Fireball's in Kenya
Thursday February 27th 2003, Author: Andy Nicholson, Location: United Kingdom
Sorry for the delay in the news from the Fireball World Championships, Kenya's server's are not particularly reliable.
We have now had a further four races held in the lightest conditions so far. Winds were down at 8-10 knots in a blistering heat (42C in the direct sun). This makes the runs particluarly hot.
After losing our request for redress following our black flag in race 4, we were very nervous in Tuesday's races, but conservative starts with good upwind speed in the light, choppy conditions gave us an advantage over the fleet. Sailing with deep, twisted sails, we seem to be able to maintain height and speed on the heavier guys who are closest on points.
We are over-the-moon to have been able to get to the second discard cut (after the eighth race) without needing another drop. Good upwind speed and consolidating offwind has given us a further four wins and on the last day, we only need an 11th in one of the two races to claim the Championships.
Sickness in the fleet has improved with the Mombassa Express seeming to have departed to collect other victims.
Last day tomorrow, hoping for a steady day.
Chips
Race Report
Races 7 and 8 of the Safaricom World Fireball Sailing Championships set off today in light winds again, hovering around 10 knots and low wave height.
Roger Bebbington, crew on the Kenya boat of son Joachim and father Roger, was unable to sail today being laid low by a bout of malaria. He was replaced for the day's racing by another father - Mike Allport, visiting Kilifi to watch his son Rob competing with Don White for Kenya.
Race 7 got off to a good start with no recalls; Rowan and Butler (Ireland) were unlucky enough to have a capsize shortly after the start giving themselves a hard task to catch up again. Alex Bale and his brother Jonathan Bale (GBR) had one of their best races to date, being with the leaders all the way and finishing in a satisfactory 6th place. Watchers of this website probably do not need to be told who was in first place, but Howarth/Townend were chased closely for the first two legs by Malcolm Davies and Fiona Jump who finished a well-deserved 2nd, followed by Wade and Wagstaff at 3rd. The French were held to 4th place taken by Juin and Loyal.
Trundell (KEN) played his customary game of billiards on the first reach after a fairly slow beat, potting the other spinnakers one after another: red, blue, yellow, white, black. As ever he made good work to finish 11th overall and first for Kenya: though one wonders where he would finish if his beating were as good as his reaching.
Race 8 took three starts to get going. The second start was black-flagged and after this was recalled seven boats were sent in for being on the course side: Alex and Jonathan Bale (GBR), McCarthy and McCusker (IRL), Hemmings and Chesney (GBR), Popple and Shore (GBR), Woods and Bush (KEN), Mackenzie and Hall (IRL) and Smyth and Mugan (IRL). The remaining boats got off to a clean start; the top UK boats started to pull clear. Don White and Rob Allport were the first boats for Kenya at the first windward mark but after two reaches were overtaken just before the leeward mark by Trundell and Hime who had had a worse than usual first beat rounding the windward mark second from last. With their fast reaching they caught up many places to finish the race 8 at 17th. White and Allport were second for Kenya in 23rd place.
After Howarth/Townend in top place, Malcolm Davies and Fiona Jump took second place again, twice in the day; Cullen and Tillson were consistent with two 5th places. France's boats were both brilliant and erratic: Juin and Loyal took 4th and 20th; and Mouches/Nouel could not match yesterday's excellent second place, finishing the day with a 21st and a 7th. Kurt Venhoda and Sonia Zaugg were first of the two Swiss boats with 7th and 12th places.
