Results / Northampton S C Fat Face Racing Circuit Northampton S C - 23/10/2004

All sorts of dire forecasts of very strong winds and plenty of rain put many people off travelling to Northampton SC for the final RS200 Fat Face Circuit event of the year. Thirty boats did make the trip and they were treated to some very variable weather, plenty of wind, some top race management, very good value catering and very fine competitive sailing. Even though the top three places overall on the Fat Face Circuit had already been decided, 15 of the top thirty teams at the Nationals were competing along with top RS400 helm Craig Burlton. Interestingly there were many new helm/crew combinations and others racing together for the last time as regular teams; it will be very interesting to see who is sailing with whom at the beginning of next year. Of course British weather lived up to its reputation of being totally unpredictable. Race 1 started in a patchy force 2-3 and then really heavy rain arrived killing the wind, so the race finished in 5 knots with everyone wishing they had not rigged with heavy wind settings. Craig Burlton and Claire Upton Brown, making a return to sailing after a summer off with a bad knee injury, sniggled their way up the first beat into a good lead and never looked back. The fleet was sent ashore and we all questioned the weather man's parentage as we looked out on a very wet and windless Pitsford Reservoir. After a short wait the fleet went back out into a rapidly increasing breeze to hold a good race in a force 4 won by National Champions Lee Sydenham/Anne Vaudrey. Then the forecast wind did arrive (weathermen do have parents after all!) and race 3 was held in a very gusty force 5- 7. Downwind was very exciting and very wet for the majority. Geoff Carveth, with new crew Loopy Lucy Matthews, stormed the race. Sunday and after a really good value meal laid on by the Sailing Club, and the fleet conquering the north face of the Northampton rum mountain, there was a de-mob feel to the start of the day. It was a mild day and there was a nice gentle force 2-3 so Anne Vaudrey and Jo Hewitson took over helming. The inevitable happened and Anne was second for most of the race despite Lee paying no attention to the crewing talk the previous evening from Jo Hewitson. James Stewart with new crew, Lucy (non- Loopy) Matthews, (the other Lucy Matthews), won, with Craig Burlton second and Anne ninth. With the wind now picking up to 16-18 knots as the sun came out the season finished with two really great races where places changed rapidly and the committee boat was treated to some awesome leeward mark action. Fun over Jo gave the helm back to Tom and they flew in on the port lay line to lead, then found the patch of wind from heaven to blast off into the distance on the first run to win by a margin. Marshall & Heather King, at last a stable helm/crew combination, looked to have the final race in control but there were big variations in wind over the run that meant some boats could flat out plan the whole length of the lake. The pack caught them and in an action packed final run, Lee now helming won with Geoff & Loopy Lucy second. With this final result Geoff Carveth & Loopy Lucy Matthews had secured a comfortable overall victory by 9 points. Pete "missing Tiny Taff" Vincent