The results tell a story, but most definitely not the full story! Yes, with the forecast there were two front runners and then the pack. Yes, the results made it look like Charlie South and Pete Mackin were in a class of their own, and to be honest, that was true. But, neither had it their own way all the time!
Day 1 Harken Thursday: Races 1 and 2 were held in breezy lumpy conditions. It was perfectly raceable, topping out in the high teens with occasional Danger Gusts requiring safety kicker to be applied. The lesson the fleet (and by fleet we mean mainly Tom Moore) didn't learn was that the Pin End belonged to the Big Boys. Starting slightly up line gave a great viewpoint of Power Sailing in the RS300, pull the strings tight, hike hard and drop the bow - Engage Afterburners! Watching Pete and Charlie boat-on-boat blast off became a familiar sight with little between the two. Charlie held a slight edge, tacking 1st and often ducking Pete and crossing Luke South. Luke gave Charlie and Pete a workout on the downwind, briefly taking the lead one race for half a leg with Charlie slipping as low as 4th, the lap 3 of doom hit for Luke on both races on the "not a run / not a reach"; his Achilles heel, which led to swimming practise, letting Pete and Charlie disappear. The rest of the fleet had a mixed bag, with Neal grabbing a 4th in race 2 after snapping his extension race 1, Tom doing enough to take 3rd after both races and Chairman William Powell in the Purple Beast showing signs of rapid all-round performance. Worryingly for Pete, it was looking like the pecking order was established with Charlie taking two bullets to Pete's to 2nds, and winning the Harken prize voucher and red and black 'only won, never sold' beanie.
Day 2: Races 3, 4 & 5, the wind had slightly moderated for the start of the day along with a more predictable wave pattern making the days sailing slightly less taxing with the three races scheduled, and a fourth threatened. However, by the end of race 2 the breeze was back up and thankfully no 4th race was held. The pecking order of day one was resumed with Charlie, Pete and Luke (with no swimming today) in the top three finding the fast low modes upwind. Though the positions changed around, Charlie was always a little faster and more controlled with Luke and Pete occasionally swapping positions - Pete's immaculate boat handling always giving him the edge. Highlights included Pete retrieving from the water Luke's hat on the tight reach Race 4 whilst in FULL SEND mode - Great catch Pete!, Ed Wilkinson snapping a boom pre-race 3 and returning for race 5, Ben Cutler-Sharp for demonstrating Extreme Speed coupled with Extreme Death Rolls and the RS300 fleet picking their way through upturned and diss-masted 600's splattered across the racetrack "it was like a scene from Dunkirk" and it was generally agreed that, between Race 1 and 6, at any one point at least 2 RS600's where upside down!
Day 3: Race 6, It was Abersoch Ballistic. The depleted RS100's didn't get a race in, the 600's continued down the path of self-destruction, the RS300's.... lapped it up! (see Rob's photo of the year, if not a generation! Credit: Tom Wild) Race 6 was Charlie's - He started and wasn't seen again, though apparently, he went for a swim. Sparky had audacity in a reefed rig to try (& failed) to Port tack the start, Pete and Luke nervously headed down the run level yet with separation, Gust 1 hit and they span out, a casual look back down the track and the rest of the fleet where just recovering from their spin outs... BANG Gust 2 was a take down! Last thing seen was a blur of spray and hulls zooming passed, massive shout out to Ed for staying upright and nailing the beats. Lesson for Pete: Longer arms to reach the retrieval line.
Day 4: Race 7, What a difference a day makes. Blue Sky, calm waters, and a different anxiety in the boat park. Would we get 1 race in? Or would the wind hold to get 3 in to shake the table up! With an earlier start the fleet drifted out in around 3-6knts with big holes and shifts. The wind settled a little and a committee boat bias start led to a squeeze, 7 seconds to go and a clatter at the committee boat was heard as Charlie slipped and executed the perfect trigger-pull too early propelling him out passed the fleet and the line - There was no way back from that! Mid-line, a class stalwart pulled clear and sailed a perfect race, Steve Sallis wasn't challenged, picking the shifts and finding the puffs - Well deserved and impressive race win in tricky conditions! The pack swapped and changed with the shifts, Oli Scrimshaw picking 'em right most of the time and Richard Hanby finally visiting the sharp end of the fleet. Luke, Neal and Chairman Powell all in the hunt for 3rd overall exchanged places, with Luke taking the 4th to secure 3rd overall. After half hr of "will we, won't we?", thankfully (for some) we were sent in just as the wind evaporated...
Brixham managed a brilliant event given the weather, and were excellent hosts, both on and off the water, with thanks given during the prize-giving to the host club and generous sponsors RS Sailing and Rooster.
Our little boats delivered again in challenging conditions with the least number of breakages and Rob definitely gets Photo of the Week. Most importantly, the Club Prize returns home to Emsworth with family South, after a brief stop in Wales! Next stop Dabchicks!
Overall Results:
Pos Helm Sail No Club R1 R2 R3 R4 R5 R6 R7 Pts
1st Charlie South 520 Emsworth SC/ RNSA 1 1 1 1 1 1 ‑13 6
2nd Peter Mackin 556 Y Felinheli 2 2 2 2 2 (DNC) 7 17
3rd Luke South 542 Emsworth SC 6 5 3 3 3 ‑10 4 24
4th Rob Baker 546 Rutland SC 3 6 5 4 6 3 ‑12 27
5th Tom Moore 560 Stokes Bay SC 5 3 ‑10 8 7 5 3 31
6th William Powell 433 Dabchicks/Stokes Bay SC 4 7 8 5 4 4 ‑9 32
7th Neal Gibson 515 Bough Beech SC (DNC) 4 4 7 5 8 6 34
8th Steve Sallis 476 Hykeham 10 9 ‑11 9 8 6 1 43
9th Edward Wilkinson 456 Warsash SC 9 10 (DNC) DNC 9 2 10 55
10th Ben Cutler‑Sharp 481 Starcross 7 8 6 (RET) RET 9 11 56
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