Nick Craig dominates

Tight racing in great conditions at the RS400 Inland Championship

The RS400 Inland championships took place at Grafham Water over the weekend of 1-2 October. A blustery forecast greeted the assembled RS200, RS400, RS600 and K6’s, who were all sharing the reservoir for the weekend.

The 400’s first race started in 15 knots and it was no surprise to see National Champions Nick Craig and James Stewart emerge from the start to lead early on. The rest of the fleet chased hard on the short course, with Chris Jennings and Mark Greaves and Fat Face Circuit winners Craig Burlton and Andrew Bonsey pulling through, but at the end no one could catch Craig. Jennings was second followed by Burlton and Chris Gowers and June Riley claiming fourth.

Race officer Arky Wainwright learned his lesson that 400’s go pretty quickly when it’s windy in time for the second race and set a longer course with more laps. On a biased start line most of the fleet tacked onto port shortly after the gun and it was a drag race out to the favored right hand side. However, the face at the front was familiar, with Craig and Stewart again showing their devastating pace in the windy conditions. Behind them Burlton and Bonsey and Paul Hilliar and Toby Ashton managed to get away from the pack. Burlton and Hilliar dueled for a few gusty laps before the pie factor eventually won out. With capsized boats littering the course and blistering downwind legs, Craig won from Hilliar in second, followed by Burlton and the consistent Gowers and Riley.

Race three came back to back and the wind had moderated somewhat. An early wind shift put 49er stars Ian Martin and Ben McGrane into the lead but by the second lap they wished they had tied the jib sheet on properly as the rest of the fleet sailed past upwind. Burlton and Bonsey took the lead followed by Craig and Stewart, Phil Jackson and Gerard Barron and Hywel Roberts and Richard Kenyon. Half way through the race, the wind suddenly dropped from 18 to 8 knots and shifted right big time. As the fleet bunched up downwind Jennings and Greaves gained places and in the leading group, Craig closed up on Burlton. Down the final run, Craig pilled on the pressure and took the lead in the dying moments of the race, so at the finish it was Craig followed by Burton, Jackson and Jennings.

Sunday came with slightly less wind and a course down at the eastern end of the lake, shared with the splash-happy RS600s. The race got away first time and down the first run Jennings and Greaves found a gust down the right hand side of the lake to scorch past half a dozen boats into the lead. With the wind constantly shifting and gusting, Jennings and Craig pulled away at the front of the fleet, pursued by Roberts and Kenyon, Gowers and Riley and Hilliar and Ashton. Roberts lost third place to Hilliar at the final mark but Jennings held off Craig to win.

Mike Budd and Rich Brown continued their good form from the previous race to ignore the heavy start line congestion to lead up the left side of the course with Martin and McGrane also showing good form. As the race continued Craig and Stewart and Burlton and Bonsey climbed through the fleet to take line honors, with Budd holding on for third.

In the final race Burlton and Bonsey sailed an excellent first couple of laps to pull out a good lead from Gowers and Riley and Craig. However, which they were engaged in a little match racing, a monster gust on the other side of the run saw Roberts and Kenyon and Hilliar and Ashton take easily 200 yards out on the leaders to round just behind Burlton with one lap remaining. Up the final beat Burton kept a close cover on Roberts, while Craig moved through to third so the leading trio went started the final run together. A high speed luffing match in the dying moments of the leg saw Roberts win the final race, while Burlton’s last minute move on Craig was to no avail as he had to settle for third.

So after a weekend of tight one-design racing in fantastic conditions, Nick Craig and James Stewart won the Inland championships with a dominant performance giving them a massive seven point margin over the Fat Face circuit winners Craig Burlton and Andrew Bonsey, while Chris Jennings with guest crew Mark Greaves sailed excellently following a ripped spinnaker on Saturday to take third overall. Many thanks to all at Grafham Sailing club for running an excellent event and to race officer Arky Wainwright for setting some excellent courses.

So the domestic season has concluded and attention now moves to the RS400 Irish Nationals, to be sailed at Greystones S.C. 14-16 October – will Nick Craig have it all his own way again next year? It was close at this year’s nationals so only time will tell.

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