Hunter Formula One Nationals at Rutland Sailing Club

by John Ball 30 Jun 2004 23:34 BST 25-27 June 2004

Rutland Sailing Club welcomed 13 boats from around the Uk and Ireland on June 25-27th for the Hunter Formula One national Championships.

Close racing between the fleet saw stiff competition between previous National Champions, Dermot O'Morchoe (Jou Jou, Courtown S.C), Paul Harkness (Hitch Hiker, Courtown S.C) and Paul Bankroft (Tenocious RSC). Day one delivered a force 3 - 4 South Westerly. Jou Jou took full advantage of this to pull out a slim lead with a 1st and a 3rd.

Day two began with a stronger Southerly breeze gusting up to 25 knots. Jou Jou again came out on top with two firsts and a fifth. Hitch hiker closely followed closing the gap with two seconds and a first.

Day three proved to be a battle between the 2002 and 2003 National Champions, Jou Jou and Hitch Hiker, with Dermot O'Morchoe and crew managing to hold on to their advantage to take the Hunter Formula One national Ruddles Trophy back to Ireland. The weekend proved a Testiment to the Race officer Val Milward and her team and the Staff at RSC for provide a first class weekend of racing. Their efforts were appreciated by all competitors.

Overall Results:

Pos	Sail No	Boat Name	Helm	Club	Pts
1st	805	Jou Jou	Dermot O'Morchoe	Coutown	9
2nd	8044	Hitch Hiker	Paul Harkness	Courtown	16
3rd	8050	Tenacious	Paul Bankroft	RSC	17
4th	8024	Typhoon	John Walsh	Courtown	20
5th	8030	Kingfisher	Chris Wright	Rsc	22
6th	7283	Apocalypse	Nick Betts	RSC	30
7th	8020	Jiny Mac	Bob Sherriff	Courtown	44
8th	8017	Caveat	Nigel Pask	RSC	53
9th	8018	Tearaway	Andrew Bonar	RSC	56
10th	8052	War Department	Robert Beggs	RSC	57