RS200 RS Sailing Northern Tour Finale at Budworth Sailing Club
by Martin Joesbury 23 Oct 2017 08:32 BST
14 October 2017
Budworth RS200 Open © James Prestwick
A lovely, warm F2-3 Southerly breeze met the competitors for the 2017 Budworth RS200 Open meeting and the final event of the RS Northern Tour Series sponsored by RS Sailing and Rope4Boats which has seen over 60 boats take part.
There were two races scheduled before lunch and three after with last race needing to be started by 15:30, Mark, the officer of the day, managed to get all the races in.
The first start of the day resulted in a general recall, but with the I flag flying the fleet got underway on the second attempt. The wind kept shifting up the first beat so places kept changing. First the left looked like it was paying, then the right, then the left again, as the wind shifted with each gust and lull that passed down the course. Tricky conditions to get it right but Budworth's Tony Taylor and Wendy Martin found the right lanes and got in front to win the first two races. Behind Tony and Wendy the racing was very close with frequent place changing. Andy Brown and Alex Sutcliff followed by Martin and Sian Joesbury in Race 1 and Ollie Groves with Tim Waller finishing second in Race 2 followed by Russell and Vicky Page.
The afternoon saw a slight course change with each race won by a different boat. Ollie Groves took the first race of the afternoon with the Joesburys squeezing into second place, helped along by Andy Brown not registering the change of course sending him from second right down the closely packed fleet!
Ollie sailed consistently to get another two second places in the final races giving him first overall. Tony Taylor and Wendy Martin couldn't quite get out of the pack in the afternoon but managed third in the last race to secure second overall.
Russell and Vicky Page kept their best until last to win the last race convincingly after the original leader Matt Bromley had to retire with gear failure to give them third overall.
A big thanks to the girls in the galley keeping us fed and watered and the Race Officer Mark Antonelli and his team for managing the challenging conditions so well with excellent course setting and race timing to get the scheduled 5 races in.
The Prize Giving took place in the Budworth bar and Ollie Groves, the open meeting winner, was also award first place with usual crew Esther Parkhurst for the Northern Tour for the second year running. Second place went to Martin and Sian Joesbury with Martin and Tom Penty in third.
Many Thanks to our sponsors RS sailing and Rope4Boats for the great prizes. Annabelle/Emily Page and Andy Gill/Ciara Perry won the raffle for Rope4boats vouchers, ideal for new lines, halyards and sheets ready for next year's circuit.
Special thanks must go to Jon Ward, the organizer of yet another successful Northern Tour. Look out for next year's Northern tour dates in the New Year.
Overall Results:
1st Ollie Groves / Tim Waller (Beaver SC)
2nd Tony Talyor / Wendy Martin (Budworth SC)
3rd Russell Page / Vicky Page (Budworth SC)
4th Marin Joesbury / Sian Joesbury (Budworth SC)
5th Andy Brown / Alex Sutcliff (Budworth SC)