Results / GUL RS200 National Championship Exe SC - 24/08/2006
130 boats at the GUL RS200 Nationals
The GUL RS200 National Championships was a run away success by any
criteria you choose to judge an event on; well beyond what anyone had a
right to hope for. To many seasoned Championship sailors, Exe SC re-
defined how well a friendly, smallish, voluntary club can run a large
Championship; believe me they have raised the bar for all clubs including
the more professionally led ones.
Also raising the bar were the 130 boat fleet who not only lifted the roof
of the club with the socials, literally when the Gebhard clan climbed up
there on the final night but also on the water with the quality of the
racing. The front of the fleet reads like a who�s who of recent British
one design racing and the depth of the fleet is now scary! There were a
couple of very interesting and welcome additions to the fleet this year
including many 420 and 29er squad sailors gaining experience of big
fleets and, adding a real international flavour, two boats who had
travelled from south of Tokyo to compete - very popular competitors they
proved.
130 boats represents the biggest two man class championship this year
even including the junior/youth classes, firmly establishing the RS200 as
the number one two man boat and the class to win.
The race management on the water was also to a very high standard with
the designer of the RS200, Mr Phil Morrison, proving that not only is he
a genius when designing boats for us all to have so much fun in, but a
damn fine PRO as well. A top team backed him on the water so we had good
courses even in shifty northerly winds with very little hanging around;
in ten gate starts there was only one recall.
The weather played ball reasonably well with full on hiking for 8 races
and only one fairly �orrible light wind race when great big black clouds
destroyed a decent south-westerly to leave a 6 knot patchy north breeze.
Roger and Katrina Gilbert started like a run away train having a 1.1.1.2
scoreline after two days of decent breezes. A 2.7 on the third day left
them still well clear but the ultra consistent Geoff Carveth/Fiona Clark
were packing in top five results to stay in touch. On day 4 the Gilberts
appeared human, leading race 7 they lost out to Carveth on a run
finishing 4th and then finished 48th in the light airs of race 8. This
left them 2 points clear bit with Carveth discarding a 5th so it appeared
game on for the final day.
The Gilberts escaped Carveths attempts to slow them down and easily led
race 9 in 15-18 knots only to be caught by local hero Lee Sydenham/Jane
Willan getting back to form after a whole season out with a shoulder
injury. Carveth/Clark were third so there still only three points in it
going into the final race, but the Gilberts were in majestic form and
were clear half way up the first beat to win overall in the best possible
way. The Hewitsons just won the titanic battle for third from the big
improvers of the year Nick Charles/Juliet Kingsnorth.
The fleet then recovered from the shock of Roger telling some funny jokes
in his speech before producing another true classic final night RS party.
It was just such a good week, the atmosphere ashore was so friendly and
relaxed, nothing was too much trouble, the beer was cheap, top cakes,
free ice creams when you tallied off, so many people enjoying themselves
and the worst ever karaoke performance ever seen.
I cannot wait till next year; if it�s half as good it will be legendary.
Pete Vincent
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