Noble Marine TridentUK RS400 National Championship at South Shields Sailing Club

Noble Marine TridentUK RS400 National Championship at South Shields Sailing Club - Day 3

by Nick Craig 26 Aug 2021 09:37 BST 23-27 August 2021

The RS400 fleet were very pleased to see double the wind of the previous day with 5 knots showing on the start boat - not enough to set pulses racing but thankfully enough to fully fill spinnakers!

In the light opening race, the Cockerills sailed an inch-perfect race tactically balancing the tricky mix of tide, shifts and pressure differences to lead from start to finish, ahead of Nick Craig & 'Tobytastic' Lewis and Mike Simms & Mark Lunn.

Top Scots Neil McLellan & Ewan judged the heavily tide-affected lay line into the last windward mark perfectly to snatch third from Simms & Lunn.

Between races the wind built and we were treated to a dolphin diving display; the day was getting better!

Day 3 of the Noble Marine TridentUK RS400 National Championship at South Shields - photo © Tim Olin / www.olinphoto.co.uk

Race 4 was the best yet with a building breeze and nice waves allowing surfing downwind. Tobytastic nailed every wave to lift Craig & Lewis through the top ten downwind for a race win from fast upwind Simms & Lunn, with Ollie Groves & Sam Waller liking the more exciting conditions to finish third.

The breeze faded a little during race 5 as did competitor's brains. The race will be remembered for a lot of confusion and a long evening of protests.

Dave Exley and Alistair Coates on day 3 of the Noble Marine TridentUK RS400 National Championship at South Shields - photo © Tim Olin / www.olinphoto.co.uk

At the end of lap 2, Simms & Lunn were leading from Groves & Waller but one of the leeward marks had drifted creating confusion on whether there was still a leeward gate or a port rounding single leeward mark. Some thought the shortened course flag was up so tried to finish and then the last windward mark was in the back of RIB heading North at 10 knots as we approached it.

Initial results showed locals Nick Woodhouse & Miles Lilley, the only boat to sail the correct course, as race winners with everyone else DNF. That triggered a flurry of redress protests so current results now show Woodhouse & Lilley as popular race winners with everyone else re-instated behind these local heroes.

So that put the Cockerills in second, Craig & Lewis third and Simms & Lunn fourth, ruing their attempt to finish a lap early.

Kevin Podger and Heather Chipperfield on day 3 of the Noble Marine TridentUK RS400 National Championship at South Shields - photo © Tim Olin / www.olinphoto.co.uk

The evening social was again excellent with the fleet enjoying a very tasty hog roast and a long game of killer pool with 9 year old supercrew Matthew Boatman beating most of the adults whilst they awaited the outcome of the protests.

At the half way mark, there are 14 points between the top four so a lot to race for, and with high winds forecast for today's triple race day, it should be fun!

Official noticeboard: soshields-sailing.co.uk/events/rs400-nationals

Steve and Sarah Cockerill on day 3 of the Noble Marine TridentUK RS400 National Championship at South Shields - photo © Tim Olin / www.olinphoto.co.uk

Results after day 3:

