GUL RS200 WINTER CHAMPIONSHIPS AT NORTHAMPTON SAILING CLUB The RS200 year started with the traditional season opener of the Gul Winter Championships at Northampton SC. Also in true tradition an excellent fleet of 44 boats competed in very tight racing producing the closest possible finish. As is also tradition now Northampton SC proved yet again to be very friendly hosts and organised the sailing very well. The RS classes have now held so many events at Northampton because the club makes life so easy for competitors. Windguru was not over optimistic for the weekend so it was with much relief that the competitors and race team found a respectable 9/10 knots from the North West for the first race at 12.00 in pretty mild temperatures. Current Gul RS200 National Champion Roger Gilbert/Jane Willan in a brand new boat straight out of the wrapper seemed to have stamped his authority on the fleet right from the start to win from Geoff Carveth/Katy Nichol and James Stewart/Toby Lewis in another new boat. In race 2 visiting Lark stars Steve Cumley/Eluned Jones got a majestic port flyer on a crazy starboard biased start line to jump into a good lead. Carveth/Nichol slowly eroded this advantage to gain a race winning lead on the final beat ahead of Cumley/Jones with an old RS face Eddie Whitehead crewed by Noelle Vidal making a welcome come back in third. Gilbert/Willian won the third race from Budworth’s Graham Tinsley/Becky Partridge and Stewart/Lewis. Sunday and the wind was due north around 7/8 knots for the 10.00 start. Colin Smith/Rachael Williamson really had found forward gear and won the first two races. Carveth/Nichol and Gilbert/Willan both scored 2.4. Caroline Martin/Charlotte Cotter built on an excellent first day at their first big RS200 event with a third place along with the very consistent Stewart/Lewis. Over the lunch break for club racing competitors digested how close the scores on the doors were. Gilbert/Willan were one point clear of Carveth/Willan, Smith/Williamson/Stewart/Lewis were tied on points for third overall as were the leading boats in the bronze division. With all to play for the wind did not help shifting to the east, dropping to 4-6 knots and then shifting back to the north in the start sequence. Carveth really won the fight for the pin end on the very biased line to lead from the start with Gilbert around tenth. On a one sided course it did not look good for Gilbert but as the race team worked hard to shift buoys as the race progressed to produce a true course Gilbert pulled through to eventually finish second behind Carveth. This left the two leading boats tied on points with the same number of firsts, seconds and fourths. Carveth/Nichol won the Gul RS200 Winter Championships as a result of winning the last race. I cannot help feeling these two could be having equally close finishes during the rest of the season. Tinsley/Partridge won the silver division from Roger Tait/Georgie Hill and Whitehead/Vidal. The tight fight for the bronze division went in favour of Richard Neall/Sara Terry who produced an excellent sixth place in the last race to beat John Gill/Judy Faulds by two points with Steve Cooper/Anna Row third. The RS200 Fat Race Racing Circuit kicks off in a month’s time with the first event at the West Country’s finest Bristol Corinthian YC on March 17/18. It will be big and a lot of fun. Pete Vincent.