Results / Northampton RS Open Northampton SC - 31/03/2001

FIRST ROUND OF GUL RS600 2001 RACING CIRCUIT AT NORTHAMPTON. The RS Association has held a Racing Circuit event at Northampton SC every year for the last six years and the weather gods have always graced the event with strong winds. This year was no different with the RS600 GUL Racing Circuit starting off in style at Northampton on Saturday March 31 with a force 5-6, sunshine, spectacular racing and capsizing on the opening day! The great MAFF god had also been kind by allowing the Club to re-open; it had been shut for three weeks due to Foot and Mouth. RS Class Racing is extremely well known for tight finishes but you could not get a tighter overall result then the leading two boats in the RS600 fleet produced at Northampton on March 31/April 1. Andy White and Anthony York both had the same scores of 1.1.1.2.2.3 and overall victory could only be decided by referring to the results of the last race in which both sailed.
Andy won the final race on Sunday and Anthony was third; hence Andy White gained his first overall victory at a RS Racing Circuit event.
Even allowing for this tight margin the event will be remembered for the amazing sailing on Saturday. It soon became clear that the wind on Saturday was going to be challenging as big lumps of wind arrived; often shifting 30 degrees at the same time.
Added to this the Race Officer set a W downwind course with three gybe marks.
In race 2 the wind hit force 7 for a whole lap of the 600�s race. It was testimony to the skill of the sailors and strength of the boats that so many boats were able to record a full set of results.
Anthony York enjoyed the conditions with a 1.2.1 set of results with Andy White winning the second race. Mark Sempers also enjoyed the condition with a 4.4.3 scoreline; Ben Willows also scored a very useful 3.5.7. Sunday was very different with sunshine and a very patchy force 2-4 with the fleet going afloat a little apprehensive with tales of a 7ft pike ringing in their ears until they checked the date!!!! The White/York dogfight continued with White holding the upper hand with 1.3.1 scoreline. James McIntosh had scored a fine third place in race 2 on Saturday and now produced a 3.2.2 scoreline to break up the White/York domination.
Although Sunday�s wind may not have been fully to the liking of the 600�s they all left Northampton with glowing faces, tired bodies and very happy bunnies looking forward to a season of very close racing on the GUL RS Racing Circuit. Northampton SC had done an excellent job in running the event, Race Officer John Wayling had been right to race throughout Saturday and had done a superb job in fitting in so many races. Overall 1. Andy White Stokes Bay 7pts 2. Anthony York Northampton 7pts 3. James McIntosh Stone 16pts 4. Mark Sempers Datchet 21pts 5. Ben Willows Northampton 25pts 6. Brian Greensmith 30pts