Gul RS400 Nationals at Mounts Bay Sailing Club

Gul RS400 Nationals at Mounts Bay Sailing Club - Overall

by Paul Hilliar 25 Aug 2006 13:29 BST 20-24 August 2006

Catching different angles on the final day of the Gul RS400 nationals © Lee Whitehead / www.photolounge.co.uk

Nick Craig/James Stewart wrap up the championship with two races to spare

Going into the final day of the Gul RS400 National championships, Nick Craig/James Stewart held a commanding lead over Dave Jones/Mark Hogan in second place. With three races scheduled and a good breeze forecast it was set to be a cracking day of racing.

Race one got underway in 10 knots and the traditional post-gate-start-wind shift seemed to be favouring the late starters, however Craig/Stewart hung in and hit the port layline to lead at the first mark, followed by Paul Hilliar/Stu Jagger and Steve Venebles/Rich Brown. The leading two extended down the first run, with Venebles getting dragged into the pack. By the end of the second downwind, second placed overall Jones/Hogan had pulled through to third and that was the way it stayed until the finish. The win for Craig/Stewart was enough to give them the national championship title with an amazing two races to spare and they promptly went in for some well deserved rest. Sally and Martin Styles won the silver fleet and Sam Parker/Anna Ludgate the Bronze fleet.

After a short postponement, the second race started in slightly less wind and pathfinders Rick Peacock/Ian Dobson got into the lead and sailed a near-faultless race to win by a country mile. Behind them, Silver fleet sailors Malcolm and Andrew Ritchie got clear early on the same shift as peacock and held second place, followed by Sally and Martin Styles in third as the gold fleet sailors were given a lesson from the rest of the fleet! Chris and Matt Bailey won the Bronze fleet.

Shortly after the start of the third race, the wind died to about 5 knots and shifted left big style. It then shifted left another 25 degrees and built, resurrecting the hopes of many who thought they were buried. However, Jones/Hogan still came out on top at the first mark and went on to their third race win to cement their second place overall. The big shifts kept coming and most of the fleet got caught out at some point but Jon Gorringe/Toby Lewis took second, to keep them in third overall. Nick Lowe/Elaine Marsh came in third, capping a rapidly improving performance. Howard Farbrother/Louise Hosken won the silver fleet and Parker/Ludgate again taking the bronze fleet.

This leaves Nick Craig/James Stewart as the national champions for the second year in a row (third RS400 Nationals title for Nick, fifth for James) and Dave Jones/Mark Hogan second. Jones/Hogan looked like the most likely challengers after two race wins on day two but couldn’t match the consistency of Craig/Stewart.

Overall Results:

