What a way to round off the season! 32 RS 800s made the trip to Grafham Water Sailing Club for the Gul Inland National Championships 2006! Clear blue skies and gusty conditions made for a weekend of tactical and physical sailing! With gusts reaching up to 25 knots in race one Peter Barton and Roz Allen (Henri Lloyd) dominated from the very start. Rounding the top mark in first place, they extended their lead throughout the race and won by a comfortable margin. Andy Jeffries and Ally Ody were next across the line in second place while Tim Smyth and Adam Broughton finished third. Race two and despite the forecast there was no sign of the wind easing! Once again Barton and Allen lead out of the blocks and began another horizon job on the fleet clocking up 19.1 knots on their Garmin GPS! But on lap two disaster struck for team Henri Lloyd as the pintles sheered off the back of the boat and rudder stock. Instead of simply giving up there and then, Peter, ever the optimist, was quoted as saying �it�s OK Roz, I think I can steer to the finish with my foot�!! Ten out of ten for trying but with two laps to go it really was game over. One team�s misfortune always leads to another�s glory and steeling the lead was James Ross and Heather Back. They held it all the way to the finish taking the second blood of the day! David Pike and Nick Jerkins finished second while Graham Simmonds and Chris Doe took third. Race three and this time it was Jeffries and Ody�s turn to shine! While they lead the entire fleet round the 5 lap course (yes, this was definitely harder than any day at the nationals!) a real battle unfolded amongst the chasing pack. Place changing has never been so chaotic and the team making the most of the puffs and shifts were Ben Schooling and Tim Hirst who stormed across the finish line in second place behind Jeffries and Ody who�d taken the bullet about a minute before! Spod Olive and Dan Brown (Sola/Harken) pulled through to finish third while Dave Pike and Nick Jerkins finished with a fourth place making them the over night leaders. A huge end of season party kicked off in the dry bar where everyone was suitably fed and watered. Highlights of the evening included the prize giving for the 2006 Fat Face circuit and a game of giant Jenga for those who dared! Losing that spectacularly was Oozy Hughes whose penalty was an �exposed� run round the boat park � always a classic! Anyway, day two and the breeze was looking a little bit lighter�.. Race 4 and this time Adrian Coatsworth and Julia Jenkins read the shifts correctly to round the top mark in first place. Sadly their moment of glory was cut short by an unfortunate capsize on the bear away allowing Jamie Reid and Alastair Rose to squeeze into the lead and gybe-set at the mark. The starboard tackers gave them some serious grief so by the bottom mark Justin Deal and Sarah Marriott had snuck into the lead. While the battle remained tight for the rest of the race Deal and Marriott crossed the line in first, Reid and Rose second with Ralph and Sophie Singleton in third. Race 5 and the breeze was beginning to build�. This time local knowledge proved an invaluable asset as Grafham locals and circuit regulars Sam Neal and Matt Reynolds took an early lead. After leading the fleet for two laps their fortune changed as Neil Baker and Oozy Hughes crept into first place and Deal & Marriott into second. Baker and Hughes looked set to take the second bullet of the day but tried finishing the race one lap too early giving Deal and Marriott the lead who took it all the way to the finish one lap later. Baker and Hughes cursed their way across the finish line in second place while Barton and Allen finished up third. Final race of the day and the puffs and shifts kept rolling in. One general recall later (and several disgraced boats!) the fleet were off and getting it right straight from the start was Ralph and Sophie Singleton who lead the fleet all the way round the 5 lap course! Once again the battle was fierce in the chasing pack with the places changing continually. Olive and Brown began to pull a healthy second place out of the bag but Deal & Marriott got the penultimate beat right and managed to nip in front. And so the finishing order was set: Singleton & Singleton first, Deal & Marriott second and Olive & Brown (Sola/Harken) third. Back to shore, hot showers all round and the final results were totted up�.. In reverse order�. Andy Jeffries and Ally Ody from Eastbourne took third place overall counting some great results from day one. Spod Olive and Dan Brown (Sola/Harken) proved that consistency is always the way to go and took second; and in first place putting in a string of great results were Justin Deal and Sarah Marriott, the Inland National Champions for 2006! A huge thanks to Grafham Water Sailing Club for providing a fantastic weekends sailing for each and every one of us and to Gul for their prize money vouchers. The final event of the season is just four weeks away at Rutland Sailing club and of course the infamous RS ball takes place on the Saturday night! Look forward to seeing you all there � tickets can be purchased from Charlotte England, [email protected]. Sarah Marriott RS800 1054