Giffords take final race

Graham Camm reports from the National 12's Burton Week

There was all to play for on the final race and everyone in the fleet had people to beat, none more so than Tom Stewart & Liz Ross who were lying second on Thursday night.

They needed to get first or second to win the week and needed Graham Camm & Zoe Ballantyne to be fourth or worse. Mike Cooke & Emma Wilkins were pathfinders in a fresh force 4 northwesterly breeze. The wind was surprisingly shifty coming off the land.

John Meadowcroft & Rosie White hit the left hand corner while Tom Stewart & Liz Ross went right. Team Meadowcroft-White yet again were first round the windward mark closely followed by Tom. They kept their lead down the reach and for the next beat, with Tom in second and the Giffords now pressing hard in third. Tom hit the fourth windward mark and the Giffords overhauled them to take second.

Positions were unchanged down the run, and the Giffords took the lead at the leeward mark. All three were trying hard on the final beat, both team Meadowcroft-White and the Giffords were proving fast upwind so Stewart-Ross took a left hand flyer in the final 400m, this looked good for them briefly but the wind came back from the right hand side and the Giffords sped through to the line to take first closely followed by team Meadowcroft-White, leaving Tom Stewart & Liz Ross in third, drawing on points with Graham Camm & Zoe Ballantyne, the tie being broken on number of races won in the favour of Graham & Zoe.

Race 8 results
1st Antony & Jo Gifford
2nd John Meadowcroft & Rosie White
3rd Tom Stewart & Liz Ross
4th Steve Sallis & Jenny James