Results / RS Fat Face Racing Circuit Largs - 28/05/2005

RS200 Fat Face Racing Circuit at Largs SC � forecast so true. The RS200 Fat Face Racing Circuit went to Largs for the first time over the Bank Holiday weekend of May 28/29 for an extremely varied few days of weather. In a very scary development British weather forecasting is improving as they got every detail right about the weather over the weekend. Several English boats in the RS Classes made the journey north on Friday to arrive in Largs to find 45 knots from the east howling over the hill and turning the Cumbrae strait into a mass of white tops. The Milton Keynes RS300 contingent had their tents flattened and slept in the men�s changing rooms where the lights motion detector kept them awake all night. The Honda powerboat grand prix was also taking place at Largs and the display stands on the prom suffered even worse with one of the marquees being blown onto Cumbrae Island during the night. There was never any real hope of sailing on Saturday as the weather did exactly as forecast with a force 6-8 from the south east slowly clocking round to the south and then south west. Racing was abandoned for the day. This was of course bad news for the bar staff and our ears as Bill �mine�s a bottle of wine� Handley entertained us with his version of YMCA at the evening karaoke. Sunday, and what a difference. As the weather forecast predicted there was a force 3-4 from the west with sunshine; although with the occasional heavy shower. A very depleted fleet of 18 boats, so many Scottish and Northern England boats had not travelled due to forecast or gone home on Saturday, went out for four races. Race 1 and Pete Vincent/Tessa Nicholls led at the windward mark after a huge beat. They were then the only boat to get a planning gust on the first reach and disappeared into a huge lead. Trudie Danbury/Simon Fells made it a Bristol Corinthian 1,2 just beating Largs Robbie Burns/Alistair Grant. Race 2 and Sarah Robertson/Kate Mitchell from Dalgety Bay had a superb start, sailed the opening beat really well and had a good lead. Graeme Henry/Shona Redpath (St Mary�s Loch) led the chasing pack but no one was making an impact on Robertson until counting problems set in. The race officer had reduced the number of laps for the second race so as the leading three boats took their kites down and started another beat Vincent/Nicholls said thank you very much and scored an unlikely win from a poor fourth with Burns/Grant recovering quickly to claim second with Matt/Emma Jenkins third. The wind had now stopped giving PRO, David Kent and the mark layers such a hard time and the weather was becoming positively idyllic showing Scotland�s scenery at its best. Ronnie Millar/Nicki Davies had a peach of a leeward end start to lead from start to finish. Danbury/Fells had a close tussle with Burns/Grant for second before coming out on top with the consistent Jenkins fourth. Race 4 and there were four possible winners with Vincent/Nicholls in pole position. Millar/Davies again had the best start but had Vincent/Nicholls less than a boat length behind at the windward mark. Vincent/Nicholls had better speed on the run to take the lead on the run and then opened out a big margin to win the event in emphatic style. On the way in it�s the first time in four visits to Largs this correspondent had seen Largs town from the water not shrouded in rain clouds; it was quite a discovery!! Sunday after prize giving sat in Largs SC superb club house looking out at beautiful islands was almost surreal after Saturday!! Pete Vincent.