Results / RS Fat Face Open Lee on Solent - 15/05/2004

RS FAT FACE CIRCUIT EVENT AT LEE ON SOLENT SAILING CLUB. Lee On Solent was the sun soaked venue for the multi fleet RS Fat Face Racing Circuit on May 15/16. It was fantastic weather for May but it was not the best conditions for fleet racing and particularly race officers with some fickle Solent breezes. Saturday and it was hot. The fleets were very happy to continue where they left off at the 10th Anniversary Regatta, sitting around chatting with everyone. After an hours delay a light south easterly allowed both race teams to lay two courses and get the first race off. It was bound to happen and right at the end of race 1 the breeze from the west of the Solent arrived reversing the course. The race teams did a good job and re- set the course, races 2 and 3 were held in the best breeze of the weekend, building to 12 knots by the end. The days racing had been videoed by Cathy Foster who gave each fleet excellent de-briefs in the early evening, part of the RS Associations extensive coaching programme. A. good party was further livened up by the Brother Grims unusual attempt to re-arrange the disco layout Unfortunately Sunday in many ways was a worse day, there really was no breeze. Eventually a light easterly appeared and just as thoughts were turning towards abandoning the day the race teams called the fleets out. With light winds and the tide it was slow going but two races were completed. RS600�s Sun soaked Lee-on-Solent was the host for the fourth event of the RS600 Fat Face Circuit. The 18 boat fleet started in a light south easterly sea breeze. Ian Marshal won after holding off Ian Montague in a downwind tussle, with Andy Heissig sneaking up to third. The second race saw a South Westerly sea breeze fill in. With the beat against the tide it was important to get the lay-lines right and Jamie Mawson did so, taking the race with Paul Smalley in second and Tim Paul in third. Race three saw the breeze pick up and it was Smalley who made it round the windward mark in first. He managed to hold off Tim Paul and Mawson who finished third. In the evening the fleet watched a video of the first race taken by Cathy Foster and learned a great deal before the party kicked off. Next morning the warm sunshine and lack of breeze allowed the hangovers to clear before the fleet were sent out minutes before the deadline. A light south easterly sea breeze and a changing tide made tactics tricky especially for the pie eaters of the fleet! Tim Paul won the race from Marshall and Mawson in third. The final race saw Marshall win with Tim Paul in second and David Nunn in third. This meant that Tim Paul won overall from Marshall and Smalley in third. Thanks go to Lee-on Solent and Fat Face for a close and excellently run weekend.