Results / Crewsaver End of Season Championships Datchet Water SC - 10/11/2012

The 500's had seven boats in total for the Crewsaver End of Season Champs, although only six on each day.  The forecast wasn't exactly RS500 friendly with light winds expected on  both days, which makes three championships in a row this year.

Saturday was the lighter and shiftier of the two days which Alan and Linda Fraser discovered after building a good lead on the first beat of the first race, only to sail into a big hole on the first run and surrender the lead to Peter and James Curtis.  They successfully picked the shifts up the next two beats to extend themselves to a very comfortable win.  Alan and Linda joined battle with Mike Clapp and Sue Risbridger and held on to second.  We then had a considerable wait for the 400's and 800's to finish their three laps. 

Once the second race got away Mike Clapp had what was to become a trademark good first beat: “I just started port end every time, waited for the header and tacked across  - worked every time and no-one else seemed to spot it”.  Peter and James and Alan and Linda were not far behind, but Alan touched Peter rounding the bottom mark while avoiding a 100 and his subsequent 720 put him a way back.  Peter and James split tacks and managed to get away for a second win.

The start sequence for race three was started before all the 400's finished race two, as the RO was getting worried about the remaining light.  This race followed a similar pattern to the previous two, with Peter and James getting comfortably away from Alan and Linda, who this time were comfortably in second.  We were ashore in daylight, but it was distinctly gloomy by the time the 8's and 4's got back.

Sunday was colder and much brighter with nary a cloud in the sky and, crucially, with a bit more wind that wasn't quite as shifty.  Which is not to say there weren't some snakes and ladders!  In race four we had the first individual recall of the regatta.  Peter Curtis wasn't confident he was in the clear, so went back, gybing round and setting off to the right of the course, with everyone else heading left.  About half way up the beat it became obvious this was where the pressure was, and from starting well last he and James came out with a decent lead that they held to the finish from Alan and Linda.

The wind was steadily building during the day, with one or two crews seen to be briefly trapezing at various times.  The increase in strength reduced the disparity in boat speeds, with the fleet becoming much closer in the final two races.  Peter and James needed their better soaking ability to get past Mike and Sue in race five, with Alan and Linda following them through later in the race.  The final race had the closest finish of all, with Peter finishing the final run on starboard to just hold the advantage on Alan coming in on port to the final mark and holding on down the final reach to the finish.