Results / Itchenor Open Meeting Itchenor SC - 31/05/2003

Itchenor Sailing Club�s RS200 Open meeting saw a record fleet of 30 boats sail 6 races in predominantly light and shifty conditions. Former national champions Lee Sydenham and Anne Vaudrey dominated the event with four 1sts and two 2nd places. Local harbour sailors (and rumoured Swallow class recruits) Harry and Prue Roome scored a highly creditable second overall � ahead of new ISC members Martyn Jones and Clare Rowbottom in third. Saturday saw Race Officer Chris Creak position his start near John�s Folly with a windward mark off East Head beach and with 30 degree wind shifts and 8 knots or so a good start and ability to pick the shifts was essential. Sydenham / Vaudrey won the first two however for race 3 the spring ebb had kicked in. Jones / Rowbottom gybed for the Thorney shore and secured a good lead which they held to the finish ahead of Sydenham / Vaudrey and ISC�s David Patient and Jane Willan in third. Sunday saw a slow start possibly not unrelated to the well attended dinner the night before. RCS Glover offered a much needed tow against the flood to the start for many, although new RS converts Alistair and Susanne Shaw found the end of tow swim a little wet and chilly! Responsibility for this has not yet been ascertained. Race 4 was won in style by the Roomes ahead of Sydenham/Vaudrey and Jones/Rowbottom. Race 5 saw a large southerly shift mastered best by Sydenham/ Vaudrey who secured their overall win ahead of Charles Roome and Jodi Ryer. The final race saw a little to much eagerness and the black flag was deployed for the first time all weekend. Anne Vaudrey took the helm and underscored her contribution all weekend by winning the final race ahead of Jones / Rowbottom. ISC regulars Chris Darling with Sue Kalderon were a creditable 8th, David Patient and Jane Willan 9th, Pip Tagg and Susan Rutter 10th, Milly and Bully Bullock 13th and the Shaws 16th in their first RS open meeting.