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

15 RS600�s gathered at Lee on Solent on 14th � 15th May for the Fat Face Racing Circuit Event. Several of the competitors were still putting their boats back together after the strong winds at Highcliffe the week before, but they all made it to compete in an event run jointly with the 300, 400 and Vareo fleets. Saturday dawned without the sun we�ve come to expect of an RS event at Lee, but with a healthy breeze blowing straight off the mainland shore the competitors set out for the first race. Shifty gusty winds meant regular place changes were a feature of Saturday, and the first race saw close racing from some of the main contenders. Ian Marshall took the race, from Christian Reynolds with Alex Knight close behind in 3rd. 600 class rep Dave Nunn had been showing that he can mix it at the front, before deciding that he liked his tiller extension better with an artistic bend near the end! Race 2 saw a heavily starboard biased line, which prompted a general recall on the first start. The fleet got away at the second time of asking, and Charlie Roome and Christian Reynolds jostled for the lead at the windward mark and subsequently along the 1st reach. Reynolds took the lead, and Roome remained in 2nd until he met one too many 400�s charging down the run without the necessary eyes to avoid a parking incident. Ian Marshall took advantage to claim 2nd, with Roome clinging on to 3rd on the final reach from a charging Richie Adams. The final race saw a strong tide flowing up the Solent, and coupled with the shifty breeze, meant some tricky tactical decisions were needed. By the windward mark it was Reynolds and Roome who had once again found their way to the front, and they managed to take advantage of the wind to stretch out a decent lead from the rest of the pack. Confusion ensued as Reynolds and Marshall headed for the finish a lap early, but the finishing order remained the same: Reynolds, Roome and Marshall as the top 3. Saturday night saw the annual RS May Ball, complete with masks, which gave 600 sailors past and present the chance to party with friends from the other RS classes. After a bout of table jousting on the dance floor, the prizes for best masks were awarded, and the Special Award for 2005 was given to the RS600 committee of Dave Nunn, Ian Marshall and Damon Bower for their pioneering use of a class association demo boat which is trailed to events, and available for use at clubs in between, to promote the class. Watch this space: rumour has it Alex Newton-Southon will be returning to the 600 at Weston in this boat! The breeze on Sunday was a pleasant surprise compared to the forecast, and racing took place in a force 3, with a nasty Solent chop. The first race saw Roome take an early lead from the start, which he defended until the bottom reach, where Jamie Mawson came past. Mawson showed why he was 4th at the nationals last year by holding the lead to the finish, ahead of Reynolds in 2nd. Ian Marshall had been on the charge until he took the need to check the underside of his boat was clean on the final run! Race 5 saw Christian Reynolds once again assume his place at the front, but in quite spectacular style he bore away round the wing mark at the top of the run, only for his rudder to fall off, putting him out of the race and potentially opening up the fight for overall honours again. Charlie Roome assumed the lead, but once again he was unable to hold it on the reaches, with Mawson taking over just as the fleet sailed through the 400 start on port. He lead until he was passed by Alex Knight, who looked set for a race win until Marshall stole the race at the death on the final reach. The final race saw Reynolds, Knight, Mawson and Adams at the front of the pack, with a dying breeze causing numerous place changes up the beats. Reynolds looked set to win the race and the meeting, till he missed the final mark on the way to the finish, which pushed him to down to 4th behind Knight, Adams and Mawson. Marshall retired midway through the race, and Roome struggled to regain losses up the first beat, making the top 6 places close overall. Eventually, with the results worked out, Reynolds won the meeting by a single point from Marshall, with Mawson, Knight, Roome and Adams close behind in that order. Outside the top 6 it was good to see some new faces mixing it with some of the regular 600 sailors. Competition in the class is extremely close, with the nationals at Pwllheli in late August destined to be a closely contested affair.