RS Feva Sekonda Nationals Day 3 - Tightest finish in years

by Bill Tucker on 2 Jun 2010 RS Feva Sekonda Nationals, Day three report from Hayling Island SC.

The Final day dawned sunny and much windier than forecast. Sadly the clouds came in and the idea of a good thermal breeze was well squashed. But would it die before it let three races be run? This was important as three races were needed to get any discard from the Final Series Gold and Silver Fleet racing.

The wind proved to be quite shifty and there was some over eagerness on the line causing more time to be swallowed up. Bev Moss’s (PRO) nerves must have been as shredded as those of the leading contenders going into the final day. Different reasons off course but just as vital. Rob and James came into the day on 15 points and something special was needed to salvage this one. Queue the mood music...

There was this whooshing noise as the two from Burghfield and Wraysbury Lake sent up plumes of spray as they disappeared over the horizon. OK, well not quite plumes but it was pretty much a horizon job. After that first race smart money was still on Tim & Jack Johnson as they had added a second to their hold over score of two from the qualifying series. Q’series winners Rob and Emma Loveridge had a tough 11th so still in the hunt but now hunting rather than being hunted. Jack and Milli Parkin continued to show impressive form by adding a fifth to their second the carried over 11th. Jack Hawkins and Chris Thomas added a sixth to their fifth and were also right in there. Meanwhile Marshall and Robbie King were still needing that good result after being slightly off the pace in 12th to add to the third.

Next race was softer but still fair going. Baddeley and Taylor were ‘slow’ to the top mark. They knew they needed to nail some more places to get to the podium. Those ahead opened the door by going to high on the reach to the outer loop. No smaller invitation was ever more gratefully received. It turned out to be the Championship winning move. Score another first but ever so much closer. Score 17pts.

Could anyone pip the two chargers? Jack and Milli Parkin got second so made it close with 19. Ruth and Tess Allan came third – total only 29 though so out of the overall choccies due to a hard won 19th in the previous race. Still leading girls though. That made a big difference to Marshall and Robbie though as their fourth gave a total 19 and behind the Parkins on countback so far. Fifth was a brilliant Robert Masterman and Suzy Peters who had scraped into gold in the last available place! So,so tough though (is that allowed to have those two words so close together?) on Team Kernow as integral parts Jack Hawkins and Chris Thomas were sixth – total 17 and behind Robert and James on countback. Still, one more race to go and that could throw something very different as discards would also close in...

But that is when it got even tougher on the Silver Fleet. With such hot racers having failed o make the cut this was a very serious competition to win. Will Acres and Ed Bowman were closing in on win in the second race of the day to take the lead in the series. Got agonising close to the finish line in the failing wind but never quite made it. Abandoned for the poor sods leaving them still seventh. Gutted.

So both fleets were sent ashore and racing was wrapped up. In the Gold Fleet it took a tie break to separate Robert Baddeley and James Taylor from Jack Hawkins and Chris Thomas. It also took a tie break to separate third and fourth with Jack and Milli Parkin taking it from Marshal and Robbie King. When results are studied it is normal for consistency to win. By those criteria Team Kernow should have had it. The only boat to have scored everything under sixth and indeed all top ten results. Everybody else had at least one pants result. But that was to reckon without final day brilliance.

Unfortunately there was a scoring issue that didn’t come to final resolution until after the Prize giving. I felt for Tom Mitchell and Oliver Scott from Docklands SC as it was genuinely believed that they had scored an amazing win in the Silver Fleet. Sadly it turned out that there had been an error with recorded result miss-corrected. They would have been wonderful winners ... weren’t on this occasion. The next time!

Other choccies were won as follows:

Best RYA region for the Anemoi Regional Challenge : South Zone (Baddeley/Taylor; William and Piers Nicholls; Emily Peters/Alice Masterman) Results couldn’t include any RYA NJS boats.

LDC/RS Racing Trophy for the Interclub Challenge: HISC (Jack & Milli Parkin; William and Piers Nicholls; Owen Bowerman/Charlie Darling)

Family: First Jack and Milli Parkin; Second Marshall and Robbie King; Third Tim and Jack Johnson

Silver Fleet: First Harry Bowerman and George Thompson; Second Barnaby Blackstone and Ben Moverly-Smith; Third Cameron and Steph Webber (with apologies to those who didn’t get the acclaim they deserved)

National Junior Champion (Helm and Crew under 13 on first day of event): First Owen Bowerman and Charlie Darling; Second Jemima Lawson and Jenny Cropley; Third Hugo Andrews and Hannah Muskett

National Boys Champions (Both Male and 17 or under on first day of event): First Robert Baddeley and James Taylor; Second Jack Hawkins and Chris Thomas; Third Morgan Peach and Herbie Harford

National Ladies Champions (Both female and under 17 on first day of event): First Ruth and Tess Allan, Second Cathy Lear and Francine Counsell, Third Emily Peters and Alice Masterman

Overall: Sixth Ruth and Tess Allan, Fifth Tim and Jack Johnson, Fourth Marshall and Robbie King, Third Jack and Milli Parkin, Second Jack Hawkins and Chris Thomas

Overall, National, Youth & Boys Champions: Robert Baddeley & James Taylor.

So the other awards: The Black Bin Bag award went to Matt Whitfield and Gareth Viner for having the most consistent series of anyone – four black flags out of five races! Oh and yes, he won the other one. The real award was one of five sets of generous English Braid full set of top quality Feva Ropes. Another of these sets of ropes went to Enrico Maccaferri and Matteo Soccarola who won the top overseas performance (Italy and 17th as you ask) X. Rob & Emma Loveridge also won a rope kit prize as Q’ series winners as did the Boys & Ladies Champions. Many thanks to English Braid for those prizes.

So much more to tell but you’ll have to look on the blog for all that. So thanks to Penny Carter for the superb on the water judging and protest hearing (plus two ashore! Roger and Hugo), Dave Nicholls for keeping everyone safe (plus a heavenly host of helpers), the registration ladies, Tally keepers, and HISC as all round wonderful hosts and organisers.

Full results can be found !http://webjam-upload.s3.amazonaws.com/2010_fevanats_finalv1___778fef154b814c24b9eb9125e39325cc__25__.htm Here.

Sekonda we couldn’t do without of course and this was their fourth year with us – we much appreciate such long term, loyal sponsorship particularly in this last year or so!

I know that not all helpers got a full thank you at the prize-giving and I apologise for that. Finger trouble on the thank you list was to blame. Hope you all enjoyed it and can warm the cockles of your hearts in the knowledge you all made this superb event possible. Thank You!!