RS200 Inland Championship at Island Barn Reservoir Sailing Club

Starting the spreader leg during the RS200 Inlands at Island Barn Reservoir SC © Jim Champ

Andy and Tessa, parents of British Sailing Team Podium Squad member Nicola Groves, have been racing together for some 40 years, gybing during the RS200 Inlands at Island Barn Reservoir SC © Jim Champ

Well, it all worked out in the end I think, but enough kittens were being had the weekend before to breed a litter of tigers... After some very pointed chasing of builders (and hard work and late nights on their part: credit where credit is due), and some intense furniture moving, cleaning and tidying by a bunch of volunteers on the Friday night, Island Barn Reservoir SC had some sort of clubhouse ready for the rearranged RS200 inlands. Happily the turnout was well with the club capabilities: 60 or 70 might have been a struggle: especially in the ladies at lunchtime. But that's a story you don't want to hear about.

There were all sorts of forecasts during the week, but in the end it was overcast, not too much drizzle until the journey home (which was horrible) and for the first 4 races a very decent racing breeze. The last one was, err, not a decent racing breeze. Sorry!

The course used for all races was a conventional windward/leeward with a spreader mark at the top, the short leg usually being suitable for the kite, and then a leeward gate. The wind direction was across the shorter dimension of the reservoir, so the legs were usually around 500 metres. In the shifty wind on offer this provided more than enough room to get comprehensively the right or wrong side of the beat, but not so much separation that the mark roundings were anything less than "interesting". The shifting winds also kept the mark boat teams busy providing adjustments.

The first attempt to send off Race One started with a general recall. Anyone surprised? Thought not. However once the I flag came out the fleet was well disciplined, with just the odd one or two being caught over the line on subsequent starts, and I think only one OCS on the scorecard.

The restart saw Joanna Wright and Tom Brophy lead round the first lap, followed by Tom Ballantine and Mary Henderson. On lap two Ian Martin and Lucy Preston took the lead, with the other two following. David Jessop and Cliff Michelmore came through to third.

Race Two saw local sailors Clare James and Lucy Gibson take the right hand side of the track on the first beat, when nearly everyone else went left. A big header at the top mark let Martin & Preston just slip ahead of them to lead for the rest of the race. Simon Cory and Denise Judd sailed an excellent run to come through to second place at the end of the lap, with Ralph and Sophie Singleton coming through on lap two. By the end of lap 3, however, Wright and Brophy were up to 2nd, and after a bit of place swapping the Singletons took third from Tim Saxton and Nicola Groves.

Time for lunch. Plenty of lunch too as the club was somewhat over catered.

Start sequence during the RS200 Inlands at Island Barn Reservoir SC - photo © Jim Champ

Competitors were chivvied out on the water with lunch barely digested for Race Three. After a single lap in reverse order the 1st two were again Martin & Preston then Wright & Brophy. Andrew and Jill Peters, from just up the road, took third from Dicken Maclean and Philipa Daniels. Mr Maclean *should* know the reservoir, but maybe its been a while. Your reporter remembers the first windward mark of this race as being particularly busy looking through the camera lens, and I think it was this one where one boat ended up with a bowsprit in the revealing starboard side during the melee. Was that an attempted battle of Agincourt re-enactment? Not in good taste people!

Race Four, and Martin & Preston led all the way round to land themselves with the engraving bill for the trophy. Wright & Brophy came through on lap two to make second overall safe. Jessop and Michelmore took 3rd and Ballantine and Henderson 4th.

Race Five. The wind let us down for this one. Thoroughly. Far too much of it was a drift fest. It didn't seem to bother Ian Saxton and Nicola Groves too much, as they led round two very slow laps, but then Nicola was practically brought up on this reservoir... Wright & Brophy got another second, which meant that Saxton and Groves took third place overall at the last gasp. 4th overall went to Ballantine and Henderson (who also picked up the U23 trophy), 5th to Jessop and Michelmore and 6th to Jack Holden and Amy Yeoman.

Drama at the spreader mark during the RS200 Inlands at Island Barn Reservoir SC - photo © Jim Champ

Well, a comprehensive win for Ian Martin and Lucy Preston, who made good decisions on the water all day, not the least of which was to head home after race 4 and miss the last race drift... A very solid second place for Joanna Wright and Tom Brophy, and a last race salvage for Saxton and Groves.

There you are Mr Editor: no snakes, and the ladders had all been moved out of the clubhouse after the builders left on Friday. Think Ian and Lucy had claimed exclusive use of them...

Overall Results: