RS200 Sailing Chandlery EaSEA Tour at Itchenor Sailing Club

RS200 Sailing Chandlery EaSEA Tour at Itchenor © Itchenor SC

Itchenor Sailing Club seemed to have managed to order the perfect conditions the two one-day series on the Sailing Chandlery EaSEA Tour. With temperatures of up to 25 degrees and the breeze equally as high, 22 keen RS200s made their way down to the sunny South coast to enjoy the Sailing Chandlery sponsored event.

Arriving at the racecourse on Sunday, following the Sprint Series on Saturday, it was clear that an intense day of racing was in order. Gusty conditions, 30-degree wind shifts, and a rapidly changing tide left everyone scratching their heads. This included the PRO, who had a tricky day of course laying ahead of him. The course was laid swiftly, and everybody was ready to start at 10:55 am, the first scheduled warning signal. But alas! The postponement flag flew high, allowing for the late-running HISC boats (Jamie!) to join the keen and patiently awaiting Itchenor fleet.

RS200 Sailing Chandlery EaSEA Tour at Itchenor - photo © Itchenor SC

On to the racing.

Race 1 was under way, with a few boats over due to some keen starters at the pin. Tom Ahlheid and Bee Nee lead the way round the course for the first 2 legs, only to bottle it on the last downwind. Ollie Evans and Zoe Nieveen managed to stay in the gusts downwind where Tom and Bee couldn't, taking a well-deserved win. Rounding out the top 3 were Alex Smallwood and Kate MacAdory in 3rd.

Race 2 was equally as gusty. Tom and Bee, back in the lead for the first 2-ish legs, again managed to bottle it, allowing for Ian Martin and Emma Hivey, the previous day's Sprint series winners, to take the win. Tom and Bee followed in at 2nd and Mark and Jess Oakey snuck into 3rd.

RS200 Sailing Chandlery EaSEA Tour at Itchenor - photo © Itchenor SC

With the tide swinging and rushing out, the PRO decided to lift the anchor and take the RS200s for a leisurely stroll further down the channel.

Race 3 - The gusts remained punchy, despite the base dropping off. This created plenty of passing lanes both upwind and downwind, making for tight racing. Lee and Anne Sydenham came out on top, favouring the left upwind, with Ian and Emma staying consistent in 2nd and Rob Henderson and Rebecca Videlo in 3rd.

By the last race, it was clear that Ian Martin and Emma Hivey were the favourites to win the Open. However, with a discard kicking in, the win was still up for grabs.

RS200 Sailing Chandlery EaSEA Tour at Itchenor - photo © Itchenor SC

Race 4 was under way. A silence fell over the fleet as a second horn sounded and the individual flag was raised. The fleet pushed on, though a few turned back. The top 5 contenders, however, held their nerve - and an exciting battle with plenty of snakes and ladders ensued.

Rob and Bex took the win to place them second overall, whilst Ian and Emma took second to finish the event in 1st place. Tom and Bee managed to hold on to 3rd place with a 6th in the last race.

A huge thank you to the event organisers for putting on such a fantastic weekend of racing, and also to the PRO, who did an amazing job managing the changeable conditions, delivering 4 cracking races.

Overall Results: