RS Feva GKO Grand Prix - Season finale

by Debbie Darling on 5 Jul 2010

RS Feva GKO Grand Prix season finale at Royal Torbay YC on 3-4 July.

Royal Torbay set up the most incredible finale to the seasons GKO Grand Prix circuit. Saturday was almost med-like with 12kt up to periods of 19kts in race 2 and back down to 14kts by the end. Sunday was more Brit-like – sunny spells but a thumping 22kts average at the start rising to a sustained 24kts with dash more thrown in during the gusts. For the less experienced it was a baptism of fire, for the experienced it became attritional with only 18 finishers. Those who got their kites up – most at some stage or other needed medical attention to have the excess adrenaline drained off.

Owen Bowerman/Charlie Darling (HISC) took pole position after Saturdays racing but it wasn’t entirely one sided. It was a narrow lead over Rob and Emma Loveridge (Draycote) in second and the Mateo’s – Pilati and Saccarola from Venice – yes, Italy (there were two boats from Venice and one from Lake Iseo –the next one west of Garda, competing !). Ruth and Tess Allan (Emsworth) weren’t getting dropped off the pace to easily either and the superb Torquay Toreadors were breathing down everyone else’s necks. Sunday was set for a shootout – and so it was.

The forecast for was for plenty of adrenaline from the SW. It was wrong – there was more than plenty! Owen Bowerman/Charlie Darling showed that they had mastered a bit of a breeze but sadly I think that it was black flag that did for them in the first of the days races. Only two were possible as it turned out. Rob and Emma Loveridge got to both first windward marks in the leading group and then lit the bay up. At appropriate moments they kept the bow up and just shot away. Superb kite work blasted them into the lead which they didn’t relinquish in either of the days races.

Ruth and Tess Allan surely got teamwork and performance of the day (ignoring the rather speedy Loveridges here just for effect) – having broken a shroud they got a team of 6 parents working in perfect harmony to get them afloat again less time than it takes a lamb to shake it’s tail. Two and a half minutes late for the start but still pinged in at 11th. Cool. Adam and Lisa Kay (Warsash) showed superb control when all around them were water sampling to claim second in the denouement. Jovian Short/James Barlow led the trio of Torquay Toreadors home after a superbly consistent series in sixth overall whilst the other two in the top ten were the marvelously inconsistent (18,1,13,3,41 – see what I mean!) but brilliant Morgan Peach/Herbie Harford in ninth whilst in eighth were rockstar Ben Binmore and guest rockstar Will Acres.

The Matteos had a torrid final day but still nailed fourth down whilst the irrepressible Emily Peters/Alice Masterman secured seventh (second HISC in top 10) whilst Hugo Tucker/Tim Collino were good value in the breeze for tenth (second Emsworth).
Spot prizes went to birthday girls (Sarah Hussey), the only seven year old in the fleet, the newest pairing from N Wales to come to a GP (Becca Morris and Ed Shelley – a gentle warm up prior to getting serious!). This event was the last of the GKO GP Circuit ( the series runs Sept to Sept ). In a tie break situation it was decided that the trophy would be shared and so the sibling teams of Ruth and Tess Allan alond with Rob and Emma Loveridge share the GKO Circuit title.

Adrian Peach and the marvellous members of the Royal Torbay deserve enormous credit for what they have done over the last two years and this w/e in particular. Thank you. And of course to GKO for the generous support in straightened times. Thank you all.

Results:

