2000 & RS200 Open at Staunton Harold Sailing Club
by Ann Nugent 12 May 2021 12:28 BST
8 May 2021

Staunton Harold 2000 & RS200 Open: Tim Gray and Terry Forbes © Amy Pepperdine
On the day early heavy rain eased to show almost perfect sailing conditions. Race officer Alan Bennett set good windward leeward courses and provided a rapid turn around of races.
2000 Open
The first race was led by local team Gray and Forbes who built up a significant lead from the start.
The second race saw a competitive start and a number of place changes eventually resulting in a second bullet for Gray and Forbes.
Over lunch the wind built up slightly and the heavier team of Smith & Barnet came in to their own only to be pipped at the finish line by Gray & Forbes.
The final race saw a battle between Smith/Barnet and Meyer/ Beaumont eventually with Smith & Barnet taking the line.
2000 Results:
1st Tim Gray and Terry Forbes (SHSC)
2nd Nathan Smith and Richard Barnett (SHSC)
3rd Dirk Meyer and Ben Beaumont (Hunts Sailing Club)
A good time was had by all.
RS200 Open
The RS200s made use of the great courses set by Alan Bennett OOD, fully utilising their kites. Jamie Barker and Hannah Jones, returned to Staunton after a break in sailing with a bang, taking a bullet in race one and just beating visiting duo Martin and Barbara Smith to the top spot.
Barker and Jones missed the top step of the podium in race two with Nigel Pepperdine and Simon Forbes taking the win, setting the theme for the day.
Race 3 was again taken by Pepperdine and Forbes with Michael Gifford and Rachael Rhodes in hot pursuit. Race 4 became a family affair when Rich Pepperdine and Debi Gibson challenged the dominance of the Pepperdine/Forbes duo. But Pepperdine senior showed the young contender who was boss, taking the victory.
RS200 Results:
1st Nigel Pepperdine and Simon Forbes (SHSC)
2nd Jamie Barker and Hannah Jones (SHSC)
3rd Rich Pepperdine and Debi Gibson (SHSC)
Thank you to our race and galley team for an excellent return to Open events at Staunton Harold Sailing Club.