Results / Fat Face Racing Circuit Hayling Island - 20/04/2002

Fat Face Racing Circuit � RS600 - Hayling Island Sailing Club � 20/21 April 2002 Sunny skies and very little wind greeted the 22 RS600 sailors that turned out for the Hayling round of the RS Fat Face Racing Circuit. The wind built slightly as the fleet made their way out to the western side of Hayling Bay, allowing the first race to get under way in light south easterly, allowing some marginal trapezing around the trapezoid course. A close first beat saw Ian Marshall in the lead around the top mark, sailing off to build a comfortable lead, and never being challenged. Matt Chapman and Ian Jubb fought closely for second and third with Chapman just stealing second place. Race two and a slight wind shift to the south saw another tight first beat with no advantage to be gained from either side. Matt Humphreys fought his way through to the front down the first run and held on to his lead to the finish despite the attention of Chapman and Mike Bean. Chapman held on to second place from Bean, with race one winner Marshall down in seventh. The third race saw Humphreys, Brian Greensmith, Marshall and Bean in the leading group, with Marshall eventually taking a decisive lead over Humphreys and holding to the finish, with Bean finishing in third. Greensmith was unlucky to get caught in a mark-rounding melee that involved several of the RS700 fleet and found himself down in tenth place. Sunday dawned with the same breeze as the Saturday, and it built slightly by the time racing started, with the majority of the fleet enjoying full trapezing upwind. The course format was changed slightly to keep the fleet away from the RS700s, using an extra beat and run on the outside of the trapezoid. Race four saw Greensmith leading at the first mark from Humphreys with a tight battle developing down the run Humphreys caught one crucial extra wave to take the lead and was never challenged again. Greensmith sailed home in a comfortable second place with Alex Southon showing some impressive downwind speed to sail through most of the fleet to third place. Race five saw several boats over the line and confusion as the wrong flag was shown for the individual recall. The fleet carried on regardless, with only one boat going back. Greensmith won comfortably with Marshall in second place, and Humphreys third, but silence across the line. With Humphrey�s protest pending, the final race was the decider - Humphreys, Marshall or Greensmith could win. Humphreys won the race from Greensmith with Marshall in third. With a successful outcome to his protest, Humphreys won the event with Marshall taking second from Greensmith by just one point. A consistent set of results saw Mike Bean taking fourth overall. Humphreys now leads the circuit overall with two firsts and a fourth, next stop Derwent......