Volvo Noble Marine RS400 Nationals at Mount's Bay Sailing Club - Day 1
by Matt Sheahan 21 Aug 2017 11:47 BST
20-24 August 2017
Volvo Noble Marine RS400 Nationals day 1 © Lee Whitehead /
www.photolounge.co.uk
There are two ways of making the day feel breezier than it really is; the first is to add rain, the second is to throw in a big seaway and for the opening day of the RS400 Nationals in Mount's Bay we had both.
The forecast suggested high teens to low twenty knots from the South with rain throughout the day. The rain bit was spot on while the breeze only nudged 20 at its peak. But it was the waves that really spiced things up.
With 74 boats entered the first gate start was an interesting affair. There was plenty of space for all to start yet the best laid plans of many in finding a spot along the line and then hanging onto it until the pathfinder crossed went out of the window when the fleet discovered how hard it was to manage boat speed in the big waves that were sweeping across the course.
When the fleet did get underway, all eyes were then focussed on remembering how to sail in big waves and how to stay in the boat through the tacks.
Unfortunately, for those that had been here at the last Nationals three years ago, the scars of 'Big Wednesday', when huge seas and a steady breeze well into the high twenties caused carnage came back to haunt.
Yet even though no such conditions were in store this time, it was difficult not to worry about what might happen next.
For those that could blot 2014 out of their minds the racing was exciting and full on, especially downwind where kite trim played second fiddle to surfing.
The usual suspects were among those surging to the front of the fleet with Keith Bedborough and Mike Simms taking the first win of the day.
Behind them Josh Metcalf and Jack Holden took second, while Francisco and Teresa Lobato took third.
But race 1 had taken a heavy toll and a number of boats retired with broken gear.
The second race promised more of the same and according to the forecast, possibly more wind - in fact, the opposite happened.
The breeze dropped as it swung right and the rain stopped, momentarily.
When racing did get under way the breeze was only in the low teens yet the sea state was still there. And with the big right hand shift the upwind legs became asymmetric. Starboard tack provided a head banging punch upwind into the steep waves, while port tack delivered a cruise across the waves – it was hard to figure out which way was best.
But when it came to the downwind slide it was surf city once again.
In this race it was Jon Gorringe and Oli Wells that took the win with Francisco and Teresa Lobato taking second.
Given Francisco's former success in the Mini Transat, culminating in an overall win in 2009, perhaps it was no surprise that a man used to pushing tiny overpowered boats downwind in big waves had the biggest smile in the fleet and a scoreline to match.
After two races the leader board has three teams on equal points, Gorring/Wells, Simms/Bedborough and the Lobato duo, a perfect start to what promises to be a hotly contested Nationals.
