Craig wins again

Nick Craig has won the RS400 National Championship for the second year running, reports Pete Vincent

Day five of the GUL RS400 Nationals started with Mark and Sam Littlejohn one point ahead of Nick Craig and James Stewart with both having the same discard. With three races planned other boats had a chance to win if they had a good day.

The fleet launched into something not seen all week, a stable breeze, an eight to twelve knot southerly which only slowly shifted to the west and dropped throughout the day. Having discovered the OCS black board the previous day PRO Barry McGill caught more boats in race eight. This did not concern Craig and Stewart who led at mark one and went on to pull out the type of lead that is deeply embarrassing for the rest of the fleet. Chris Jennings and Ed Nicklin having stopped breaking their boat were second with Dave Jones and Mark Hogan third. The Littlejohn’s were seventh.

Race nine saw the OCS black board becoming like buses, none come along for ages and then they come thick and fast. This time there was a very important number on the board, that of the Littlejohn’s. Jennings and Nicklin were now on a huge roll winning by a huge distance. They had now scored less points in total in their last five races then in any of the first four races; they should have let West Country Boat Repairs fix their boat a lot earlier in the week. Jones and Hogan were second with Craig Burlton and Andrew Bonsey third.

Craig’s and Stewarts fifth was not good enough to seal victory and still left the door open for the Littlejohn’s. With the wind now slightly eased the fleet now got very giddy watching Craig and Stewart chasing the Littlejohn’s round and round the start line of race ten. Craig and Stewart were in control up the first beat and ensured the Littlejohn’s did not have a look at the top twenty let alone the victory they needed; both retired half way through the race. Jones and Hogan did not care as they rounded off a fantastic day with a comfortable race win which gave them second overall. PRO Barry McGill had been dealt a dire hand with the wind conditions but had done really well in the end to get all ten races in. Abersoch had been glorious if you liked sunshine but not for steady wind.

Nick Craig scored his second GUL RS400 National title in a row whilst for James Stewart it was his fourth RS400 Nationals victory. In a week of such variable wind how the leading three boats produced such a consistent series was a source of wonderment to the rest of the fleet. Whilst the leading boats took much of the attention and glassware perhaps the two most important prizes to this writer would not leap off the overall result sheet at you. Ffion Jones, crewed by her father John was first youth and won the bronze division; not bad for a 16 year old who is perhaps the smallest and lightest helm ever seen at a 400 event and does not like light winds! Nick Francis and Simon Edwards were third in the bronze division, when they stood on the podium and proudly announced that in seven 400 Nationals this was their first prize was a great moment.

Results:

Pos	Sail Number	Helm	Crew	Club	R1	R2	R3	R4	R5	R6	R7	R8	R9	R10	Tot
1	1237	Nick Craig	James Stewart	Frensham Pond SC	3	2	5	4	2	6	2	1	5	DNF59	24
2	962	Dave Jones	Mark Hogan	Y Felinheli SC	2	11	10	5	7	2	4	3	2	1	26
3	6	Mark Littlejohn	Sam Littlejohn	Lancing SC	5	3	1	1	4	3	6	7	OCS59	DNF59	30
4	1264	Craig Burlton	Andrew Bonsey	R.Y.A.	6	34	3	9	3	14	13	5	3	5	47
5	1262	Hywel Roberts	Hugh Sims Williams	Parkstone YC	9	18	4	8	1	16	15	8	6	2	53
6	1238	Chris Jennings	Ed Nicklin	Burghfield SC	20	19	RET59	RET59	8	4	1	2	1	4	59
7	1019	Archie Massey	Toby Lewis	Itchenor YC	4	38	11	6	5	10	21	6	14	3	59
8	1059	Steve Venables	Richard Brown	Shustoke SC	1	14	12	3	10	1	16	24	10	13	64
9	1240	Tom Hallhead	Jeremy Littlejohn	Bristol Corinthian YC	12	6	2	11	6	11	18	14	16	7	69
10	1211	Stuart Hudson	Adam Heeley	Spinnaker SC	21	46	DSQ59	2	9	9	3	9	12	8	73
11	1121	Paul Hilliar	Toby Ashton	Frensham Pond SC	11	7	8	13	15	12	5	4	23	17	75
12	1204	Chris Gowers	June Riley	Port Dinorwic SC	7	32	6	15	13	15	7	13	26	11	87
13	1255	Michael Budd	Arline Shiel	Leigh & Lowton SC	17	26	7	29	11	7	8	10	11	16	87
14	1082	Chris Hogan	Elaine Marsh	Port Dinorwic SC	28	8	15	20	24	5	9	15	13	12	97
15	1219	Jonathon Sinclair	Michael Senior	West Lancs YC	29	4	23	16	26	8	DNC59	17	OCS59	9	132
16	1166	Rob Martin	Chris Martin	Burghfield SC	14	9	38	31	21	13	OCS59	16	8	20	132
17	1055	Colin Prince	Tony Prince	Weir Wood SC	18	27	14	7	28	22	19	31	7	23	137
18	953	Alistair Reid	Calum Reid	Largo Bay SC	34	25	9	12	17	38	28	26	29	6	152
19	774	David Porre	Tim Simpson	Leigh & Lowton SC	30	24	42	23	12	18	23	21	22	10	153
20	1279	Jon Gorringe	Gareth Ayre	Parkstone YC	8	5	13	DNC59	16	30	OCS59	OCS59	15	15	161
21	1234	Jeremy Entwistle	James Budd	Leigh & Lowton SC	22	12	19	18	20	19	OCS59	OCS59	38	14	162
22	1216	Peter Vincent	Simon Fell	Bristol Corinthian YC	31	13	34	10	36	35	10	25	20	37	178
23	1050	Cathy Partington	Mike Partington	Leigh & Lowton SC	33	23	16	17	27	25	37	37	21	19	181
24	1191	Louise McKeand	Chris Bassett	Leigh & Lowton SC	15	1	37	36	19	43	41	28	17	32	185
25	1062	Alan Johnson	Jonny Harrison	S.C.Y.C.	37	10	30	DNC59	30	28	12	33	19	26	188
26	595	Anthony Taylor	Sebastian	Port Dinorwic SC	36	35	26	24	14	17	20	27	27	41	190
27	1258	Andrew Fox	Ian Fletcher	Leigh & Lowton SC	27	15	24	14	22	46	32	29	28	33	191
28	1091	Gareth Williams	Ross Roberts	Leigh & Lowton SC	24	20	45	42	45	26	25	30	4	21	192
29	1251	Howard Farbrother	Louise Hesken	Queen Mary SC	13	30	25	DNC59	34	24	26	23	OCS59	18	193
30	1217	John W Cooper	Becci Wigley	Lymington Town SC	16	50	21	30	37	29	31	12	31	24	194