Results / Volvo Noble Marine RS200 UK National Championships Mounts Bay SC - 11/08/2013

Photo: Jean Border, www.borderphotos2010.com

DAY 1

So 96 RS200s (= 192 Grockles) gathered in Marazion, Somewhere In Cornwall, for their National Championships. Lovely place and people, and not at all full of slanty-eyed banjo players. RS Association people have done themselves proud with great social and boat park organisation.
 
Everyone needed to get their heads around a shortish gate start - 2 minutes and a whimsical whatever-the-RO-fancied - some inevitably and enthusiastically doing themselves and the guard boat a mischief. A bit of kidney/bowsprit interaction there. The daily ‘Duckhams’ award awaits the guard boat rammer, one senses.
 
Wembley’s Bronze fleeter (and by the by, recently crowned Irish National Champion) John McKelvie won the first beat in a shifting NW force 2-3. In the event, Matt Mee & Emma Norris won the first race.
 
In race 2, the RO noted a northerly shift, and that downwind the fleet were passing the Duchy to the left hand side, so he had the race abandoned after 2 laps. I am afraid to say your reporter was the innocent victim of a gate restart omnishambles (see above), so his race was wasted … and knowledge of the pointy end of the fleet’s shenanigans is pretty much nil. Life may deal you a tattered, dog-eared hand of cards, but at least I was ahead of Rob Janering.
 
Representations may be made to the RO to try a more conventional line start and to drop a spare windward mark. Who’d be an RO?
 
Julian Bradley

RS200 1263

DAYS 2 AND 3

Lack of wind caused our sainted RO to cancel today’s (day 3) racing. But there were no angry pirates in Penzance, after 2 races yesterday in a force 3-4. Matt Mee and Emma Norris will be disappointed with their mere third in Race 3, won by the chesticular Ian Martin. Andy and Jill Peters’ tactical uber-strategem of falling from 3rd to 10th on the last leg, resulted in coveted Gate Boat status in race 4. This therefore also defaulted them into the right side of the course and 2nd place in race 4, won by Matt Mee and Emma Norriss – who engineered a proper outcome by hiking like badgers to the RH side of the course.

As for Duchy Originals, James Peters was premature with Olympian Alison Young in Race 2, contriving to get an OCS in a gate start (and the much-vaunted ‘Duckhams’ award – a sort of Darwin Award thing for when things are FUBAR. He sort of zuffled past the gate boat before the gun had gone. The forfeit involves wearing a semi-floral reach around frock for the next day’s racing). The safety officer was also the grateful receiver of same for falling in the English Channel. He couldn’t miss it.

Winners of the poshest-names-in-a-boat are Max Stennett-Howard and Rupert Molyneaux. No sign of them, but the Glorious 12th was yesterday.  Anything with feathers and a pulse …

Rob Janering remains the last gold fleeter. In 58th.

J Dog, Muttley’s Gay Dad

Day 4 & Day 5

Pronounced Marazion, with the emphasis on the second syllable. (When I checked with a local. ‘Argh. That it be’, he replied).

Abject apologies to all for the delay in getting race report out, but on my way back from Cornwall a restaurateur in Devizes gave me food poisoning. May his dirty black heart burn in eternal hellfire.

Wednesday and Thursday were less ‘champagne sailing’, and more, ‘Erm, is this Lambrusco – or has the waiter popped an Alka Seltzer in a bottle of Blue Nun?’ sailing weather. Day 4 was a proper chop screwy in a force 2-ish  for races 5, 6 and 7. Andy Shaw and Pippa Horne, Matt and Emma (again), then Ian and Chloe Martin getting wins. Andy and Pippa also won on a less-lumpy day 5, along with Dicken McLean and Hannah Young, Lee Sydenham and Emma Hivey. Results below. congratulations go to Matt Mee and Emma Norriss for more wins and overall consistency. Also, plaudits must go to the race management, and overworked yet cheersome volunteer bar staff

To see how it shouldn’t be done see gate start link and, more amusing, windward mark uberscheiss links below. Poor hiking technique (should be straight leg), and an adventurous port approach to the starboard lay line. Like a kamikaze’s ‘adventurous’ approach to the deck of a battleship. Oh, and the mainsheet horse is out of whack.

Useful learning – if you’re interested in a Go Pro mount for training, or just have your friends mock your unorthodox technique over a beer(s), [email protected]

Start - A bit average - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PXxSHXjLQV8&feature=youtu.be

Any Sorm on Port! - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6WJ6CMraXwc&feature=youtu.be

With massive thanks to all the amazing volunteers at Mounts Bay SC, and the fantastic RS200 Fleet Committee.  And of course our lovely title sponsors.

Noble Marine Insurance – excellent supporters of RS for many years.  See http://www.noblemarine.co.uk/

Volvo Car UK has been a long-term backer of sailing in the UK, and for the next 2 years are sponsoring the RS Class Association.

www.volvocars.co.uk/sailing

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