Results / Gul RS700 Winter Championships Hayling Island SC - 15/02/2003
The barometer showed 1 degree and that was before the cold Northerly wind-
chill was taken into account. However 29 competitors braved the cold and
turned up for the first RS event of 2003.
Race 1 started in a F4-5 with typical HISC chop. After the long winter
lay-up some boat handling skills seem to have been replaced by extra
kilos and the name of the game was to stay upright. Local boy Neil
Robinson proved best of the bunch to take the victory ahead of another
local, Neil Upton-Brown and Jerry Wales from QMSC as the wind eased back
at the finish. Race 2 got under way promptly by a well oiled race
committee and to the relief of competitors. The tide had turned and
became a bigger factor now. Local knowledge seemed to pay as Nick
Rizzi from the home club began his domination of the remaining races that
day. Cleverly sailed and showing good boat speed he took line honours
from new 700 sailor Andy Peake from Bough Beech and Neil Upton-Brown
showing good consistency in 3rd. Race 3, again smartly away in a
shifting breeze. Rizzi did the double mirroring his performance from the
previous race with Peake and Belben scoring a dead-heat for 2nd. However
Upton-Brown got blind-sided, slipping to 8th in a tight field allowing
Wales and Andy Irons into the top five.
Sunday appeared a similar day to Saturday with temperatures barely above
freezing but a good breeze blowing. Race 4 got underway on time in a F2-
3 with Peake and Irons leading at the windward mark. Irons was troubled
by Wales downwind but did enough to stay ahead until the finish with
Rizzi staying in contention with a 4th. The battle was now on between
Rizzi and Peake for the overall victory. Race 5 saw a different name at
the front. Dave Smithwhite from HISC read the first beat best and sailed
into the windward mark on a lovely lift in good pressure. The chasing
field couldn't catch him and Belben ended up the best-of-the-rest. Peake
recorded a 4th and Rizzi a 6th. Race 6 and Peake had it in the bank. This
600 sailor until November last
year showed that pure time in the boat over the winter was the best
preparation he could have done. The wind was shifting and failing as
the race progressed. It was anybodies race and even local knowledge was
of limited use now. The lead swapped
several times until, at the death, Peake put the cherry on the cake to
take the bullet with Smithwhite 2nd and Wales 3rd.
Andrew Peake Bough Beech 10.5 1
Jason Belben Stokes Bay 17.5 2
Nick Rizzi HISC 18 3
Jerry Wales QMSC 19 4
Neil Upton-Brown HISC 24 5
Andy Irons Bough Beech 25 6
Leigh Albrecht QMSC 51 7
Tim Dickinson HISC 53 8
Ian Swann HISC 55 9
Eddie Gatehouse CYC 59 10
Ian Gorringe HISC 59 11
Neil Robinson HISC 61 12
Dave Smithwhite HISC 70 13
Jon Emmett Weir Wood 73 14
Dave Griffiths Bewl Valley 76 15
Paul Hayden Gurnard 86 16
Tim Polglase HISC 93 17
Andrew Beynon HISC 99 18
Keith Willis Lymington Town 104 19
Tim Garvin QMSC 106 20
Matthew Stark Grafham 118 21
Ben Cooper Lymington Town 118 22
Marcus Borey BVSC 120 23
Simon Dodds Whitstable 125 24
Giles Marshall HISC 150 25
Nick Rawlings HISC 150 25
Paul Bayliss HISC 150 25
Grahame Sanderson Britlingsea 150 25
Dave Merchant HISC 150 25