Class Association
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, [insert name here and results below, cheers Lucy] won the first race. I say that as I was merely a top-twentier. Someone more competent than I (erm ... Lucy …) will insert the results below, and you can see for yourself.
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?
Results to include day 2 at -
http://www.rs200sailing.org/champs/index.asp?selection=Results&eid=530
Julian Bradley
RS200 1263
