Results / Winter Championships Leigh & Lowton SC - 17/03/2012

24/25 May saw 27 RS600�s turn out at Lee-On-Solent SC for the 4th Fat Face racing circuit event of the year Race 1 started in a freshening breeze and saw the 600s get away cleanly, the fleet had to battle through the rs200 fleet, with whom they were sharing a course and the rs400 fleet who were overlapping from their course. Matt Humphreys led down the final reach only to carry on as there was no visible blue finishing flag, Pete Sanders went straight to the line to win from Humphreys with Dave Nunn in third. In race 2 Stone SC were well set up for a 1, 2, 3, until Colin Turner broke his mainsheet block whilst in third. Richard Smith went on to win with Sanders in second and Griff Tanner in third. Race 3 saw Jon Heissig start from the pin end and port tack the fleet to arrive at the windward mark with a considerable lead, with a dying wind he was never to be challenged and won from Ian Montague with Humphreys in third. The main event of this race happened just after the first few boats had reached the windward mark. A large and very pointy 50ft yacht appeared sailing serenely along on port � that was until it heard the shouts of the 20 or so 600�s approaching on starboard! Miraculously all avoided being rundown as the yacht did some hasty manoeuvres. The wind dropped to a light and shifty force 1 immediately after the start of Race 4 and at the end of the first beat 5 boats had achieved a slight separation from the rest of the fleet. On the run 2 gybed left, 2 went right and the 5th went down the middle. The middle paid off as Humphreys took 4 places to reach the bottom mark with a 4 boat-length lead. The race was shortened due to lack of wind but as the leading 3 crossed the line a squall hit the fleet causing mayhem as all boats were set up with no kicker for downwind drifting speed and hence were very unstable. At one point there were 10 boats capsized within 10m of the finish line! Humphreys won from Smith in second and Colin Turner in third. Race 5 was started and then abandoned after a 90 degree windshift, the restart saw a general recall and move to the black flag, when the race finally started port tack starters caused problems Ian Marshall damaged his bow after finding nowhere to go and Sanders hit Humphreys causing both to capsize. Smith kept a cool head to win from Tanner with Heissig in third. Race 6 was held in light winds, those that went left up the beat were laughing being lifted into the mark until near the mark the wind shifted back allowing those from the right to sail through unchallenged. The race was shortened to one lap and Smith won from Richard Peacock in second and Tanner third. Richard Smith won overall with Matt Humphreys in second and Ian Montague in third. Thanks go to Lee-On-Solent SC and Fat Face for an enjoyable event.