The forecast for Day 2 suggests a big change with light winds, but still with that lumpy sea state.
Results after Day 1:
Pos | Fleet | Sail No | Helm | Crew | Club | R1 | R2 | Pts |
1st | Gold | 1469 | Jon Gorringe | Oli Wells | Parkstone YC | 4 | 1 | 5 |
2nd | Gold | 1432 | Mike Simms | Keith Bedborough | Dalgety Bay SC | 1 | 4 | 5 |
3rd | Gold | 1215 | Francisco Lobato | Teresa Lobato | QMSC | 3 | 2 | 5 |
4th | Gold | 1309 | Russell Clark | Emma Clark | RNSA/ASA/SBSC | 6 | 3 | 9 |
5th | Gold | 1441 | Paul Oakey | Mark Oakey | Portchester SC | 8 | 5 | 13 |
6th | Gold | 1438 | Paul Hillier | Matt Bailey | RYA | 7 | 6 | 13 |
7th | Gold | 1262 | Josh Metcalfe | Jack Holden | Arun YC/Y Felinheli | 2 | 12 | 14 |
8th | Gold | 1463 | Stewart Robertson | Sarah Robertson | Royal Forth YC | 5 | 11 | 16 |
9th | Gold | 1144 | Alex Barry | Richard Leonard | MBSC/RCYC | 10 | 7 | 17 |
10th | Gold | 1460 | Dave Exley | Mark Lunn | Leigh & Lowton SC | 9 | 10 | 19 |
11th | Gold | 1319 | Ben Robertson | Jenny Douglas | Dalgety Bay SC | 12 | 9 | 21 |
12th | Gold | 1407 | Hamish Gledhill | Jack Hopkins | West Riding SC | 22 | 8 | 30 |
13th | Gold | 1454 | Jon Heissig | Nicky Griffin | Llangorse SC | 11 | 22 | 33 |
14th | Gold | 1283 | Chris Pickles | Matt Sharman | Delph SC | 18 | 15 | 33 |
15th | Silver | 1109 | Rob Jones | Robin Russell | Warsash SC | 17 | 18 | 35 |
16th | Gold | 1345 | Robbie Wilson | Rory Rose | Wormit Boating Club | 20 | 17 | 37 |
17th | Gold | 1189 | Steve Restall | Chris Stubbs | Downs SC | 25 | 13 | 38 |
18th | Gold | 1017 | Sean Cleary | Annalise Nixon | Oxford SC | 14 | 24 | 38 |
19th | Silver | 1362 | Ben Wilcox | Kenneth Laing | East Lothian YC | 23 | 16 | 39 |
20th | Gold | 1370 | Neil McLellan | Andy McKeown | Dalgety Bay SC | 16 | 23 | 39 |
21st | Gold | 1424 | Chloe Martin | Dan Martin | Lymington Town SC | 19 | 20 | 39 |
22nd | Silver | 1393 | Oliver George‑Taylor | Nick Zammit | RNSA | 13 | 27 | 40 |
23rd | Silver | 1467 | Paul Ridgway | Bronwyn Ridgway | Leigh & Lowton SC | 24 | 21 | 45 |
24th | Gold | 1400 | Steve Middleton | Chris Rowland | Burghfield SC | 21 | 32 | 53 |
25th | Bronze | 1181 | Bruce Moore | Andrea Jarman | Warsash SC | 28 | 26 | 54 |
26th | Gold | 1468 | Mike Saul | John Hobson | Yorkshire Dales SC | 26 | 29 | 55 |
27th | Silver | 864 | Elaine Turner | Sijbrand Jongejans | WV Braassemereer | 33 | 28 | 61 |
28th | Bronze | 1312 | Ben Pickering | Dom Mortimer | RVYC / Chase SC | 27 | 40 | 67 |
29th | Gold | 1414 | Caroline Whitehouse | Jason McDonnell | Bartley SC | 36 | 33 | 69 |
30th | Gold | 1455 | John MacKenzie | Andy Box | Dalgety Bay SC | 45 | 25 | 70 |
31st | Silver | 1435 | Matthew Sheahan | Ellie Sheahan | QMSC | 29 | 41 | 70 |
32nd | Silver | 844 | Emily Robertson | Ewan Rycroft | Royal Forth YC | 40 | 30 | 70 |
33rd | Bronze | 1007 | Nick Daniels | Mark Aitken | Warsash | 34 | 36 | 70 |
34th | Silver | 1140 | Robert O'Sullivan | Phillip McGlade | Mount Bay Sailing Club | 32 | 44 | 76 |
35th | Silver | 1465 | Ben Williamson | Richard Brameld | Welton SC | 39 | 38 | 77 |
36th | Gold | 1439 | Kevin Podger | Heather Chipperfield | Lymington Town SC | 44 | 35 | 79 |
