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Rooster 2025

Noble Marine Rooster RS400 National Championships at East Lothian Yacht Club - Day 2

by Alan Mclean / Martin Booth 10 Aug 2022 13:03 BST
Martin Booth and Alan Mclean consult the tactics book © Steve Fraser

While the rockstars were smashing it at the front of the fleet the real excitement was to found in bitterly fought battles in the Bronze fleet between 30th and 35th places.

Totally baffled by the excellent tactics talk by Jim Sinclair your correspondent and his helm headed out with dreams of glory to be shattered once again by the RS gods.

Big kudos to the marvellous ELYC team who helped launch us into R3 and R4 of the national series. Kite up, sweet westerly winds, sun and the mighty Bass Rock provided a superb backdrop to our first capsize on the way to the start due to user error. Damp but unbowed we arrived at the line with five minutes to spare and a desire to dominate the bottom third of the bronze fleet, by any means necessary.

Following the start script to the letter we were pushed off the line by the big boys and bobbed across in last place. Things could and did only get better as we headed right into wind (and tide) and pulled back half a dozen places at the first windward mark.

Many thanks to Mike and Alan in 1294 for their entertaining capsize at the spreader ensuring another place gained for us. They enjoyed it so much they had another capsize in R4. Hester and Richard (1148) and Andy and Robert (Pink Panther 1521) provided close racing over the three legs. The third race finished on a close reach in champagne sailing and we were elated to make 29th place.

The committee started the fourth race promptly, sticking the knife into Hester and Richard by interrupting their nice quiet lunch and ensuring they were two minutes late for the start. It didn't stop them gaining ten places and finishing 25th overall.

Dropping wind compressed the fleet at the first mark and we caught the silver fleet who tried to look cool and pretended to welcome us. It was nice to sit in the middle of the fleet for a change.

On the second reach we found small corridor of brisk wind and enjoyed a vastly entertaining screaming port tack reach through the grown-ups on starboard who seemed very upset. Someone threatened a protest so we threw in a 360 which lost us about five places but racing remained tight to the end with a glorious victory over Doug and Bruce in 1195 who had snatched a place from us the previous day.

The ELYC beach team provided muscle to bring us up the sand. A fabulous day's racing by the oldest boat in the fleet and looking forward to more tomorrow.

Results after day 2:

PosFleetSail NoHelmCrewClubR1R2R3R4Pts
1stGold1376Sam KnightChris BownesBartley Sc211‑94
2ndGold1528Christopher EamesRachel TilleyQMSC12‑325
3rdGold1515Steve CockerillSarah CockerillStokes Bay Sailing Club39(OCS)113
4thGold1449Jamie CalderKeith BedboroughDalgety Bay Sailing Club4‑64513
5thGold1463Stewart RobertsonSarah RobertsonRoyal Forth YC‑655616
6thGold1502Jon HeissigNicky GriffinLlangorse SC‑1082818
7thGold1523Neil McLellanHannah RobertsonDBSC(RET)314320
8thSilver1319Brendan LynchThomas GoodmanEast Lothian YC9‑128421
9thGold1398Philip MurrayNeil SchofieldTynemouth SC84‑161022
10thSilver1410Jacob AinsworthKayleigh RobertsTynemouth5711‑1623
11thGold1511Hamish GledhillRoss SouthwellWest Riding Sailing Club(DNC)106723
12thGold1522John MacKenzieAndy BoxDalgety Bay Sailing Club‑1811101132
13thSilver1370Peter TaylorRuary WilliamsonDalgety Bay SC713‑181434
14thGold1491Jon GayAmanda HendersonLochaber11‑15131236
15thSilver1316Mike SaulOliver KentYorkshire dales SC14187‑2339
16thSilver768Angus MarshallEllen ClarkDBSC12‑17121539
17thSilver844Ronald MillarFraser MulfordRoyal Forth YC16169‑1941
18thBronze1311Michael GorzkowskiSam RoomQueen Mary SC131415‑1742
19thSilver968Kevan GibbRoo PurvesLargo Bay SC1521(DNC)1349
20thSilver1460Charlie ExleyDave ExleyLeigh and Lowton SC171917‑2053
21stSilver1073Jamie RogersNeil McLarenHLSc‑2222221862
22ndSilver1467Martin SpencerVanessa EvansLeigh and Lowton SC21‑25192262
23rdBronze1435Matt SheahanEllie SheahanWarsash sc202420‑2964
24thSilver1345John WilsonLaura GloverEast Lothian YC‑3020232164
25thBronze612Rory FerrierBenEast Lothian YC19‑27212666
26thBronze1521Andy PowellRobert BaileyWarsash2523(OCS)2472
27thBronze877William FindlayTom McMeekinStrangford Sailing Club23‑31242774
28thSilver1427Carl WhiteheadCarol MilnerFiley S C2426‑282878
29thBronze1195Doug Laurie‑PieBruce MillarEast Lothian YC282825‑3181
30thBronze1148Hester RobertsonRichard HopeDalgety Bay Sailing Club27‑32302582
31stBronze1445Phil BrittonMichael AtkinsonRoyal Findhorn YC263026‑3482
32ndBronze370Martin BoothAlan McleanRFYC‑3129293088
33rdBronze1252Emma PalmerMichael WilkinsonDBSC33‑35273393
34thBronze1294Mike GrantAlan BirseLargs SC293332‑3594
35thBronze762Paul McMeekinJane McMeekinStrangford Sailing Club32‑34313295

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