The RS200 season kicked off with the first Gul Grand Prix event in the form of the RS200 Winter Championships at Northampton SC on Feb 26/27 featuring some highly variable wind. A quality fleet assembled with again a fair few 470 Olympic hopefuls competing and several new faces.

Saturday started very wet, muddy and with most of the fleet looking at a calm Pitsford thinking windguru’s forecast of 12 knots gusting 25-30 knots was well wide of the mark. Race 1 of course saw the first general recall of the season in 10-12 knots but once the race got underway it soon became clear it was not a day to lead downwind as the wind was becoming erratic with very local areas of real extra pressure. Pete Vincent/Suzie Proctor, James/Will Rusden and Ben Ainsworth/Rach Williamson all had turns in the lead before Richard and Paru Edwards looked like they were going to make a winning return to 200’s. James and Eluned Stewart though found a gust from heaven on the final run to sail round the outside and win from the Edwards and the Rusden’s.

Then the fun really started, whilst the mean wind stayed around 14-16 knots there were real long pulses of proper main flogging wind up the beats and some great downwind action with some very lively leeward marks. Stu Bithell/Kate MacGregor had disappeared into a huge lead in race 2 but had a very wet leeward mark. Their lead had been so good they righted boat just before James Peters/Alan Roberts passed them only for their main halyard to break on the next beat leaving Peters/Roberts to win from the Rusden’s and Wayne/Debs Fletcher. The wind got even more feisty for race 3 but the same two boats were 1.2 again this time with Ally Catt/Chris Martin third.

Then it was ashore in time for a hot shower, watch England stuff the French and eat the excellent value meal laid on by Northampton SC – yes it was a good day particularly if you were called James.

Sunday and the weather really was being a little mean as the beautiful early morning lulled many to leave layers ashore. Race 4 in a much more steady 10 knots was led from mark 1 to the finish by Wayne and Debbie Fletcher from Peters/Roberts and Johnny McGovern/Sarah Williams. Race 5 in lighter breeze with cold drizzle now setting in was perhaps the closest of the championship with all the leading boats closely packed at the front. The Rusden’s just won from Peters/Roberts and the Stewarts. This left things very finely balanced going into the final race but the black flag removed Peters and the Stewarts at the first mark. Nick Charles/Roz Allen and David Giles/Fiona Clark had a close tussle before they finished in that order but overall victory hinged on where the Rusden’s were going to finish and their 5^th place gave them overall victory by a point.

Juliet Charles and Alice Kingsnorth won the silver division with an excellent 15^th overall with Sarah Tuppen and James Williams of Royal Harwich won the bronze division.

The next Gul Grand Prix event is at Bristol CYC on April 9/10.