37th | Silver | 1363 | Ross Ryan | Hinchcliffe‑Smith | Notts County SC | 48 | 34 | 82 |
38th | Silver | 1212 | Sam Pickering | Tony Cliff | Chasewater SC | 52 | 31 | 83 |
39th | Bronze | 476 | Martin Booth | Alan McLean | Dalgety Bay SC | 31 | 52 | 83 |
40th | Silver | 1117 | Matt Toynbee | Vasiliki Papapanagiotou | Dalgety Bay SC | 46 | 37 | 83 |
41st | Silver | 768 | Angus Marshall | Imogen Barnett | Dalgety Bay SC | 37 | 47 | 84 |
42nd | Bronze | 1184 | Stuart Williams | Joshua Crisp | Army Sailing Association | 41 | 45 | 86 |
43rd | Bronze | 612 | James West | Callum McCullough | Taurunga Y & Powerboat club | 43 | 43 | 86 |
44th | Bronze | 522 | John Downey | Sandy Rimmington | MBSC | DNF | 14 | 88 |
45th | Gold | 1290 | David Brown | Rebecca Brown | QMSC | 15 | DNC | 89 |
46th | Gold | 1418 | Howard Farbrother | Louise Hosken | QMSC | DNS | 19 | 93 |
47th | Silver | 1129 | David Webley | Fraser Mulford | Wormit Boating Club | 49 | 46 | 95 |
48th | Bronze | 1060 | Pete Pickford | Chris Carpenter | Thorney Island SC | 56 | 42 | 98 |
49th | Bronze | 1101 | Simon Baker | Chris Hopkins | QMSC | 47 | 51 | 98 |
50th | Bronze | 1265 | Colin Davies | Naomi Moran | Aberdeen & Stonehaven SC | 51 | 48 | 99 |
51st | Bronze | 527 | Andy Powell | Julian Colls | Warsash SC | 50 | 53 | 103 |
52nd | Silver | 1452 | Howard Eeles | Chris Bownes | Bartley SC | 30 | DNF | 104 |
53rd | Bronze | 717 | Jonathon Moss | Alastair Moppett | Bough Beech SC | 35 | DNF | 109 |
54th | Gold | 1390 | Andy Hatch | Dan Hawkins | QMSC | 38 | DNC | 112 |
55th | Bronze | 421 | Adrian Neal | Tracy Neal | Castle Cover SC | DNF | 39 | 113 |
56th | Silver | 1450 | Nick Eaves | Greg Pace | Bartley SC | 42 | DNC | 116 |
57th | Bronze | 1287 | James Bowman | Andrew Gladstone | Starcross YC | RET | 49 | 123 |
58th | Silver | 1445 | Phil Britton | Michael Atkinson | Dalgety Bay SC | DNF | 50 | 124 |
59th | Silver | 770 | Thomas Barney Broatch | James Mathieson | Port Dinorwic SC | 53 | DNF | 127 |
60th | Bronze | 1333 | Rob Corfield | Tom Dobbs | Dell Quay SC | 54 | DNC | 128 |
61st | Bronze | 503 | Peter Tozer | Vicky Bartlett | Mountbatten SC | 55 | DNC | 129 |
62nd | Silver | 934 | David Swift | Robert Burgess | Warsash SC | DNF | DNS | 148 |
62nd | Bronze | 1328 | Steve Peat | Sarah Peat | Starcross YC | DNF | DNS | 148 |
62nd | Silver | 670 | Tim Harrison | Tor Harrison | Notts County SC | DNF | DNS | 148 |
62nd | Bronze | 1064 | David Ramsden | Petra Ramsden | QMSC | DNF | DNS | 148 |
62nd | Bronze | 1417 | Stephen Wingrove | Ashley Wingrove | Porthpean SC | RET | DNC | 148 |
62nd | Bronze | 1092 | Mark Walford | Alan Cooke | Grafham Water SC | DNF | DNS | 148 |
62nd | Bronze | 1228 | Andrew Johnson | Sarah Humphrey | Grafham Water SC | DSQ | DSQ | 148 |
62nd | Silver | 1342 | Max Tosetti | Anna Wallin | QMSC | DSQ | DNC | 148 |
62nd | Bronze | 1252 | James Alsop | Simon Edwards | QMSC | DNF | DNF | 148 |
62nd | Bronze | 1392 | Chris Stanton | Jules Thorne | QMSC | DNF | DNS | 148 |
62nd | Silver | 564 | Jacob Ainsworth | Kayleigh Roberts | South Shields SC | DNF | DNS | 148 |
62nd | Bronze | 1430 | Simon Matthews | Andy Harris | Lancing SC | DNF | DNS | 148 |