Results / RS Fat Face Racing Circuit Datchet SC - 18/09/2004
Datchet saw twenty RS600s at their penultimate
FatFace circuit event of the season with several
new travellers coming to the circuit. The fleet
arrived on the Saturday morning to some very
blustery conditions and the lake looking decidedly
lumpy. Fortunately as the boats were being prepared
the weather did start to settle down a bit,
although there were to be some interesting wind
conditions throughout the whole event.
The first race got of cleanly. On the first beat
the fleet split as to where the best side of the
lake was to be, with about half the fleet taking
the port side of the lake and the half going to the
starboard. As the fleet arrived at the top mark
there was very little between the split and the
fleet was all going for the mark at the same time.
The shifty wind conditions were to take its toll
with shifts at some impromptu moments. In the
second race the fleet had the unusual sight of Matt
Humphreys being completely inverted by the centre
water tower and a good part of the fleet getting
past him ? not that he stayed behind them for long.
With the wind still playing havoc the fleet started
the third race under the black flag after a recall,
but no mistakes this time.
Day two and the wind was looking a lot calmer than
the day before. Once launched, the fleet had to
deal with even more big shifts, which saw the top
reach almost become a run and the run a very broad
reach. The short bottom reach was entertaining with
a few swimmers at the bottom mark. All in all there
was some good racing to be had and Datchet sailor
Griff Tanner took the weekend with Matt Humphreys
in second and Paul Smalley in third. Fred Lord took
the Merit award for finishing a very respectable
12th. Thanks go to the race officer for good race
control in some tricky conditions and to Datchet
Water SC for looking after us all.
1, Griff Tanner, Datchet Water SC, 7
2, Matt Humphries, Weston SC, 11
3, Paul Smalley, Univ Warwick SC, 20
4, Andy Heissig, Lymington Town SC, 20
5, Jamie Mawson, Pennine SC, 22
6, Howard Edwards, Datchet Water SC, 25
7, Charles Roome, Univ Warwick SC, 27
8, Ian Marshall, RAFSA + Oxford SC, 36
9, Alex Knight, Chew Valley SC, 44
10, Matt Connor, , 52
11, Richard Adams, Bartley SC, 52
12, Fred Lord, Porchester SC, 54
13, Andrew Wilson, Datchet Water SC, 56
14, Wayne Hancox, , 67
15, Richard Lilley, Lymington Town SC, 68
16, Mark Taylor, Island Barn SC, 76
17, Shaun Anderson, RAFSA, 78
18, Andy Watterson, Blithfield SC, 84
19, Damon Bower, RAFSA Brize Norton, 91
20, Richard Gaunt, Pennine SC, 92