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Helm | Crew | race 1 | race 2 | race 3 | race 4 | race 5 | race 6 | race 7 | race 8 | disc | final |
| 1 | GBR | Chips Howarth | Vyv Townend | 1 | 1 | 1 | BFD/39 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 40 | 6 |
| 2 | GBR | Dave Wade | Richard Wagstaff | 3 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 9 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 15 | 16 |
| 3 | GBR | Vincent Horey | Jim Turner | 6 | 4 | BFD/39 | 5 | 2 | 9 | 8 | 4 | 48 | 29 |
| 4 | GBR | Paul Cullen | Gavin Tillson | 9 | 6 | 2 | 9 | 18 | 3 | 5 | 5 | 27 | 30 |
| 5 | FRA | Franck Juin | Bertrand Loyal | 7 | 7 | 9 | 3 | 5 | 10 | 4 | 20 | 30 | 35 |
| 6 | GBR | Angus Hemmings | Steve Chesney | 5 | 8 | 3 | BFD/39 | 3 | 5 | 12 | BFD/39 | 78 | 36 |
| 7 | FRA | Frederic Mouches | Jean-Francois Nouel | 12 | 10 | 15 | 4 | 7 | 2 | 21 | 7 | 36 | 42 |
| 8 | GBR | Penny Gibbs | Ian Gibbs | 2 | 5 | 6 | 12 | 14 | 14 | 9 | 9 | 28 | 43 |
| 9 | IRL | Shane McCarthy | Phil McCusker | OCS/39 | 3 | 8 | 2 | 12 | 8 | 13 | BFD/39 | 78 | 46 |
| 10 | GBR | Malcolm Davies | Fiona Jump | 20 | 17 | BFD/39 | BFD/39 | 4 | 7 | 2 | 2 | 78 | 52 |
| 11 | GBR | Jeremy Davy | Norman Byrd | 4 | 13 | 12 | 16 | 10 | 11 | 14 | 6 | 30 | 56 |
| 12 | SUI | Kurt Venhoda | Sonja Zaugg | DNF/39 | 14 | 17 | 7 | 13 | 4 | 7 | 12 | 56 | 57 |
| 13 | KEN | John Trundell | Peter Hime | 8 | 16 | 10 | 15 | 8 | 12 | 11 | 17 | 33 | 64 |
| 14 | GBR | Andy Pearce | Rachel Keeling | 15 | 15 | BFD/39 | BFD/39 | 6 | 17 | 10 | 8 | 78 | 71 |
| 15 | GBR | Derian Chandler | Andy Scott | 11 | 23 | 11 | 13 | 21 | 15 | 16 | 14 | 44 | 80 |
| 16 | GBR | Edwin Sadd | Steve Kuhl | 10 | 9 | 23 | 17 | 19 | 13 | 24 | 13 | 47 | 81 |
| 17 | GBR | Phil Popple | Doug Shore | 17 | 20 | 18 | 10 | 11 | 16 | 18 | BFD/39 | 59 | 90 |
| 18 | GBR | David Mason | Sam Pascoe | 24 | DNF/39 | 7 | 14 | 15 | 24 | 22 | 11 | 63 | 93 |
| 19 | GBR | Alex Bale | Jonathon Bale | 23 | 21 | 20 | 11 | 20 | 21 | 6 | BFD/39 | 62 | 99 |
| 20 | IRL | Philip Lawton | Markham Nolan | 14 | 24 | 13 | 23 | 31 | 23 | 15 | 15 | 55 | 103 |
| 21 | GBR | Ian Harrison | David Broome | 19 | 12 | 29 | 6 | 25 | 19 | 32 | 24 | 61 | 105 |
| 22 | FRA | Pierre-Jean Gallo | Pierre-Yves Robin | 21 | 26 | 21 | 19 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 22 | 48 | 112 |
| 23 | KEN | Simon Woods | Alastair Bush | 16 | 19 | 30 | 18 | 16 | 20 | 30 | BFD/39 | 69 | 119 |
| 24 | KEN | Ben Schulz | Nigel Shaw | 22 | 11 | 16 | 25 | 27 | 25 | 33 | 21 | 60 | 120 |
| 25 | GBR | Elaine Tudor | Warren Tudor | 13 | 27 | 32 | 24 | 29 | 28 | 20 | 10 | 61 | 122 |
| 26 | SUI | Adrian Huber | Brigitte Mauchle | DNF/39 | DNS/39 | 5 | 8 | DNC/39 | DNC/39 | 19 | 18 | 78 | 128 |
| 27 | KEN | Don White | Rob Allport | 18 | 22 | 22 | 21 | 23 | 27 | 27 | 23 | 54 | 129 |
| 28 | GBR | Martin Scarth | Nigel Sheppard | 28 | RAF/39 | 33 | 22 | 22 | 22 | 23 | 19 | 72 | 136 |
| 29 | KEN | Joachim Bebbington | Roger Bebbington | 26 | 18 | 19 | 27 | 28 | 34 | 25 | 29 | 63 | 143 |
| 30 | IRL | Louis Smyth | Shane Mugan | 27 | 28 | 26 | 20 | 24 | 26 | 29 | BFD/39 | 68 | 151 |
| 31 | KEN | Chris Shaw | Alex Hurn | 30 | 25 | 14 | BFD/39 | 26 | 37 | 31 | 27 | 76 | 153 |
| 32 | GBR | Keryn Henwood-Fox | Gary Henwood-Fox | 29 | 30 | 28 | 30 | 32 | 32 | 26 | 16 | 64 | 159 |
| 33 | KEN | Omar Mbithi | Steven Ogada | 25 | 31 | 31 | 26 | 30 | 29 | 28 | 25 | 62 | 163 |
| 34 | GBR | Barrie Winship | Rose Winship | 31 | 29 | 24 | 28 | 34 | 33 | DNC/39 | DNC/39 | 78 | 179 |
| 35 | IRL | Francis Rowan | Ed Butler | 32 | 32 | 25 | 29 | 33 | 36 | 36 | 30 | 72 | 181 |
| 36 | KEN | Graham Bush | Harriet Bush | 33 | 33 | 27 | BFD/39 | 36 | 31 | 35 | 26 | 75 | 185 |
| 37 | KEN | Graham Alder | Taryn Childs | 35 | 34 | 34 | 32 | 37 | 30 | 34 | 28 | 72 | 192 |
| 0 | IRL | Corin Mackenzie | Claudette Hall | 34 | 35 | 35 | 31 | 35 | 35 | 37 | BFD/39 | 0 | 0 |









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