RS800 Nationals final - Sea breezes like that just down the coast

by David Hivey on 13 Aug 2013 I don't think the RS800 fleet could have wished for better conditions for a National Championships. Champagne sailing and twin wiring every day. Eastbourne Sovereign Sailing Club ddi them selves proud and put on an excellent event for us. Why anyone races on the solent when you get sea breezes like that just down the coast I do not know!!!

Going into the last day James Date and Toby Wincer had a good lead cemented by their consistency all week an only needed one top three result with Roger Philips and Will Crocker or David Hivey and Rob Partridge not winning all three races. A tall order. But there were three races and with the nature of the boat anything.

In the first race to add some tension Roger and Will duly won and James and Toby came fourth meaning that they just needed to ensure that Roger/Will did not win one of the remaining races.

A luffing match on the start line of race two actually managed to kill two birds with one stone. Blocking Roger/Roger and Dave and Rob at the starboard end of the start line for a few precious seconds. Laurie Fitzjohn-Sykes and Daniel Allen also cot caught up in the mess, capsizing and not managing to better the second they got in the previous race.

With Roger/Will only managing to catch up to 10th. And James/Toby showing their superior boat speed and handling to catch up to win the race (on a very one track race course)! They were deserved winners of the event with a race to spare. Andy Jefferies and Chris Fibush finished Second with Dave/Rob pulling back though the fleet to third.

Tim Saxton and Jonathon Clegg still had an outside chance of a podium in the last race and duly stamped their authority on the race by showing great speed to hit the right side of the race course and amass a great lead by the first windward mark. This meant that Dave/Rob had to finish seventh to hold third over all. They were having a great race with Will and Roger, and just managed to sneak seventh to take the last spot on the podium by just one point. James/Toby finished second again with Laurie/Dan consolidating their good day to finish third.

So overall James Date and Toby Lewis (Sponsored by RWO) secured the title after a ten year wait. We all believe the Bart sticker they had on the back of their boat sent some help down from above as well! RogerPhillips and Will Crocker finished in a deserved second and David Hivey with Robert Partridge finished off the podium.

The event was a great success and with 48 boats it was brilliant for the class. We will be running some RS800 coaching over the Autumn / Winter where you can be coached in your boat or jump in with one of the top 10 sailors in the country (so won't need your own boat). If you think you would be interested in joining in, then email David Hivey at hiveydw@hotmail.com for more details. Twin wiring flat out in 20 knots is something we should all do at some point in our sailing!

http://www.sailing-at-eastbourne.co.uk/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=178:rs800-2013-national-results&catid=43:club-results&Itemid=144!Click_here for full results