Pos	Fleet	Sail No	Helm	Crew	Club	R1	R2	R3	R4	R5	Pts
1	G	1500	Nick Craig	Tobytastic Lewis	Frensham & Burghfield SC	1	1	2	1	‑3	5
2	G	1515	Stephen Cockerill	Sarah Cockerill	Lee on Solent SC	2	‑8	1	5	2	10
3	G	1488	Michael Sims	Mark Lunn	Carsington SC	‑6	5	4	2	4	15
4	G	1376	Sam Knight	Chris Bownes	Bartley SC	4	3	6	6	‑10	19
5	G	1463	Stewart Robertson	Sarah Robertson	Royal Forth YC	8	‑19	9	9	5	31
6	G	1502	Jon Heissig	Nicky Griffin	Llangorse SC	7	10	‑31	8	8	33
7	S	1370	Neil McLellan	Ewen Rycroft	East Loithan YC	5	4	3	24	(DNF)	36
8	G	1275	Nathan Batchelor	James Clark	Tynemouth SC	10	7	‑27	10	11	38
9	G	1316	Ollie Groves	Sam Waller	Beaver SC	(OCS)	15	14	3	9	41
10	G	1511	Hamish Gledhill	Ross Southwell	West Riding SC	3	13	‑21	13	13	42
11	G	1460	Dave Exley	Alistair Coates	Leigh & Lowton SC	(OCS)	2	17	20	6	45
12	G	944	Alex Knight	Rob Higgins	Chew Valley SC	‑19	17	7	7	17	48
13	G	1398	Phil Murray	Neil Schofield	Tynemouth SC	23	‑24	5	14	7	49
14	G	1518	Ben Williamson	Charlie Ticehurst	Ripon SC	11	6	13	19	‑24	49
15	S	1292	Christopher Eames	Rachel Tilley	QMSC	9	12	‑30	17	12	50
16	G	1481	Howard Farbrother	Louise Hosken	QMSC	17	14	10	12	‑21	53
17	G	1428	Wayne Fletcher	Martin Cooper	RYA	‑32	9	16	15	18	58
18	S	1492	Martin Penty	Luke Dickinson	Beaver SC	‑22	18	11	16	16	61
19	S	1484	Mark Somerville	Joe Roberts	Bassenthwaite SC	‑35	20	28	4	15	67
20	S	1437	Danny Boatman	Matthew Boatman	Sunderland YC	13	11	22	‑31	22	68
21	S	1377	Neil Bevington	Alan Skeens	Lee on Solent SC	‑29	22	18	11	19	70
22	S	1439	Kevin Podger	Heather Chipperfield	Lymington Town SC	12	21	19	22	‑29	74
23	G	1456	Barrie Thornton	Nick Hunt	Scaling Dam SC	18	(RET)	12	18	27	75
24	S	1503	Peter Snowdon	Louise Carr	Shoreham SC	30	‑37	8	21	23	82
25	B	1263	Dave Stockton	Sophie Stockton	Wimbleball SC	16	‑31	15	27	31	89
26	S	1465	Jon Willars	Ryan Willars	Welton SC	24	16	‑33	23	28	91
27	S	1410	Jacob Ainsworth	Kayleigh Roberts	Tynemouth SC	‑27	23	24	25	20	92
28	G	1491	Jon Gay	Amanda Henderson	Lochaber YC	‑33	28	25	26	14	93
29	B	1325	James Logan	Philippa Logan	Nottinghamshire County SC	14	30	20	36	‑41	100
30	B	1043	Ian Watkins	Imogen Watkins	Oxford SC	15	25	32	‑37	32	104
31	S	1516	Mike Saul	Oliver Kent	Yorkshire Dales SC	20	29	(RET)	33	26	108
32	B	1175	Fred Lord	Louise Gale	Carsington SC	21	27	‑37	28	35	111
33	S	971	Simon Kitchen	Abbi Hooper	Grafham Water SC	28	26	29	29	‑33	112
34	S	1123	Carl Whitehead	Carol Milner	Filey SC	25	33	23	‑34	34	115
35	S	1363	Ross Ryan	Oliver Ryan‑Moore	Notts County SC	26	32	‑38	32	25	115
36	S	1509	Stu Keegan	Trisha Clancy	Starcross SC	‑36	36	35	35	30	136
37	B	538	Nicholas Woodhouse	Miles Lilley	South Shields SC	(OCS)	42	49	50	1	142
38	B	1362	Thomas Parkhurst	Jack Acron	Beaver SC	‑42	35	42	30	36	143
39	B	1148	Hester Robertson	Richard Hope	Dalgety Bay SC	34	39	34	40	‑42	147
40	B	1342	Max Tosetti	Jitka Zenatowe	QMSC	39	44	26	‑46	39	148
41	B	1513	Neil Parkhurst	Ian Parkhurst	Beaver SC	31	‑46	39	45	38	153
42	S	1487	Andrew Bray	Sarah Kingston	Lee on Solent SC	37	43	36	38	(DNF)	154
43	B	1432	James Alsop	Simon Edwards	QMSC	40	34	41	‑49	45	160
44	B	603	Graham Fraser	Uschi Hiermeier	Tynemouth SC	45	‑47	40	39	37	161
45	B	1445	Phil Britton	Mike Atkinson	Dalgety Bay SC	41	38	47	41	(DNF)	167
46	B	738	Ian Nicholls	Neil Robinson	Largs SC	44	‑48	45	42	40	171
47	B	1520	Andy Powell	Paul Caiger‑Watson	Warsash SC	‑46	40	44	44	43	171
48	B	1129	David Webley	Fraser Mulford	Wormit Boating Club	38	41	48	48	(DNS)	175
49	B	1519	Steven Broomfield	Jenni Lewis	Lymington Town SC	(DNC)	DNC	43	43	44	181
50	B	543	Ian Webber‑Rostron	Luke Harrison	Delph SC	43	45	46	47	(DNF)	181