X332 Nationals at the Royal Temple Yacht Club
by Royal Temple Yacht Club 30 Aug 2004 20:09 BST
Race 1: (Friday 27th)
After a 3 hour postponement the first day of the X332 championship got under way with two windward leeward races with a southwesterly force 4 sponsored by Raymarine. The two local boats Exotic and X-factor are first at the windward mark for the 3 lap race closely followed by Reckless Rat and Kiss. The first two positions stayed the same until the finish. Crickey , Kiss and Glide-x were hot on the heels of Reckless Rat who managed to hold on to her third position.
Race 2:
Race 2, The second windward leeward race of the day. The fleet beat up the windward mark X-factor and Kiss go round neck and neck closely followed by Crickey , Exotic and Yellow Rose from Holland. These four boats battled it out on the run trying to out pace each other. Crickey rounds the leeward mark first closely followed by Kiss, X-factor, Yellow Rose and Exotic. On the last beat Exotic manages to overhaul Yellow Rose to take four place and finish on equal points for the day with X-Factor. Crickey took line honours from Kiss and X-factor.
Race 3: (Saturday 28th)
Sponsored by Dubarry. The fleet hand to wait for the sea breeze to arrive today before sailing could get started. KISS starts at the committee boat end and Xfactor choices to star at the pin end. These two head the fleet on the first beat Kiss rounds first closely followed by Xfactor for a fetch to the hitch mark then spinnakers up for the run back to the leeward mark. Kiss leads the fleet and is the first to gibe off for the leeward mark with Xfactor continuing on the port gibe. At the leeward mark Xfactor rounds first in front of Kiss , Crickey and GlideX. Xfactor continues to lead the fleet for the rest of the race to take line honours, Crickey manages to overall Kiss to take second following closely by GlideX , Exotic and class chairman Rick Waterhouse’s Elixir.
Race 4:
Second windward leeward race of the day. Reckless Rat leads the class at the windward mark followed by Yellow Rose from Holland, Crikey and X-Factor. On the run down to the Leeward mark Crikey takes the lead, closely followed by Kiss and X-Factor for the beat back up to the windward mark. This order does not change for the next lap, but, on the third run, Crikey still leads from Kiss and now GlideX has managed to come up into the frame with Yellow Rose and Exotic. For the final beat up to the windward mark, and the final run, Crikey still leads the fleet with Kiss safely in second, Exotic and Yellow Rose involved in a tussle for third place. Exotic manages to finish third by a very few seconds, with Yellow Rose coming in fourth and X-Factor fifth.
Race 5: (Sunday 29th)
Race 5 was the non-discardable coastal race sponsored by Spinlock. The fleet set off with a short beat to the Simrad buoy and then on to the Downs buoy off Deal. Kiss rounds first closely followed by Exotic, Crickey, Glidex, Blue Beestie and Xfactor for a long spinnaker run down the Gull Stream to the Elbow. Kiss rounds first, now with Crickey in second place in front of Exotic for a beat in to the Longnose off the South Foreland, on this leg most boats had done headsail changes as the wind went light under the cliffs. From the Longnose the fleet had a one sided foul tide beat back to the Gull Stream, Kiss is still leading the fleet for the next spinnaker leg in now 22 knots of breeze before beating back to the finish at the Woolwich buoy off Ramsgate Harbour. Kiss takes line honours from Crickey, Exotic , Glidex and now Xfactor who managed to get passed Yellow Rose just at the finish line.
Race 6:
Race 6 sponsored by Mailspeed. A round-the –cans race off Ramsgate Harbour started with a beat to the Woolwich. First round was Kiss, second Crikey, followed by Exotic and X-Factor. At the leeward mark Kiss still holds the lead on the class, with Exotic now second and X-Factor third for another beat back to the Woolwich, followed by a spinnaker run back to the Bosuns Locker buoy. Kiss is still leading with Exotic second and Yellow Rose, from Holland, is now up to third place in front of X-Factor and Crikey. On the final beat into the Woolwich buoys, kiss holds onto her lead to take line honours, and the National Championship, decided on the last race from Exotic – who managed third overall for the Championship – followed Yellow Rose (fifth overall) and Crikey overhauls X-Factor to take second overall and X-Factor finished fourth overall for the Regatta.
Overall Results:
1st Kiss, David Pinner
2nd Crikey VI, Nigel Theadom
3rd Exotic, Mike and Joe Brand and Dave Elderfield
4th X-Factor, John Barrett and Paul Woodward