Results / Fat Face Racing Circuit Chew Valley Lake SC - 23/03/2002

Fat Face Racing Circuit � RS800 - Chew Valley Lake SC � 23/24 March 2002 Chew Valley with light winds from the East is notoriously fickle and this proved the menu for the weekend, although it didn�t stop Geoff Carveth from stealing the show in his new Fat Face machine. The cunning plan from the Race Officer meant that the 800s started last in the sequence, which allowed us to see how the previous fleets tackled the wind shifts. The 600 went right, the 300s left and the 700s went up the middle - so it was up to us to find our own routes. The racing was exciting with people finding pockets of breeze and holes all around the course. Apart from the top 5, there was a lot of place changing and the phrase for the day was getting the head out of the boat and spotting the wind. Downwind this was particularly apparent as lanes of wind would open and then close. No one seemed to have a handle on it. Tactics proved to be the key with clean air and neat mark roundings allowing large gaps to appear in the fleet. In those winds it was not uncommon to see boats approach the leeward mark, stifling the wind for those rounding and concertinaing the fleet into a large raft that struggled around in the faltering breeze. When asked me to write this article, I asked Steve Irish, Geoff Carveth and Paddy Gamble and the consensus was, they had no idea what was going on and that some times they pulled away and other times they were buried. Only Geoff seemed to stay ahead of the pack and revel in these conditions. For ease of writing, I�m just going to talk about the helms but this was a day for eagle-eyed crews talking to their helms and spotting the routes up and down wind. And for reassuring them when they rounded at the back of the fleet. I sailed past a number of floating teddy bears, obviously thrown out of someone�s pram! Anyway, enough of waffle, How did people do? Race 1 The first race got away with a clean start and the fleet headed off for the main band of wind off on the right with Steve Irish leading around the first mark through the shifty wind. Places swapped behind him but he managed to work the shifts keeping ahead of Robin Wood with his miniature son, Ben, crewing and Geoff Carveth and Craig Davies, who previously sailed with Mike Lennon. Who says industrial espionage is dead? Race 2 Again another clean start and this time we even managed to get out on the wire. Geoff had obviously learnt the errors of his previous race and led from start to finish pulling out his lead in front of Steve Irish and Mike Way (with new boy on the block, Peter Brooke- Houghton) with his new boat. Race 3 Once again this became a 3-horse race with Paddy Gamble finding his feet and battling it out with Paul Jenkins, eventually hitting the right gust down wind and pipping Paul at the post. But both behind Geoff again. He must have been getting bored at this stage. Personally I�m waiting for him to light up downwind when in the lead, then I�ll taking up gardening. Sunday kicked off with an identical wind and direction as the previous day, or so it seemed. The Race Officer had found the black flag and wasn�t afraid to use it. Once again the start line was just off the beach, which allowed a number of people to dash ashore in between races to change gear, fittings and stare into their crystal ball. Race 4 Keen to repeat his performance of the day, Geoff scrapped past Steve Irish on the finish line to take line honours with Mike Way just behind then. Then as they paused, having a drink, slapping each other on the back (what ever these boys do) Paddy Gamble rounded the leeward mark and headed off up wind. Shock horror! The race wasn�t over. Lucky for Geoff he had bimbled off up wind anyway and managed to sheet in to re- capture the lead, just in front of the pack. Steve Irish also squeezed ahead of the mob but Mike Way lost out while packing away the picnic hamper and got dragged down the fleet. I can�t really say that much about this as I was behind at the time and tried to finish prematurely as well. Must learn to count, 1, 2, 3, �. Race 5 This time it was Paddy who show his tactical awareness by pulling away in front of Geoff with Mike Way proving that he knew how to finish and go fast. Race 6 By this time it was becoming a three horse race again with Geoff leading for most of the way around until Steve managed to pick a better route through the shifts to lead at the last top mark rounding. He consolidated his lead and stayed ahead of Geoff and Paddy to take the final gun.