RS Elite Southern Area Championships at AAM Cowes Week
by Martin Wadhams 10 Aug 2011 10:36 BST
6-13 August 2011
RS Elite Southerns at AAM Cowes Week © Rich Tomlinson /
www.rick-tomlinson.com
Cliffhanger finishes are becoming a trademark of the RS Elite Class and the last race of the Southern Area Championship at Aberdeen Asset Management Cowes Week has done it again.
Gold medallist Pippa Wilson in Matterhorn Jack led Martin Wadhams in RSsailing.com by 3 points going into the final race, with the National Champions the Brown’s in Aeolus 2 points further behind. At the start Wilson made her intentions clear and in the final 2 minutes squared up to RS in a bid to match race the start, however an uncharacteristic timing error meant that at the gun both she and the Browns were over the line and had to dip back – so suddenly the game really was on. RSsailing.com had a close tussle with Steve Powell’s E’Tu on the first leg and got a bow in front to lead at the first mark.
RS never looked back and led around every mark but it was now all about the places behind them. Aeolus climbed to second by the end of the third leg and Matterhorn Jack was up to fifth. The positions held at this for several more legs of the course and as RSsailing.com closed the finish line it looked as though they had done enough to lift the beautiful new trophy. Then, in a final drama, E’Tu in fourth dropped their kite into the water (for the first time in three years, so they say) at the last mark, slowed dramatically and Wilson seized the opportunity to get her bow inside and climb into fourth for the fetch to the finish.
This put Matterhorn Jack and RSsailing.com level on points and both thought the other had won on count-back - until the Instructions were checked and it became clear that Matterhorn’s 1,1, 2, 4 gave them the title over RSsailing.com’s 1,1, 3, 3. Rumours of all kinds of bribery and corruption negotiations on the final run were hotly disputed by E’Tu in the bar and Matterhorn Jack stands as the worthy winner of the first RS Elite Southern Area Championships!
Eyes now turn to the overall Cowes Week title and, as both Matterhorn Jack’s and RSsailing’s crews head back to work and new teams step aboard their boats, there is everything to play for by the top four or five boats.
Overall Results – Southern Area Championship:
1st Matterhorn Jack, Pippa & Roger Wilson & Rory 8pts
2nd RSsailing.com, Martin & Amanda Wadhams & Paul Fisk 8pts
3rd Aeolus, Jono, Lyn and David Brown 11pts
4th E’Tu, Buzz Keck, Steve Powell & Botty 15pts