Magic Marine RS800 Grand Prix 3 at Eastbourne Sovereign Sailing Club

RS800s at Eastbourne © Ben Daigneault

RS800s at Eastbourne © Ben Daigneault

The RS800 fleet moved to Eastbourne Sovereign Sailing Club for round three of their 2015 Magic Marine Grand Prix series over the weekend of May 9th and 10th. As usual, the welcome and hospitality from this jewel of a sailing club was impeccable, with every available club member doing their bit, from the bar and galley volunteers to the beach gang, safety crew and the all-important race team, led by Gary Smith.

Saturday's forecast hadn't been promising, but it proved to be accurate and with gusts of 30 knots+ and the promise of better conditions on Sunday, the race officer wisely postponed for the day. The early decision allowed the competitors to pursue other activities for the afternoon before reconvening back at the club to enjoy the wonderful food with entertainment provided by excellent local band, Shallow Orange.

Four races were scheduled for Sunday and with the big breezes having blown through, the fleet was left with an 8-10 knot south-westerly across the course, due to back south and the faint possibility of the infamous 'Eastbourne Doctor'.

After a short delay while the breeze settled the fleet got away in marginal twin-wire conditions and it was the emergent team of Phil Walker and John Mather who showed blistering pace, pulling away from the pack to round the windward with a clear lead never to be challenged to the finish. The best of the rest were Pete Barton and Chris Feibusch who were chased hard to the line by Andy and Ally Jeffries.

Slightly more chop and stronger tide increased the challenge for the second race. Phil Walker and John Mather once again pulled away, holding a comfortable lead to the finish ahead of some incredibly tight nip and tuck racing among the chasing pack. This time it was Hugh Shone and Class Chairperson, Hannah Tattersall, who kept cool heads to take second from Pete Barton and Chris Feibusch finishing in third by the narrowest of margins from Matt Humphreys and Amy Cartwright.

In similar conditions it was Hugh Shone and Hannah Tattersall who pulled into a clear lead in race three, which they held until the finish to give them second overall on count back from Pete Barton and Chris Feibusch, with equal points, but crucially, behind in the final race. After a close battle in the dying breeze, Phil Walker and John Mather snatched fourth, good enough to give them the overall win with a one point advantage.

Unfortunately the Eastbourne Doctor never showed up and in the dying breeze, the race officer made the sensible decision to send the fleet ashore.

Frequently there or thereabouts in 2014 sailing with a pin head main, Phil Walker and John Mather have found another gear this year with their square top and are rapidly become a team to watch out for. Also noted was their enthusiasm in the bar on Saturday night, having clearly caught on that the fastest 800 sailors have traditionally been the last ones in the bar!

All in all another excellent weekend for the 800 fleet, with thanks to Eastbourne Sovereign Sailing Club for playing fantastic hosts and the experienced and competent race team managing to make the best of the conditions.

Ben Daigneault videos of the racing can be found here.

Overall results can be found here (PDF format).

Your next event is the RS800 Southern Championship at Parkstone YC 20-21 June. Online entry is now open. All the event information is on the RS800 Class Association event page.