RS300 Noble Marine Allen National Championship at Dovey Yacht Club - Day 3
by Harry McVicar 10 Sep 2023 07:51 BST
7-10 September 2023
Day three started as normal, with 21 sailors staring hopefully at a millpond. Some hoped for wind, most for a day off. After much debate and deliberation, the fleet decided to go racing inside the estuary, braving the flooding tide to get the best of the wind.
Race one kicked off with a solid 8 knots and the fleets scattergun approach to tide tactics ensued. Tom Moore nailed it going hard right up the beach and disappearing off into the distance. Dave Acres came off second best and Rich Hanby fought his way up to 3rd. The rest of the fleet spent much of the time swearing, running aground and wondering if we should've stayed on the beach...
Fortunately, for race two, and much to Tom's disappointment, everyone copied his right-handed tactics and had a much more even race. The sight of a whole fleet of RS300ss beating within 10 feet (or less if you were really brave) of the beach caused much excitement for the swimmers and sunbathers, some of whom even unknowingly became obstacles for us to tack around. Dave Acres took the win, Mark Newton held 2nd until the final leg when Rich Hanby and Harry McVicar sneaked over him downwind to take two and third.
With the sun setting, the wind holding, and the tide easing, we kicked off a 3rd race. Dave Acres got caught out at the start, allowing Hanby, McVicar and Luke South to sneak off to the beach early. After no shortage of argy bargy and a few sweary moments (a 50m wide beating channel will do that..) Hanby, Mcvicar, South, Steve Sallis and Will Powell made a bit of a break away. Hanby kept pulling away up the last beat and McVicar held off South to end the day.
Eight races completed bought the second discard in, mixing up the leader board and putting Rich Hanby in the gold bib, Harry McVicar demoted to Blue, and Dave Acres back into the top three.
Sunday's forecast is thunderstorms so fingers crossed for a full send, 20knts, 10ft swells blast to end the weekend.
All on water disagreements shall be settled with the boom of doom...
Results after Day 3:
| Pos | Sail No | Helm | Club | R1 | R2 | R3 | R4 | R5 | R6 | R7 | R8 | Pts |
|---|
| 1 | 545 | Richard Hanby | Beaver SC | 5 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 13 |
| 2 | 523 | Harry McVicar | Draycote Water SC | 4 | 1 | 6 | 1 | 3 | 10 | 3 | 2 | 14 |
| 3 | 544 | David Acres | Emsworth SC | 3 | 4 | 7 | 5 | 7 | 2 | 1 | 10 | 22 |
| 4 | 476 | Steve Sallis | Hykeham SC | 16 | 13 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 26 |
| 5 | 421 | Liam Willis | Lymington Town SC | 2 | 7 | 5 | 6 | 9 | 5 | 4 | 6 | 28 |
| 6 | 347 | Will Powell | Dabchicks SC Stokes Bay SC | 8 | 16 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 9 | 9 | 4 | 31 |
| 7 | 556 | Peter Mackin | Stokes Bay SC | 7 | 2 | 8 | 8 | 4 | 13 | 6 | 9 | 35 |
| 8 | 520 | Luke South | Emsworth SC | 6 | 5 | 10 | 16 | 12 | 7 | 10 | 3 | 41 |
| 9 | 519 | Thomas Moore | Shropshire SC | 9 | 17 | 15 | 7 | 6 | 1 | 11 | 13 | 47 |
| 10 | 403 | Mark Schuerch | Hykeham SC | 10 | 6 | 22 | 19 | 10 | 4 | 18 | 5 | 53 |
| 11 | 354 | Mark Newton | West Lancashire YC | 17 | 12 | 11 | 9 | 8 | 8 | 5 | 17 | 53 |
| 12 | 452 | Richard Hargreaves | Stewartby SC | 13 | 10 | 2 | 10 | 14 | 17 | 12 | 22 | 61 |
| 13 | 528 | Paul Watson | Y Felinheli Llanfairfechan SC | 1 | 11 | 13 | 17 | 15 | 22 | 14 | 8 | 62 |
| 14 | 524 | Matt Sargent | ASA/Thorney Emsworth SC | 22 | 8 | 12 | 11 | 13 | 11 | 19 | 16 | 71 |
| 15 | 530 | Tim Le Couilliard | King George SC | 14 | 9 | 9 | 13 | 19 | 12 | 16 | 22 | 73 |
| 16 | 473 | Alex Watkins | Haversham SC | 11 | 15 | 18 | 15 | 18 | 15 | 8 | 15 | 79 |
| 17 | 457 | Sam Davy | Hykeham SC | 22 | 22 | 17 | 14 | 11 | 14 | 13 | 11 | 80 |
| 18 | 313 | Ben Green | Lymington Town SC | 15 | 14 | 20 | 18 | 20 | 16 | 15 | 12 | 90 |
| 19 | 537 | Ben Heppenstall | Whitefriars SC | 12 | 18 | 14 | 20 | 17 | 18 | 17 | 14 | 92 |
| 20 | 450 | Mark Henman | South Shields SC | 19 | 19 | 16 | 12 | 16 | 19 | 20 | 18 | 100 |
| 21 | 532 | Cheryl Wood | Penine SC | 18 | 20 | 19 | 21 | 21 | 20 | 21 | 19 | 117 |