Pos	Sail No	Helm	Crew	Club	R1	R2	R3	R4	R5	R6	R7	R8	R9	Pts
1	1237	Nick Craig	James Stewart	Frencham Pond SC	1	1	3	2	1	1	1	DNC	DNC	10
2	962	David Jones	Mark Hogan	Port Dinorwic SC	3	10	1	1	4	18	3	4	1	17
3	1279	Jon Gorringe	Toby Lewis	Parkstone YC	2	7	2	6	2	4	7	5	2	23
4	1240	Tom Halhead	Chris Bishop	Bristol Corinthian YC	8	2	9	3	3	5	4	8	6	31
5	1121	Paul Hilliar	Stuart Jagger	Bristol Corinthian YC	9	3	6	5	7	9	2	9	5	37
6	1262	Hywel Roberts	Richard Kenyon	Parkstone YC	5	4	5	4	16	8	8	18	8	42
7	1059	Steve Venables	Richar Brown	Sutton SC	7	5	7	12	5	14	6	6	13	48
8	1082	Nick Lowe	Elaine Marsh	Port Dinorwic SC	12	15	8	17	13	2	5	11	3	54
9	1201	Rick Peacock	Ian Dobson	Bartley SC	6	16	14	16	14	7	12	1	12	66
10	1055	Colin Prince	Tony Prince	Weir Wood SC	27	29	11	8	6	16	16	14	29	98
11	1296	Giles Chipperfield	Heather Chipperfield	Lymington Town SC	17	14	25	15	11	21	14	7	25	99
12	1128	Steve Middleton	Chris Rowland	Burghfield SC	21	6	4	28	17	13	21	19	27	101
13	1129	Martin Browne	Dinah Holmes	Great Yarmouth & Gorleston SC	16	26	23	11	25	6	19	10	16	101
14	1170	Sally Styles	Martin Styles	Downs SC	25	33	15	31	15	26	9	3	11	104
15	1267	Ronan Kenneally	Roger O'Gorman	Royal Cork YC	11	9	26	34	18	10	10	21	DNF	105
16	735	Rob Jones	Liz Jones	Weston SC	10	11	16	25	22	23	23	DNC	4	109
17	1258	Andy Fox	Ian Fletcher	Leigh & Lowton SC	22	12	24	13	10	24	11	32	18	110
18	1251	Howard Farbrother	Louise Hosken	Queen Mary SC	DNS	18	21	18	28	3	26	17	9	112
19	1219	Jonathon Sinclair	Gary Howland	West Lancs YC	23	20	28	7	9	19	34	12	24	114
20	1220	Andrew Freeman	Emma Jones	Parkstone YC	19	25	12	10	8	27	33	22	21	117
21	1275	Sam Parker	Anna Ludgate	Weston SC	DNS	30	13	24	30	12	18	16	7	120
22	1182	Phil Jackson	Gerard Barron	Parkstone YC	4	23	17	21	24	20	15	25	33	124
23	1047	Michael Adams	David Steadman	Bexhill on Sea SC	15	13	18	32	37	11	31	34	20	140
24	1215	Simon Pritchard-Jones	Ellen Milner	Port Dinorwic SC	14	35	36	37	12	15	17	42	14	143
25	1274	Bill Handley	Lynda Handley	St Mawes SC	52	53	32	20	26	17	13	27	15	150
26	748	Andrew Long	Lou Asman	Port Dinorwic SC	13	19	DSQ	19	23	32	25	37	23	154
27	1205	Chris Bailey	Matt Bailey	Bartley SC	DNC	DNC	27	9	29	33	30	13	28	169
28	1046	Malcolm Ritchie	Andrew Ritchie	Hykeham SC	30	31	31	22	27	34	28	2	DNF	171
29	549	Ffion Jones	John Jones	Port Dinorwic SC	38	22	37	23	20	47	22	39	10	172
30	1173	Charlie Merchant	Alain Sign	Burghfield SC	26	40	19	27	34	29	24	29	19	173
31	1132	Andrew Leigh	Hannah Burywood	Burghfield SC	29	24	20	26	21	22	39	35	34	176
32	1276	Mark Reddington	Wayne Hancox	Bartley SC	24	17	29	30	36	28	27	23	30	178
33	1217	John Cooper	Becci Wigley	Lymington Town SC	18	8	10	14	19	DNC	DNC	DNC	DNC	191
34	1177	Nick Barrett	Sam McNamara	Waverly & Oulton Broad SC	35	28	35	38	49	36	40	15	17	204
35	1254	Chris Jordon	Gill Jordon	Burghfield SC	31	32	22	35	44	31	36	26	31	208
36	1172	Alex Morrison	Jen Morrison	Port Dinorwic SC	20	21	38	29	45	35	38	31	35	209
37	680	Paul Browning	Paul Armitage	Thames SC	28	36	51	33	33	29	29	24	39	212
38	1054	Patrick Keats	Zoe Punne	Parkstone YC	40	34	33	36	32	DNF	35	30	26	226
39	484	Aled Bath	Jo Bath	Burghfield SC	41	44	34	39	31	25	37	20	DSQ	227
40	1058	Chris Goswell	Alan Glenville	Burghfield SC	36	27	41	42	38	40	20	33	42	235
41	1233	Nick Francis	Simon Edwards	Queen Mary SC	34	38	43	41	41	45	32	28	32	246
42	1256	Chris Harris	Tracy Harris	Northampton SC	39	47	40	45	52	39	43	41	22	269
43	1287	Tom Peters	Anna Louise Morrison	Weston SC	33	37	52	44	50	41	44	44	37	280
44	623	Tim Cross	John Sheather	Mount Batten Centre	37	46	30	49	39	53	45	46	38	281
45	1140	Simon Herriot	Seamus Gilshinan	Greystone SC	54	39	46	40	35	49	42	36	43	281
46	1268	Alistair Rose	Yv ette Rose	Royal Windemere YC	45	43	47	48	40	42	41	43	40	294
47	1163	Wayne Shirley	Ben Biglin	RNSA	42	42	39	50	55	48	48	50	36	305
48	738	Stephen Shaw	Daniel Shaw	Rutland SC	48	48	44	46	43	37	52	40	DNC	306
49	626	Jon Speake	Ian Fitter	RNAS Culdrose	43	52	49	52	46	38	46	38	49	309
50	1174	Stuart Gurney	Karen Armitage	Thames SC	32	41	45	43	51	44	DNC	DNC	DNC	317
51	1218	Mark Bath	Suzanne Phipps	Bowmoor SC	44	DNC	42	55	42	43	51	48	47	317
52	723	Ian Heijne	Terry Young	Bough Beech SC	DSQ	45	48	47	48	DSQ	53	45	46	332
53	843	Mark Steward	Christine Steward	Oulton Broad SC	50	DNF	55	51	47	46	49	53	41	337
54	810	Richard Arthur	Sue Arthur	Queen Mary SC	46	DNC	53	53	57	50	50	49	48	349
55	924	Simon Mathews	Penny Atkinson	Brighton SC	47	50	50	56	54	51	56	54	44	350
56	1235	Christopher Horn	Jane Horn	Leigh & Lowton SC	49	49	54	54	56	54	47	55	52	359
57	756	James Stuart	Andrew Stuart	Dalgety Bay SC	55	51	56	58	53	55	54	51	51	370
58	1252	James Alsop	Richard Dudley	Queen Mary SC	56	DNF	57	59	59	52	55	52	45	376
59	1092	Alan Cooke	Mark Lodge	Grafham Water SC	51	DNF	58	57	58	56	57	47	50	376
60	1167	Steve Burywood	Suzie Burywood	Burghfield SC	53	DNC	DNC	DNC	DNC	DNC	DNC	DNC	DNC	419