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

by Jacob Ainsworth 16 Aug 2022 13:41 BST 8-13 August 2022
Noble Marine Rooster RS400 Nationals day 5 © Anne Ainsworth

Thursday Evening ended with an excellent championship dinner and a traditional Scottish knees up to follow. This may have left a few weary heads on Friday morning!

Going into the final day of the national championships Christopher Eames and Rachel Tilley were sat in the hot seat, however with the prospect of the crucial eighth race bringing in the second discard meant a number of teams were still in with a shout of taking the title.

Sailors were greeted on Friday morning to the Haar (sea fret) which led to a postponement. Many whispers around the dinghy park suggested that we may not be going sailing today, or was that more down to the fact that the committee boat was left moored high and dry on the hard with the tide out... The standout duckhams nomination of the week!

After around an hour postponement the haar lifted and we were given the green light to launch into a light North easterly breeze. The first race got under way first time and as sailors progressed up the first beat, those sailors who favored the left hand side were rewarded with a large left hand shift lifting them to the windward mark in a ripping flood tide making it somewhat difficult to lay the mark from the starboard lay line as it felt like you were constantly getting sucked down to leeward.

Angus Marshall and Ellen Clark led for the final two laps of the race whilst being cheered on their fellow sailors only to have it cruelly snatched from them on the final gybe to the line by the Robertsons! Angus and Ellen took second place followed by an excellent third by Ronald Millar and Fraser Mulford.

Race 9 got under way under a black flag after a general recall and it again seemed to pay to go left up the beat which created a hectic game of chicken sailing down the port hand lay line against the boats coming the other way down towards the spreader mark.

After three laps in a shifty and puffy wind it was Sam Knight and Chris Bownes who took the bullet from Jon Gay and Amanda Henderson with Jamie Calder and Keith Bedborough coming through in third.

This then left Sam and Chris 5 points behind Chris and Rachel with the potential of one race remaining in the series, however only 15 minutes from the cut off time for the final race... DRAMA!

As the final race went into sequence, there was a 20 degree right hand shift which led to the start being postponed as the course was frantically re-layed. The race eventually got under way with only 3 minutes left before the cut off.

As with the previous two races, there were some big shifts and pressure differential across the course making for what I imagine would be quite a stressful race if you were challenging for the top.

Sam and Chris did all they could by winning the race, as they looked back to count positions between themselves and Christopher and Rachel, they had done enough to snatch victory! The Robertsons crossed in second followed by Jamie Calder and Keith Bedborough who both had a solid day of results.

After a challenging day on the water, Christopher and Rachel came through to take a well-earned second overall in one of the tightest finishes to a Nationals that we have seen in many years. Jamie Calder and Keith Bedborough finished an impressive third overall in what was their first RS400 nationals together.

At the prize-giving Sam thanked all the volunteers at East Lothian Yacht club who have put on an outstanding Nationals on and off the water whilst also thanking his crew Chris and his family for allowing him to devote so much time to their sailing this year.

It's safe to say that Sam and Chris are worthy winners this year as they showed consistent form right through the wind range. See you at Mount's Bay next year (31st July-4th August)!

Overall Results:

First Silver Fleet: Roo Purves & Callum Gibb, Largo Bay SC
First Bronze Fleet: Rory Ferrier & Ben, East Lothian YC
First Lady Helm: Hester Robertson
First Lady Crew: Rachel Tilley
First Youth: Roo Purves
First Grand Master and First Master: Stewart & Sarah Robertson
Winner of Loving Cup: Christopher Eames & Rachel Tilley
Endeavour prize: Mike Grant & Alan Birse

PosFleetSail noHelmCrewClubR1R2R3R4R5R6R7R8R9R10Pts
1stGold1376Sam KnightChris BownesBartley Sc211‑9(UFD)3671122
2ndGold1528Christopher EamesRachel TilleyQMSC1232‑1512‑2051127
3rdGold1449Jamie CalderKeith BedboroughDalgety Bay4‑645253‑173329
4thGold1463Stewart RobertsonSarah RobertsonRoyal Forth YC‑65563‑13516233
5thGold1515Steve CockerillSarah CockerillStokes Bay39(OCS)1147‑114534
6thGold1502Jon HeissigNicky GriffinLlangorse SC108284‑169‑1371260
7thGold1491Jon GayAmanda HendersonLochaber11‑1513129(BFD)462764
8thGold1511Hamish GledhillRoss SouthwellWest Riding(DNC)1067(UFD)68129967
9thSilver968Roo PurvesCallum GibbLargo Bay SC15‑20(DNC)13571188875
10thGold1398Philip MurrayNeil SchofieldTynemouth SC84‑1610168154(BFD)1075
11thSilver1319Brendan LynchThomas GoodmanEast Lothian YC912841011148‑15‑1776
12thGold1523Neil McLellanHannah RobertsonDBSC(RET)314312(BFD)121417479
13thSilver1316Mike SaulOliver KentYorkshire dales SC14187‑22112115‑201482
14thSilver844Ronald MillarFraser MulfordRoyal Forth YC16169‑19712193(BFD)1597
15thSilver1460Charlie ExleyDave ExleyLeigh and Lowton SC17‑1917‑2069131911698
16thSilver768Angus MarshallEllen ClarkDBSC121712151715‑292‑2316106
17thSilver1410Jacob AinsworthKayleigh RobertsTynemouth5711161920‑23‑221222112
18thGold1522John MacKenzieAndy BoxDalgety Bay1811101113‑22171519‑26114
19thSilver1370Peter TaylorRuary WilliamsonDalgety Bay SC71318141821‑27‑251021122
20thBronze612Rory FerrierBenEast Lothian YC19‑2621‑2514141691319125
21stBronze1311Michael GorzkowskiSam RoomQueen Mary SC13141517201722‑27‑2618136
22ndSilver1467Martin SpencerVanessa EvansLeigh and Lowton SC‑21‑241921211810101820137
23rdSilver1483John WilsonLaura GloverEast Lothian YC(DNC)(DNC)DNCDNC81024261413167
24thSilver1073Jamie RogersNeil McLarenHLSc2221221822232621‑28‑27175
25thBronze877William FindlayTom McMeekinStrangford23‑302326‑302818162424182
26thBronze1148Hester RobertsonRichard HopeDalgety Bay27‑31‑2924242521241628189
27thBronze1435Matt SheahanEllie SheahanWarsash sc2023202825242828‑30‑29196
28thSilver1427Carl WhiteheadCarol MilnerFiley S C2425‑2727271925‑332525197
29thBronze762Paul McMeekinJane McMeekinStrangford‑31‑333031233020292223208
30thBronze1521Andy PowellRobert BaileyWarsash2522(OCS)23‑332930322730218
31stBronze1252Emma PalmerMichael WilkinsonDBSC32‑3426322927‑33302131228
32ndBronze1195Doug Laurie‑PieBruce MillarEast Lothian YC282724302626(DNC)(DNC)DNCDNC233
33rdBronze1445Phil BrittonMichael AtkinsonRoyal Findhorn YC262925333131‑34‑342932236
34thBronze370Martin BoothAlan McleanRFYC3028282928‑33323131‑34237
35thBronze1294Mike GrantAlan BirseLargs SC293231‑343232312332‑33242

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