Volvo Noble Marine RS800 National Championships - Day 2

Volvo Noble Marine RS800 National day 1 © Clare Sargent

An earlier start time for racing combined with later Sunday opening at Lidl, immediately left some of the fleet on the back foot as the morning croissant run proved fruitless. It was going to be a tricky day.

Pre-start there was some twin trapezing, but with the fading forecast such a mode was an increasingly rare commodity as the day progressed. Race one got away successfully and it was Luke and Emma McEwen who hooked into some nice pressure and a favourable lift from the left. Out in the lead, with clear air, the McEwens were never really challenged and kept their composure to claim their first bullet of the championship. Behind, in contrast was a battle royale of position changes as Joe and Ben Bradley pushed yesterday's race winners hard to finish fourth, just behind Tom Morris and Guy Fillmore, and Hugh Shone and Fiona Hampshire.

By the second race, with the breeze trending downward as per the forecast, the fleet were clearly fighting hard to get their noses out in to clear air from the beginning. This led to the first general recall of the championships and the deployment of the U-flag for the second attempt.

This time the leader came from the right. John Mather and Phil Walker, who were first to hitch away from the drag race, got a phase ahead of the fleet and rounded the windward with the best lead of the championship and sailed away from the fleet to become the fourth race winner with four races sailed. With the boys yachting around on their own the real racing moves were happening behind. But the story of this race were the gains made by early gybers on the downwind, with both Rob Gullan and Callum Healy and the McEwens making huge gains through the fleet. These boats made the top three with Tom and Guy battling Megan Brickwood and Stephie Orton for fourth. Yet, more drama awaited as several boats were met at the finish with silence. Victims of the U-flag, both Rob and Callum and Tom and Guy were pulled from the results.

At the end of the second day, and the first discard being applied, the big movers were Joe and Ben. Two fourth places and discarding their gear failure from race two, they jump right in to the top five. Luke and Emma take over the lead from Hugh and Fiona.

Results after Day 2: