RS200 Winter Series at Royal Harwich Yacht Club - Week 2

Week 2 of the RS200 Winter Series at Royal Harwich © Kathryn Deaton

All smiles – Cara Bland and Bea Green on Week 2 of the RS200 Winter Series at Royal Harwich © Elouise Mayhew

Round 2 on the RS200 Fleet from the Royal Harwich Yacht Club Winter Series started with a hive of activity and some more high calibre teams. The entrants swelled to 14 boats in a very competitive fleet who enjoyed two back to back races on the high tide.

Race 1

Gordon Sutton (OOD) and his race team set a straight windward leeward for Race 3 of the series, with a committee boat start and a beat to a special mark of the Nacton shore and back to No 7.

A closely fought line saw some early altercations unfortunately leaving a very disappointed team Deaton to plan repairs ready for the next round. Meanwhile it was looking good for the partnership of Stephen Videlo and crew Ethan Davey who were sharp out of the blocks, but it was Young Guns Harry Chatterton and Daisy Nunn who hugged the left and took a great line into the windward mark lifting on port and the top.

With the tide flooding it was Chatterton and Nunn who managed to make the best of it and managed to get a lovely puff of breeze and were seen planeing deep in the tide, gaining all the way! Tom Stewart and Frances Gifford were also making chase and closing in.

With the pack so close it was tense all the way through, you could easily lose half a dozen places on a leg so it was a fight to the end wherever you were placed. At the finish Chatterton and Nunn took a well-deserved bullet from Stewart and Gifford. Stephen Videlo and Davey were pushed into fourth by Ian and Alyson Videlo taking family honours this time.

Race 2

The second race of the day and race four of the series was a triangle with less "running deep". Again the start was hotly contested with Stewart and Gifford squeezed over and having to return. Whilst the fleet was tacking in a tricky breeze to the first mark Stewart and Gifford made the most of it and after initially clearing their wind to the right they then took the shore and lifted into the first mark to take the lead.

Race 2 shortly after the start on Week 2 of the RS200 Winter Series at Royal Harwich - photo © Elouise Mayhew

Chatterton and Nunn were again in the mix and the family Videlo battle returned. Nunn and Mayhew were in the middle taking advantage of some nice lay lines into the windward gate to hold fifth and keeping series leader Alan Krailing and Joe Hunt on their heels. Issy Taylor-Jones and Harvey O'Sullivan were fighting the peloton, with the Geoff Mayhew and Lucie Nunn in the mix. Smiley team of the day "Girls Aloud" Cara Bland and Bea Green even managed to maintain their composure with an immaculate manoeuvre to test the water temperature while reaching! Bea's mum Juliet enjoyed the view as she and Chris Mayhew took advantage of the girl's watery pit stop. The family boat of Mark and Becky Hodge escaped from the centre pack during this excitement, chasing Ben Alexander and Elspeth Orme.

New "kids" on the block George Finch and Tom Herring were learning all the time in the first race in a RS200, having jumped their Laser ships for the day to join the fun.

After 3 laps the final beat saw some close racing with Stewart and Gifford sealing victory from the Young Guns Chatterton and Nunn. In the Videlo battle, Ian and Alyson took a well-deserved third from son Stephen and Davey.

With four races on the board it is looking tight at the top with Krailing and his Gifford/Hunt crew leading and a consistent Nunn and Mayhew in second. Ben Alexander with Harris/Orme has not been able to reproduce the bullet from race 1 again, but all the potential is there for a good finish. The last day in the RS200 Series is going to be closely run event with the expectation on Frances Gifford having never a place lower than second!

We all look forward to the next in the series Sunday 9th December at 10:30.

Don't forget the Boxing Day Breezer 12:00 start. See https://www.royalharwichyachtclub.co.uk/racing/open-racing-events

Results: