day, Hilliar/Jagger took the lead and shepherded Jones/Hogan around the course, with Polly/Tomalin just unable to break through. Howard Farbrother/Sam �Dirty Knickers� Parker had a storming opening day, ending with three fourth places. On day two, four races were planned and the tiring conditions continued so maybe it was just wishful thinking (or maybe Guinness-induced madness) that sent the leaders to the finish a lap early! Luckily for leaders Hilliar/Jagger, it wasn�t until half way down the fleet that sanity prevailed and they won by a substantial margin from Jones/Hogan. Polly/Tomalin weren�t so lucky and lost out big time, with Ian Robson/Sandy Johnson taking advantage to finish third. In the second race, Hilliar/Jagger shot out of the start line to tack and cross the fleet to build a lead that would never be challenged. Polly/Tomalin led the fleet�s charge and although Jones/Hogan pushed them all the way, Polly/Tomalin took second place by a single boat length. After an on-the-water lunch provided by the host club, race 3 started and Hilliar/Jagger pulled a repeat trick, revelling in their favoured windy conditions. Jones/Hogan pulled through to second, beating Robson/Johnson into third place. For the fourth and final race of the day, Jones/Hogan flew off the start line and off into an unassailable lead. Nick Lowe/Josh Metcalfe took second place on the first downwind while the rest of the fleet ignored the wind shift. They were chased hard by Robson/Johnson but on a topsy turvy final run, Robson/Johnson lost out as Hilliar/Jagger sneaked just in front of the pack to finish third. Two races were scheduled for the final day and initially competitors wondered whether there would be enough wind to get any racing at all, but oh boy, the conditions came good BIG TIME. Force five and waves that made the boat next to you almost disappear put huge smiles on everyone�s faces. Hilliar/Jagger needed to finish in the top two to clinch the title with a race to spare and they once again shepherded Jones/Hogan around the course to make sure of the win, with Polly/Tomalin a close third. Just when competitors thought the conditions couldn�t get any better, the wind and waves picked up even more for the final race! Awesome 400ing conditions! Hilliar/Jagger took the final race from Robson/Johnson, with third place ensuring Polly/Tomalin�s overall third place and the national title for being first Irish boat. Overall it was a fantastic championship, with great racing and socials in equal measure(s!). Many thanks to the host club, Skerries S.C. Keen RS400 sailors have a week break now before the Gul RS400 Inland national championships take place at Rutland S.C.