Series Place	Sail No	Helm	Crew		Series Points	Race 1	Race 2	Race 3	Race 4	Race 5
1	GBR3811	Robert LOVERIDGE	Emma LOVERIDGE	Draycote Water SC	6	1	8	3	1	1
2	GBR3105	Owen BOWERMAN	Charlie DARLING	Hayling Island SC	12	2	5	2	41	3
3	GBR2600	Ruth ALLAN	Tess ALLAN	Emsworth SC	19	5	6	4	11	4
4	ITA6	Matteo PILATI	Matteo SACCAROLA	Compagnia della Vela Venezia	21	3	11	1	6	16
5	GBR2587	Adam KAY	Lisa KAY	Warsash SC	23	6	10	7	8	2
6	GBR1250	Jovian SHORT	James BARLOW	Royal Torbay YC	23	10	3	6	9	5
7	GBR3184	Emily PETERS	Alice MASTERMAN	Hayling Island SC	26	12	2	8	4	41
8	GBR576	Ben BINMORE	Will ACRES	Royal Torbay YC	27	13	14	5	2	7
9	GBR3066	Morgan PEACH	Herbie HARFORD	Royal Torbay YC	35	18	1	13	3	41
10	GBR3458	Hugo TUCKER	Tim COLLINO	Emsworth SC	41	8	21	11	16	6
11	GBR2617	Jacob BARNETT	Andrew BRIERLEY	Royal Torbay YC	43	20	12	15	7	9
12	ITA3	Davide CHINCOLI	Mattia CHINCOLI	Associazione Nautica Sebina	44	4	20	16	12	12
13	GBR3818	Anna PRESCOTT	Jess EALES	Lymington Town SC	46	24	9	12	10	15
14	GBR2744	Lucy PRATT	Alex TALBOT	Sutton Bingham SC	63	22	18	14	17	14
15	GBR3120	Vikki PAYNE	Stephi ORTON	Emsworth SC / Chichester YC	64	9	41	9	5	41
16	GBR3547	Cathy LEAR	Andy LEAR	Oakham School / Rutland SC	65	7	7	10	41	41
17	GBR870	Joe WINBUSH	Jamie PEARSON	Draycote Water SC	65	17	24	17	13	18
18	GBR2741	Fredrick CLEARY	Charlie RIDOUT	Sutton Bingham SC	68	21	19	19	19	11
19	GBR2012	Phoebe WARREN	Tabatha PEEL	Emsworth SC	72	34	22	24	18	8
20	GBR3792	Rebecca MORRIS	Ed SHELLEY	Shropshire SC / South Caernarvonshire YC	78	30	15	18	15	41
21	GBR3424	Imogen SCOTT	Courtney BILBROUGH	Docklands SWSC	83	23	13	26	21	41
22	GBR121	Hannah MAYCOCK	Tom MAYCOCK	Draycote Water SC	88	38	30	22	26	10
23	GBR3815	Molly GILBERT	Mollie LIPPETT	Emsworth SC	88	33	31	30	14	13
24	GBR3788	Tom MITCHELL	Oliver SCOTT	Docklands SWSC	90	19	27	20	24	41
25	GBR1525	Oliver WRIGHT	Finley BOON	Royal Torbay YC	93	27	4	21	41	41
26	GBR3672	Sarah HUSSEY	Emma BARNETT	Royal Torbay YC	94	11	17	25	41	41
27	GBR2046	Matt HILL	Katy PRESCOTT	Burghfield SC	97	28	23	23	23	41
28	GBR3182	Erin CLARKE	Esme JONES	Royal Torbay YC	101	16	16	28	41	41
29	GBR2936	Jack HAWKES-SMITH	Harry ASHWORTH	Royal Torbay YC	104	32	33	41	22	17
30	GBR3003	Sophie CASSELDINE	Jess SCOURFIELD	Royal Torbay YC	110	15	25	29	41	41
31	ITA7	Tommaso CUNIBERTI	Liv CUNIBERTI	Compagnia della Vela Venezia	112	26	34	27	25	41
32	GBR1140	Finbar PRESTON	Oliver CUTBILL	Emsworth SC / Hayling Island SC	118	25	32	41	20	41
33	GBR843	Cameron WEBBER	Joseph FENWICK	Hill Head SC / Thornbury SC	133	35	26	31	41	41
34	GBR1641	Luke MCDERMOTT	Hannah HARVEY TROTT	Royal Torbay YC	133	36	29	41	27	41
35	GBR2508	Jack MARTIN	Rob MCPHERSON	Restronguet	137	14	41	41	41	41
36	GBR3341	Ben OLIVER	Tom OLIVER	Calshot SC	141	31	28	41	41	41
37	GBR261	Alice RUMBELOW	Pheobe JONES	Royal Torbay YC	143	29	41	32	41	41
38	GBR384	Max HAMLET	Michael HOLDEN	Shaldon SC	160	37	41	41	41	41
39	GBR2215	Max GRIGGS	Cody GRIGGS	Royal Torbay YC	162	39	41	41	41	41
40	GBR3940	Caitlin MUCKAIN	Josh Bedford	Royal Torbay YC	164	41	41	41	41	41