4000 Inland Championship at Rutland Sailing Club

Yet again Rutland served up champagne conditions for the final series event of the year, with 11 boats attending including regulars, newcomers and returners to the fleet.

Saturday's racing got underway in a freshening Force 4 with some big gusts coming down the race course. From the outset racing was tight, with Steve and Alex and John and Fran leading the pack in race 1. Meanwhile Neil and Jo were pushing up through the fleet, and with John and Fran suffering kicker failure on lap 3 of 4, they came through to take second after Steve and Alex's first. David and Matt took third with Trevor and Adrien from Belgium taking fourth.

Neil and Jo took first in race 2, just in front of Steve and Alex with David and Matt in third again. A little bit further back in the fleet there was a fair degree of place-changing going on, and although Richard and Jo held onto their fifth, Martin and Tom pushed up into a strong sixth place.

4000 Inlands at Rutland - photo © David Wilkins

Race 3 saw John and Fran back in the game, taking second to Steve and Alex's first. Elsewhere in the fleet Richard and Jo scored their third fifth of the day (full marks for consistency), whilst Jason and Andy, and Alan and Will were undoubtedly getting faster.

Post curry, beer and sleep, Sunday took a while to deliver the promised Force 4+ and sunshine, this eventually arriving in the middle of the day.

The first race of the day got underway in slightly lighter conditions that saw John and Fran take first over Steve and Alex, with Tim and Harry behind in third. This race and the start of the second were characterised by very localised gusts running down the lake that created some interesting racing and big place changes. Things were beginning to settle by halfway through race 5, and both Trevor and Adrien and Alex and Charlotte upped their pace finishing second and third behind another first from Steve and Alex.

4000 Inlands at Rutland - photo © David Wilkins

By race 6 Steve and Alex had the event sewn up, but Neil and Jo needed to finish strongly to keep second. In response they pulled out a big lead on the first lap, only to see this eroded by John and Fran and Trevor and Adrien. However, third secured them second overall with Trevor and Adrien taking a well-earned overall third (especially after a trapeze harness fail on Saturday!). Fourth went to John and Fran, coming back strongly after losing two races to gear failure on Saturday, with fifth taken by David and Matt.

As another enjoyable series comes to a close we can look back on some great racing in the UK and France, and look forward to another strong series to come in 2018 with highlights to include the Europeans at Lake Como and joining the French fleet for their Nationals in Brittany, as well, of course, as the UK series.

You'll be pushed to find another high-performance boat that can be bought in championship winning condition for less than £2,000, has a circuit in three countries and has a fleet this friendly – what are you waiting for!

Overall Results: