RS200 SEAS Finale at Wembley Sailing Club

RS200s at Wembley © David Gates / www.fotoboat.com

RS200s at Wembley © David Gates / www.fotoboat.com

RS200s at Wembley © David Gates / www.fotoboat.com

The positions after the penultimate round of the SEAS RS200 Circuit were extremely close, with any one of 7 teams in contention for the decider at Wembley Sailing Club on Sunday. These included your correspondent, who’d such a shocker of a day he has sought solace and salvation in the extreme asceticism of Buddha... who himself said that it is better to travel well than to arrive: thus 8 visiting teams contributed to the fleet of 24 (though no one from the hotbed of 200-dom that is Burghfield SC, depending on others for their SEAS salvation).

For once, we’d a crisp force 3-ish Westerly, allowing the RO team of John Curran and Kevin Armstrong to set a windward spreader and leeward gate. Wembley follows the format of 3 races back-to-back, with Mars Bars & water to all between races 2 and 3.

Race 1 saw Matt Mee and Emma Norris win from Andy & Jeraldine Peters. I have no idea what actually happened, as I capsized on the start line. (‘There are only two mistakes one can make along the road to truth; not going all the way, and not starting.’) Wembley’s Zen-like Steve Janering won race 2, again from the consistent Andy and Jeraldine. He and my sometime sidekick led race 3 for some 3 laps, before being ground down on almost the last beat by Matt and Emma, Steve Dunn and the Peters (opportunity knocks, but karma hunts you down).

So, Matt Mee and Emma Norriss attained Nirvana, both winning on the day from Andy Peters and Steve Janering in 3rd and also the hugely competitive series. Roger Wilson won the raffled spinnaker provided by RS.

Thanks to all the visitors, and the shore-side help – in particular Steve Lindley - in what was a fitting finale. It is better to conquer yourself than to win a thousand battles. Then the victory is yours. It cannot be taken from you, not by angels or by demons, heaven or hell. Or Rob Janering.

Overall Results: