Results / RS700Fat Face Racing Circuit Event Chew Valley Lake SC - 13/04/2004

A brisk South Westerly greeted the RS700 fleet at their first Fat Face Racing Circuit event at Chew Valley Lake this weekend. The wind direction enabled the course to be set over the full length of the lake providing some excellent racing, with plenty of snakes and ladders for the sailors to contend with. Race 1 saw Andy White round the windward mark first closely followed by Tim Johnson, Tony Freer and Eddie Gatehouse. White and Johnson headed down the right side of the run, but were beaten to the Leeward mark by Freer who went left. Freer continued to extend his advantage, until the penultimate run when he capsized, as did White to leave Johnson with a large lead. But with White in hot pursuit the gap closed rapidly, with Johnson piping White on the line by the smallest of margin followed by Freer and Gatehouse. The wind increased for race 2 as Johnson roared off in to a commanding lead, with Freer in second and Gatehouse third. A huge squall decimated the fleet during the 3rd lap, Johnson had just began the upwind leg and survived, but those heading downwind under spinnaker were toast. The race was shortened giving Johnson another win, Freer second, Gatehouse third and local David Aston fourth. With the squall now passed race 3 got under way with White who had sat out the previous race flying out of the blocks. Following a tussle with Johnson downwind White sprinted off into the distance. Freer, Gatehouse and Steve Marshal chased hard, but on the final run disaster struck for Johnson as his trapeze wire snapped. Johnson continued on only able to trapeze on one tack, but the race officer had done the local Johnson no favour by giving a long beat to the finish. White won by quite a margin followed by Freer, Gatehouse, Marshal and Johnson trailing in sixth Chew Valley Lake looked more like the Southern Ocean on Sunday morning so to no surprise racing was abandoned for the day, leaving Tony Freer the winner, Tim Johnson Second and Eddie Gatehouse Third.