Gul RS800 Nationals at Porthpean Sailing Club - Overall

The Gul RS800 nationals kicks off in Porthpean © Mike Rice / www.fotoboat.com

The Gul RS800 nationals kicks off in Porthpean © Mike Rice / www.fotoboat.com

Porthpean Sailing club provided the venue for an eventful and, although overcast, surprisingly windy Gul RS800 nationals from 24-29 August. Despite nearly 80 boats attending the Eurocup in Garda threatening to make this a low key event, 41 boats turned up to enjoy a packed racing programme, busy socials and the notorious Porthpean beach access road for dragging boats up at the end of the racing day!

Racing on day 1 got underway after the usual disrobing and shedding of wallets and mobiles for the all-important weigh in. The fleet showed its depth from the outset in a gusty 3-4 for race 1. Spod Olive and Guy Filmore lead round the windward mark after winning the pin, but it was Tom Halhead and crew Christian Humphrey who went on to take line honours ahead of Olive and Filmore, and in 3rd Ian Martin and Adam Broughton. Race 2 saw the breeze freshen. Silver fleet ringers Aaron Barden and Rob Hopper took the windward mark first, and every leg until the final beat where Charlie Roome and Steve Hall took the bullet, followed closely by Niel Baker and James Hughes, and in 3rd, and rapidly upping the ante, the Selden boys, Ben McGrane and Olivier Vidal.

The wind forecast dismal for the rest of the week, the Commodore’s reception went on long into the small hours – the inaugural 800 Texas Holdem provding more competition and a chance to use their cunning for those who hadn’t had enough on the water, and of course delaying the onset of sleeping under canvas on a 1 in 4 hill!

Monday morning brought not the promised zephyrs, but instead an increasing breeze that would make conditions tricky even for the hot-shots in a sea with an underlying swell opposing the wind direction. General recalls (four in all!) claimed 10 of the fleet prior to race 3 finally getting underway. McGrane and Vidal took the race in style, proving unbeatable from start to finish in an impressive display of boat-handling, and managing not to lose out at the finish while a 50 degree wind shift claimed many. Heavy breeze expert Andy Jeffries, with crew Bonnie Moody, took second place ahead of Olive and Filmore. Race four saw more breeze and McGrane and Vidal confirm their intent with another win ahead of Stevie Wilson and Jamie Stewart in 2nd and Justin Deal and Ollie Page in 3rd. The fleet retired battered to the shore for an evening of violent tug of war, malco-ordinated volleyball and questionable rounders on the beach, much needed recovery, and for a hard worked Wilson and Stewart, the start of an intensive week of evenings of boat repair for the rest of the fleet. Duckhams, in time honoured tradition was presented – and on this evening to Arkie Wainwright, the PRO… a strong call by the fleet to award Duckhams to him so early in the week and with so many races yet to run!

Tuesday, and the wind continued to keep both crew and helm on the wire upwind. Shifty conditions favoured the now seemingly unstoppable McGrane and Vidal, who took an easy victory in Race 5, followed once again by Wilson and Stewart taking 2nd, and Deal and Page 3rd spot. Ben Schooling and Tim Hirst took a hard earned 4th, maintaining a consistent scoreline to put them 3rd overall at the end of the day. Race 6 saw 3 boats get away from the rest of the fleet. Final placings were Deal and Page ahead of McGrane and Vidal, while Phil King and Tom Trueman took 3rd. After prizegiving generously sponsored by Harken, the theme for the evening’s pub crawl to nearby Fowey was supposed to be Cornish pixies. The boys took this opportunity and some artistic licence to turn up in the majority as fairies…and of course clearly outshone those girls who had done the same. The evening concluded with inflatable raft luge down the stairs of the British Legion Club by some ‘larger’ fairies, which received an unsurprisingly mixed reception!

Curry Wednesday saw the McGrane/Vidal pairing maintain their dominance. 2 victories put them in a strong position while below them Wilson and Stewart held on to 2nd overall by the slenderest of margins from Shooling and Hirst, Halhead and Humphrey. The silver fleet remained tight, led by Andrew Smith and Micky Boughton by only a few points from Simon and Jo Skinner and Ralph Singleton and James Clark who had pulled off a 5th and 7th during Tuesday’s racing. So, 4 days in, all scheduled races complete, great evenings – the club was doing well. But it was to get better when they brought in a professional curry company for the evening. Eyes proved rather larger than stomachs in the majority of cases, not helped by the generous sposorship by Geeta’s Curry Sauces…

Thursday saw McGrane and Vidal win the national champs with a day to spare depsite an uncharacteristic 8th in race 10. Lighter winds failed to dent the speed and consistency of Wilson and Stewart who held on to 2nd overall just ahead of Shooling and Hirst. Halhead and Humphrey maintained 4th courtesy of 4 top 4 finishes in 4 races.

Post race 10, the much awaited, arguably most important race of the week took place – so important in fact that a sweepstake had attracted considerable prize money for the winner and no less than 38 boats stayed out to compete. This was the inaugural RS800 nationals crews race, which was to prove to be the final act of the 2008 800 nationals.

In every way as hard fought and competitive as the rest of the weeks racing, techniques ranged from the hiking only from the back to the seated spinaker hoist, but yet again it was the undefeatable Vidal and McGrane who took line honours in a race that would take the boats back to Porthpean beach. In high spirits, the crews then headed for the home of the day’s sponsor, St Austell brewery for a tour, yet another pasty, and a half or so sample of their wares. Onwards to Charlestown and it was a very relieved fleet (in the main part) who watched Arkie raise the abandoned flag the next morning after a night of revelling in the picturesque village. This brought the Gul RS800 2008 nationals to a successful and distinct close in what had proved to be a surprisingly windier, and for McGrane and Vidal, extremely impressive week. The club sent the competitors off with a fine hog roast as the English weather returned to the norm of drizzle, low cloud and little wind.

Overall Results: