Please select your home edition
Edition
Savvy Navvy 2024

RS200 Sailing Chandlery EaSEA Tour at Netley Sailing Club

by Andrew Wishart 11 Apr 2023 17:59 UTC 7 April 2023
RS200 Sailing Chandlery EaSEA Tour at Netley © Nigel Wakefield

Twenty RS200s descended on Netley Sailing Club for the second round of the Sailing Chandlery EaSEA Tour on what felt like the first day of summer. After a quick bacon sandwich and briefing outside the impressive new clubhouse, the competitors applied the sun cream eager to get racing under way with what little breeze there was forecast to die away as the day went on.

That eagerness was evident on the race course too, with the first start ending up with a general recall. It got away at the second time of asking but with several premature starters having to return opening up nice lanes for a trio of the visitors from Queen Mary to wriggle their way up to the windward mark in the podium positions.

However, that wasn't to last with Jamie Harris and Ellen Main from Netley/Hayling deploying their light wind downhill speed to overhaul Charlie and Lucy. They then set about eating into the lead of Andrew and his crew and the father son duo of David and Rowan. It came down to the short final leg from the gate to the finish with Andrew and crew doing enough, just, to hold off the charging Jamie and Ellen.

Race 2 saw the breeze flick left during the sequence and Ben and Lorna take advantage, coming off the pin end to build an unassailable lead of around half a leg. Jamie and Ellen again turned on the pace to sweep through to second, while Andrew and crew were completely buried but rolled the dice on the final downwind by splitting from fleet on the run and found a band of pressure to take them up from about three from the back to three from the front.

Andrew Barnett and Jo Lloyd found their feet in the light conditions to put a fourth on the scorecard.

With the breeze fading and shifting left, the tide became a bigger factor in races 3 and 4. But while it had started to go out down at the start, there was strangely never much at the top of the course closer to the channel. The tactical debate was whether to go uptide first and try and get the tide under the lee bow, or to head out on port closer to the middle of Southampton water, where the tide didn't appear to be as strong.

It turned out that the advantages of each broadly cancelled out, with pressure the deciding factor. Lorna clearly had her head out of the boat in race 3, as she and Ben tied up another race win with Jamie and Ellen second. Richard and Oliver Brown, a father son team from Carsington Water showed some good light airs pace to come in third.

It looked questionable whether a fourth race would go off in the dying breeze, but with Ben and Lorna 2 points behind Jamie and Ellen and carrying a six after having to go back at the start of race one, they were no doubt relieved to see the flags go up for a decider. The perennial bridesmaids up to that point, Jamie and Ellen managed to sneak past Ben and Lorna on the final downwind to take the win.

With Ben and Lorna taking second, they jumped to the top of the leader board after the drop, with Jamie and Ellen in second, and Andrew and crew in third.

The competitors enjoyed cake from the galley the Easter sunshine on the waterfront after racing, as race officer Nigel Wakefield presented the prizes from the club and Sailing Chandlery. Nige and his team did a stellar job to get four fair races away in increasingly challenging conditions, but always just enough puff to get the kites filling and get 200s over the tide. Netley really does feel like a holiday resort when the sun is out - I hope we can return next year!

Overall Results:

PosSail NoHelmCrewClubR1R2R3R4Pts
11700Ben WhaleyLorna GlenParkstone YC61124
21439Jamie HarrisEllen MainNetley22215
3785Andrew Wishart-Queen Mary SC13437
41635Andrew BarnettJo LloydIsland Barn RSC1047415
5534Richard BrownOliver BrownCarsington Water763816
61540David Steedvar. MartinsNetley SC556616
71727David CopseRowan CopseQueen Mary SC398718
81740Mark OakeyJess SmithCardiff Bay9816522
91358Charles WhitakerLucy GatesQueen Mary SC412151026
101618James RossHenry RossNetley SC12710DNS29
11770Douglas StruthMarionQueen Mary SC131351230
121562Andy Le GriceWilliam GriceWarsash SC111011930
13381Dan WealthyAlex WealthyWarsash SC141591336
141356Andrew ChapmanMelissa ChapmanNetley SC1911121437
15345Martin Lown Netley SC1614131138
161093James SpikesleyBeth SpikesleyNetley SC816DNSDNS45
171703Alastair ShoveOliver ShoveNetley SC1518171547
181061Ella AshworthEdward AshworthNetley SC181714DNS49
191290Rob BowenKay BowenNetley SC1719DNSDNS57
20340tbctbctbc2020DNSDNS61
21439Paris ThomasMarta Uncio RiberaRTYCDNSDNSDNSDNS63
22888Sandy McPhersonJennie TrickettNetley SCDNSDNSDNSDNS63
231017Matt RileyMiranda CookEastbourne SovereignDNSDNSDNSDNS63

