Results / Bloody Mary Pursuit Race Queen Mary SC - 07/01/2012

RS800 FAT FACE RACING CIRCUIT – EVENT 1 – DATCHET WATER

The RS800 fleet gathered at Datchet Water Sailing Club for the first event of the 2008 circuit, to be greeted by sun, hail, snow; 5 knots, 25 knots; and everything in between!

It was a weekend where a high quality fleet often played a game of snakes and ladders up and down the numerous gusts and shifts.

Race 1 was led early by Laurie Fitzjohn-Sykes and Dan Allin, who played the shifts well up the first beat.  However by the finish Justin Deal and Ollie Page (Fat Face) had come through to the front, followed by Alex Cherry and John Clifton, chased by Ian Martin and Adam Broughton (Kingfisher Yacht Ropes).

Race 2 provided some good practice for Garda, with 200 dodging becoming the new sport of choice.  Pete Barton and Roz Allen (Marlow) came through to win, again followed by Deal/Page from Charlie Roome and Steve Hall (PwC) in 3^rd as the fleet split sides down the final run.

The day was rounded off by a win for Ben McGrane and Jony Clegg (Sailboatdeliveries.com) making a return to the fleet.  The fleet them enjoyed a good meal and social with the other RS fleets, making the most of the opportunity to see the photos of the day’s racing, the highlight being former 200 national champion David Giles’ 10 shot action sequence of how to spear the leeward mark at high speed with the kite up – it comes upon you a bit quicker in an 800 David!

Those who had chosen to camp got the biggest round of applause at the Sunday afternoon prize giving, after everyone had woken up to find a couple of inches of snow covering the boats, tents and anything else that had been left out.  A few bailed but 22 still made it for the start line on Sunday to brave the general recalls and huge squalls that characterised the day.

The first race of Sunday saw the most impressive win of the weekend, with Tom Halhead and Christian Humphrey sailing away from the fleet to show everyone they will be a force to be reckoned with this season.  The hard chasing Deal and Page put themselves in a strong position overall with another 2^nd, with McGrane and Clegg raising the stakes on those around them with a 3^rd.

After McGrane and Clegg had won race 5 from Roome and Hall the event could be won by any one of four teams going into the final race.  All 4 crews raced neck and neck up the first beat of the final race.  First Deal and Page, had the advantage, which was then taken by Roome and Hall by the bottom of the first run.  However by the finish, reigning national champion Barton and Allen had crept ahead to show that impending childhood and the abundance of other toys in the Barton household hasn’t get damaged his speed that much!

12 boats getting a top 6 result over the course of the weekend showed how close racing was in the 800 fleet, and with a growing collection of new sailors buying up good value 2^nd hand boats, and a crowd purchasing new machines, the new season continues to show great promise.

The next 800 event is the Hayling Anniversary Regatta in 3 weeks time – enter now before it’s too late.  In the meantime the fleet hopes to see as many as possible at the Glyn Charles Memorial Pursuit Race at HISC in a fortnight.