HYS FAST40+ National Championship at the Royal Thames Yacht Club - Day 2
by Louay Habib 1 Jul 2018 01:51 BST
29 June - 1 July 2018
Niklas Zennstrom's Swedish Carkeek designed Rán VII put in a stellar performance on the second day of the HYS FAST40+ National Championship, scoring two bullets, to take the lead for the regatta by six points. Bas de Voogd's Dutch Carkeek MkIII Hitchhiker was also in fine form, lifting the team to second place for the championship. Once again, Filip Engelbert's Swedish Ker40+ Elvis impressed, retaining third position after scoring two more podium finishes.
Blazing sunshine continued for the second day of the HYS FAST40+ National Championship. PRO Phil Hagen (Royal Thames YC), wasted no time getting the fleet away for Race 3 in a light nor'easter, but unstable wind caused a delay to further racing for several hours. Once the breeze had settled in the southeast, ten knots, and more in the gusts, produced champagne sailing conditions for two more races before the close.
Race Three was won by James Neville's British HH42 Ino XXX, crossing the line 35 seconds ahead of Elvis. Stewart Whitehead's British Carkeek Mk3 Rebellion was third.
"It feels great to win in such a competitive fleet and we also scored a second yesterday. The team is really improving and we have also made some modifications to the boat, including more weight on the bulb and some new sails, we have definitely got a bit more speed." commented INO XXX owner/driver James Neville. "At the start of Race 3 we wanted the pin, to get over to the mainland shore and we won it. After that it was as it always is; concentrating and avoiding any errors. It was great to cross the line to win our first race."
Race Four was taken by Rán VII. Rebellion was second and Mike Bartholomew's South African flagged Tokoloshe II was third, just three seconds ahead of Hitchhiker. Rán VII won the last race of the day, consolidating their position as leaders for the HYS FAST40+ National Championship. Hitchhiker was second, Elvis third, just eight seconds in front of Steve Cowie's Scottish team racing Zephyr.
"The first race was really tricky, with the wind from the northeast it was very tough to get the tactics right, and there were plenty of snakes and ladders in the fleet." Commented Rán main sheet trimmer, Tim Powell. "After a bit of a delay, a south east sea breeze kicked in and we got two good starts. Eddie (Warden Owen) did a good job putting us in the right place on the race course. The results show that this is a very competitive fleet, and it is all to play for tomorrow. The younger members of our team will be going to the Paella night organised by the Royal Thames but the older ones will be getting to bed early!"
Racing at the HYS FAST40+ National Championship concludes Sunday. A discard will apply if one more race is sailed.
Results after Day 2:
| Pos | Bow No | Sail No | Yacht Name | Yacht Design | Owner / Skipper | R1 | R2 | R3 | R4 | R5 | Pts |
|---|
| 1 | 8 | SWE 41 | Rán | Fast 40+ | Niklas Zennstrom | 1 | 7 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 14 |
| 2 | 3 | NED 8809 | Hitchhicker | C40 MKIII | Bas de Voogd | 5 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 2 | 20 |
| 3 | 9 | SWE 5 | ELVIS | Ker40+ | Filip Engelbert | 8 | 1 | 2 | 9 | 3 | 23 |
| 4 | 5 | GBR 1682R | Tokoloshe II | Fast 40+ | Michael Bartholomew | 2 | 5.5 | 8 | 3 | 8 | 26.5 |
| 5 | 1 | GBR 50R | Girls on Film | Fast 40+ | Peter Morton | 6 | 3 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 27 |
| 6 | 2 | GBR 8449R | Rebellion | Carkeek 40+ Mk3 | Stewart Whitehead | 7 | 9 | 3 | 2 | 7 | 28 |
| 7 | 4 | SUI 19 | Jubilee | Fast 40+ ~ GP42 | Tony Dickin | 3 | 8 | 7 | 5 | 5 | 28 |
| 8 | 7 | GBR 4921 | InoXXX | HH42 | James Neville | 9 | 2 | 1 | 8 | 9 | 29 |
| 9 | 6 | GBR 4242C | Zephyr | Modified GP42 | Steve Cowie | 4 | 5.5 | 9 | 7 | 4 | 29.5 |