Fat Face RS400 Eurocup at Pwllheli Sailing Club

The 2008 RS400 Fat Face Eurocup kicked off with its inaugural outing at Pwllheli Sailing Club in deepest Wales on 24/25 May. The 14 competitors from all over the British Isles were treated to some excellent sailing conditions; F4/5, surfable waves, glorious sunshine, dolphins, and superb race management.

Race 1 started promptly at 1315, assisted by the white-sail sleigh ride out to the race area. Dave Jones/‘Earth Worm’ Josh Metcalfe nailed the first shift and led the pack around the windward mark. A pitch-pole capsize by Adam Savage/Ash Johnson allowed the first five to stretch away. The sibling pairing of Richard and Elaine Marsh chased the leaders down the first run but a poor mark rounding opened the door for Michael Simms/Elliott Banks and Howard Farbrother/Nathan Pinch to sneak through. While Simms/Banks and Farbrother/Pinch traded places over the next three laps, Jones/Metcalfe extended their lead to win by a substantial margin. Simms/Banks pulled through Farbrother/Pinch to take second. Circuit virgins Arthur Mehigan/Laura Walsh put in a Tequila-tinged performance in testing conditions to beat fellow Jagermeister-fuelled countrymen, Simon Herriott/Fiachra Etchingham to claim a credible eighth.

A quick turnaround by the PRO and Race 2 was underway with Jones/Metcalfe leading Farbrother/Pinch off the pin end. These two exchanged the lead for the next two laps pulling clear of the fleet. Upwind on lap 3 Farbrother/Pinch went further left and were rewarded with a lift to the windward mark. They extended their lead to the finish while Jones/Metcalfe fended off a hard charging Simms/Banks to take second.

Race 3 commenced in more moderate conditions with Leighton King/ Richard Brown leading the fleet around the first mark. They repelled all challengers including new combo Al Morrison/June Riley to take the race win from Farbrother/Pinch and Simms/Banks. A ripped spinnaker for the Swedish pair Eric Larsson/Carl Akesson put them back in the pack after a good beat and allowed Simon Pritchard Jones/Jane Alexander to finish the day strongly.

Sunday morning broke with significantly more breeze and the finely-tuned athletes preparing themselves courtesy of Barry’s Snack Shack. The excellent PRO, Richard Date, ventured out into the bay and with the fleet watching from the shore, made a timely decision to abandon racing for the day with a consistent force 6, gusting 7. The overnight positions were maintained with Howard Farbrother/ Nathan Pinch (Queen Mary SC) taking 1st place from Michael Simms/ Elliot Banks (Carsington SC) and Dave Jones/ Josh Metcalfe (Port Dinorwic SC). The new pairing of Al Morrison/June Riley took 1st Silver followed by Adam Savage/Ash Johnson and Simon Pritchard Jones/Jane Alexander.

Pwllheli proved itself a more than worthy addition to the RS400 Fat Face Eurocup and Purple Marine Northern Circuit. Its strong race management, friendly people, and great sailing facilities left the fleet vowing to return at the first opportunity.

This event was a great lead in for the next Eurocup meeting in Riva del Garda. See you in July!

Overall Results: