RS700 Sailing Today

RS700 Fat Face Circuit Event 1

Chew Valley Lake Sailing Club –11th & 12th March 2006

Relatively mild and sunny weather greeted the excellent turnout of 25 sailors who had travelled from across the country for the first RS700 Fat Face event of the season at Chew valley Lake sailing club over the weekend of the 11th and 12th of March.

Race 1 started in a shifty five know breeze. On a busy start line it was the group who started at the port end of the line in clear air who soon moved into the lead. Nigel Walbank from Lymington established an early lead with a pursuing group including Andy Holland (Kings Lynn Audi), Steve Marshall and Matt Humphreys (Harken) challenging hard. By the last lap the chasing group had caught up and 3 boats came into the leeward abreast. Walbank and Humphreys went right but it was Andy Holland who went left, found breeze and blasted through the line to take a maiden victory on the circuit.

Race two started in similar conditions with a very even start line. Andy Holland continued his excellent light wind form by leading at the first mark only to immediately sail into a hole. Ian Nolan went right and found the best breeze to take the lead half way down the run only for Holland and Humphries to catch up so the boats arrived in a bunch at the leeward mark. Places continued to change throughout the race in the patchy conditions but it was Humphreys who took the win from local sailor Tim Johnson with Nolan coming in 3rd.

With the wind varying from nothing to not a lot the PRO took the sensible decision to send the fleet home. This left the winners of the overnight leader prizes as Matt Humphries in Gold fleet and Ian Nolan in the Silver.

Sunday dawned with snow settled on the ground and snowflakes blowing in from the East. After throwing the white stuff off the covers and grabbing a quick bacon butty (or three) the fleet took to the water dressed in everything they could find to fend off the cold ready for the planned
four races.

The third race started promptly in a shifty Easterly F2 with F3 gusts dropping off the Mendip Hills. Making the best of the conditions it was Johnson who led at the windward mark from White mark with the rest of the overnight leaders in close pursuit. Downwind the heavyweights managed to keep ahead of the pack before extending their lead up the right hand side of the second beat. As the leaders began the final run the wind dropped to an F1 and progress slowed. The Mendips then provided a lake wide gust which barrelled down just as the middle of the fleet arrived at the windward mark. This compressed the top ten boats, resulting in a frenzy of gybes and luffs for position going into the leeward mark. Johnson held his nerve, rounded first and led to the finish. Walbank worked the gust brilliantly and sailed around the fighting pack to finish second followed by Marshall and Humphreys in 3rd and 4th.

For the fourth race the wind built to a shifty F3 with F4 gusts. Johnson was again fast off the line and led at the windward mark from Humphreys. They were locked together around the course over the next two laps with both winning alternate shifts and gusts. So intense was the contest they missed the shortened course and allowed White to steal the win with Smithwhite and Marshall closing out the top five.

The wind was building; veering further South and the temperature dropped even further. Fingers were numb and hands were beginning to lose grip. Even the hardest 700 sailors had hats and gloves on as F5 gusts ripped down the lake as the fifth race started. It was White who led at the windward mark, followed closely led by Johnson, Humphreys & Albrecht.
The gusts produced some wildly varying downwind lanes which resulted in all four boats converging on the leeward mark at speed from different directions. White rounded first, and dominated the race from that point onwards. Albrecht gybed early on the final run to overtake Humphreys for second, whilst Smithwhite and Marshall sailed to a controlled and secure 4th and 5th.

For the sixth and final race the wind was building to a South Easterly shifty F5 gusting F6. The intense cold, evil shifts, sledgehammer gusts, sailor damage and the thought of the long drive home was causing attrition in the fleet with only 11 of the original 25 finishing. Again it was White, Johnson and Marshall who led around the windward mark as a F6 gust arrived. White capsized as he gybed off, joined by Johnson leaving Marshall to provide a demonstration in downwind technique. He quoted in the bar afterwards. ‘As I looked back upwind all I could see
were 700s capsized.’ With the race turning into a battle of survival, the hares were spending too much time swimming and it was the quality of Marshall, White, Smithwhite, Walbank and Offer which shone through as they finished 1st through 5th.

Despite a late charge from White Johnson and Marshall, it was Matt Humphries who had sailed consistently at the front of the fleet over both days who took a deserved overall victory. In the silver fleet Nolan held onto his overnight lead followed by Jonathan Cameron and Stewart Speer.

Our thanks go to CVLSC for their warm welcome and to the event sponsors Fat Face for their continued support This was a great turnout for the first Fat Face event of the season with a lot of new faces as well a number of the more established names returning to the fleet. Things are
certainly looking promising for the rest of the season continuing the improvements seen last year.

The next event on the circuit will be at a new venue for the 700 fleet, Hunstanton Sailing Club on the North Norfolk coast on the 22nd and 23rd of April.

Tim Johnson & Ian Nolan

All sailing shots at Chew Valley Lake courtesy of Primrose Salt [email protected]