Results / Fat Face Racing Circuit Lymington Town SC - 08/07/2006

Lymington Town Sailing club hosted the 4th RS700 Fat Face event of the year. The ongoing popularity of the UK�s Number One single handed skiff continued, with a strong turnout of 27 boats, which included a contingent from the home club looking to make their local knowledge pay. Sailors were greeted by almost perfect conditions. F4, with a tricky chop whipped up by wind against tide and a race course bathed in sunshine. Race one started with a clearly starboard biased line and the left hand side of the course paying. A drag race to the port layline out into the favourable tide ensued with Dave Cummins and Andy Irons leading the way. Cummins led the fleet round the windward mark followed by Irons and Andy Peake, who immediately gybe set to head inshore. Irons and Cummins followed until the port layline beckoned. Irons capsized during his gybe, leaving Cummins and Peake battling until the next run, where Cummins overstood the layline and had to drop early to make the mark. Peake slipped through and never relinquished the lead. Behind him, Cummins had several more mishaps to let Matt Humphreys into second who had been picking off places after a bad start. Third place was taken by Toby Collyer. Race two and the tide had changed making conditions slightly easier. After a competitive starboard bias start the fleet slowly tacked off towards the right hand side of the course. Nigel Wallbank in his new boat was led round the windward mark by Dave Gorrindge followed by Irons, Koukarakis, Andy Holland and Peake. With Gorrindge and Wallbank clear in first and second, the race for third was on. It was settled down the final run with Irons coming out ahead of Koukarakis and Peake respectively. Race three and the conditions were still perfect. Koukarakis showed the fleet why he has earnt his legendary status by flying off to the starboard layline with good height and speed, right up to the point where he overstood by 300 metres. The more observant sailors took advantage of the leeward boats mistakes and tacked earlier. Nigel King, who had been showing good upwind speed all day, led round the windward mark, followed by a gaggle of others, including Heissig, Koukarakis, Peake and Humphreys. With King showing a clean pair of heels to the fleet it was the race for second which was up for grabs. Heissig looked like he was going to take it right up until the last gybe, when Peake got inside to cover him to the finish. Sunday dawned to an Autumn gale. With gusts of up to 36 kts recorded and classic wind against tide Solent conditions, the sensible decision to abandon racing was taken. So, with three races counting, Peake took the win, with Humpheys in second, Koukarakis in third and Andy Holland having a consistent event in fourth. Now the fleet heads off to Garda. With big numbers and good breeze expected, it should be a legendary event and a must go for RS700 sailors