Related Articles

RS200 South West 'Ugly' Tour 2024 overall
Another fab season for the tour The West Country Boat Repairs RS200 south west 'Ugly' Tour has come to a conclusion for another year, and what a year it has been! Posted on 1 Nov
Sailing Chandlery RS200 EaSEA Tour 2024 Overall
Congratulations to Paris Thomas and Marta Uncio! Congratulations to our 2024 Sailing Chandlery EaSEA Champions Paris Thomas and Marta Uncio! The second year of the East and South East Area Tour was another great success, a full year of racing with close competition and a great turnout of boats. Posted on 22 Oct
Stewart Brewing RS200 Scottish Tour 2024 Overall
Congratulations to Brendan Lynch and Ellen Clark / Anna Sturrock Congratulations to Brendan Lynch and Ellen Clark / Anna Sturrock, winners of the Stewart Brewing Scottish Tour 2024! Posted on 22 Oct
Sandy Shell 2024 at Hayling Island
Described as the unofficial RS200 Sprint Racing Worlds Described as the unofficial RS200 Sprint Racing World Championship, the Sandy Shell is hosted annually by HISC. Originally a battle between boats from Hayling Island & Itchenor Sailing Clubs, the trophy is presented to the top team from either club. Posted on 21 Oct
SW Ugly Tour at Chew Valley Lake
A surprisingly warm October Saturday, just squeezing in ahead of the arrival of Storm Ashley Chew Valley Lake SC played host to the final event in the 2024 RS200 South West Ugly Tour (kindly sponsored by West Country Boat Repairs) on a surprisingly warm October Saturday, just squeezing in ahead of the arrival of Storm Ashley. Posted on 21 Oct
2000 sailors win 2024 Endeavour Trophy
Oliver Groves & Esther Parkhurst claim dinghy champion of champions title Oliver Groves (27) and Esther Parkhurst (25) representing the 2000 class have won the Endeavour Trophy after a close final day battle that went right down to the wire writes Sue Pelling. Posted on 13 Oct
63rd Endeavour Trophy Day 1
2000 sailors take overnight Endeavour lead With a clean sweep of podium positions (1,2,2,3) Oliver Groves (27) and Esther Parkhurst (25) representing the 2000 class are the overnight leaders of the 63rd Endeavour champions of champions event. Posted on 13 Oct
63rd Endeavour Trophy Training Session
Dinghy champion of champions event under way at Burnham-on-Crouch Crisp, spring-like conditions and a light breeze greeted the 30-strong fleet of dinghy champions this morning for the 63rd Endeavour Trophy dinghy champion of champions invitational event writes Sue Pelling. Posted on 11 Oct
RS200 Inland Championship at Grafham
Gains could be made on those final runs if confidence was there Once again we made the trip to Grafham Water for our Inlands (part of the Rooster Championship Tour) with a promising forecast for the weekend. Posted on 8 Oct
Netley SC RS200 Club Championship
Thirteen teams taking to the start line Whilst the RS200 Inlands were taking place at Grafham Water Sailing Club (and being won by a Netley SC member), Netley Sailing Club hosted its club RS200 championship with thirteen teams taking to the start line. Posted on 7 Oct
Savvy Navvy 2024Maritimo 2023 M600 FOOTER