Results / RS Fat Face Racing Circuit Weston SC - 17/05/2003

RS600 Fat Face Racing Circuit Event, Weston SC, 17/18 May 03 On 17/18 May, 17 RS600s visited Weston Sailing Club for the third RS Fat Face racing circuit event of the year. Saturday�s weather was overcast with a wind gusty wind averaging 20 knots. The fleet sailed a square course giving some fantastic reaches. In the first race Pete Sanders port tacked the fleet off the start, Matt Humphreys came back at him and took the lead at the windward mark only to capsize while gybing on the run and watch Sanders and Mark Barron sail past. Humphreys recovered and into third and was back to second after the bottom reach chasing Sanders at the leeward mark. Sanders and Humphreys then stretched away from the fleet even though they both simultaneously capsized on the run of lap 2. Humphreys caught up to within a few boat lengths on the final run to put Sanders under pressure for the gybe, Sanders capsized gybing, Humphreys managed his gybe and sailed the last leg to win from Sanders in second and Ian Marshall in third. The second race saw Humphreys get off to a good start and lead the fleet round the course, he managed not to capsize and won from Jon Heissig in second and Sanders consistent in third. The third race was sailed in an increasing breeze with squalls and rain blowing through the course. A fierce battle raged for the lead between Sanders, Marshall, Heissig and Humphreys. Many place changes took place and the boats came onto the final reach with Sanders leading from Heissig and Humphreys with Marshall in fourth. Heissig and Humphreys were then wiped out in a gust allowing Marshall through to take second with Adrian White in third. Sunday saw a slightly nervous fleet standing on the shore with 27 knot gusts being recorded. However all except Marshall (the only sane person) launched with big rig into the monstrous conditions. The start of race 4 saw Marshall show the rest of the fleet which rig was best by taking a port tack flier and leading up the beat, he stayed with the front group for a lap until his injuries from the previous day started to take their toll (he had been to hospital to have his arm stitched up and his head glued back together!). Humphreys worked hard to pull through to win from a late start with Barron in second and Howard Edwards in third. By the start of the fifth race the wind was still increasing and so was the chop. The runs where becoming frightening and the reaches exhilarating as gusts of 30 knots became more frequent. The downwind leg of the square was claiming the majority of victims as the chop was short and steep at the gybe point. Matt Humphreys nosedived on the first run handing the lead to Heissig chased by Sanders and Barron. Carnage was in full force with huge gusts knocking boats flat all over the course. By the final run Humphreys had caught back up to the tail of Barron and Sanders with Heissig holding a commanding lead. A huge squall then struck causing Sanders and Barron to pitch-pole, Humphreys flew past leaving a very brown trail as he fought and prayed to keep the bow up. Heissig capsized on his gybe at the bottom of the run but had enough of a lead to recover before Humphreys arrived. Heissig took a very well sailed win with Humphreys in a solid second place, Barron came through into third. With the wind still on the increase the scheduled sixth race of the day was called off and everybody surfed in under bare poles safely. The final results after discards were 1st Matt Humphreys (5pts), 2nd Pete Sanders (10pts) and 3rd Jon Heissig (13pts). Thanks to Weston Sailing Club for a well organised event and to Fat Face for the prize vouchers.