Victory for Cockerill

Varialble conditions greeted the RS300 fleet for their National Championship

The GUL RS300 National Championships were held at Filey Sailing Club from the 8 to 11 of September and the 29 strong fleet experienced a range of conditions from light wind and flat water to force five and monster waves.

The wind was a light force two and offshore for day one, giving tricky tactical decisions for the fleet. First at the windward mark in race one was Neil Beveridge, pursued by Alistair Wood and Matt Sargent. Sargent took over the lead and held it until the final run where Steve Cockerill used some extra pressure to pass and win.

Race two started in similar winds and Ian Smith was first round with Cockrill and Ian Baillie on his transom. A large shift then closed the fleet up and 29 boats converged on the gybe mark as one. Cockerill performed a Houdini act to squeeze round ahead and John Carron nipped in behind while the bulk sorted themselves out. Passing opportunities were few after that with Cockerill winning from Carron and Beveridge.

Day two was postponed due to a lack of wind followed by an excess of fog.

The Easterly wind had by Day three built the waves up to epic proportions and although the wind was no more than 12 knots it gave rise to some amazing sailing. In race three, Baillie rounded ahead of the fleet and tore off down the waves, but at the next windward mark he misjudged the tide, which was all Cockerill needed to grab the inside track and a lead that he held to the finish. Steve Bolland then pipped Baillie by half a boat length on the finish line.

Race four and Bolland was round the windward mark ahead of Cockerill but no one was matching Cockerill’s downwind speed and he was soon past. Baillie and Carron took advantage of a late capsize from Bolland to take second and third places.

Race five followed the same pattern with Cockerill passing Bolland down the early reaches. Bolland kept the mast pointing at the sky this time to keep Baillie in third.

A shift up the first beat of race six resulted in a crowded windward mark but Cockerill and Bolland again led. Conditions became difficult as the wind dropped but Paul Thompson kept it all together to claim third place.

The final day brought more wind to add to the rolling seas but at the windward mark it was still Cockerill, Bolland and Baillie fighting it out. These three opened a gap on the fleet in race seven with Cockerill winning and Baillie taking second after Bolland had capsized close to the finish, which also allowed Ben Yeats into third.

Race eight saw Cockerill once again lead at the first mark with Baillie and Yeats leading the chase down the roller coaster waves, finishing in that order.

By the final race the conditions had thinned the ranks somewhat, but the same faces were at the front, this time with Baillie leading from Cockerill, who surfed ahead by the end of the lap and could not be caught. Beveridge, then Yeats battled for third, but Bolland recovered well from a quick capsize to claim that spot.

And so Steve Cockerill emerged as the convincing winner of the 2005 GUL RS300 National Championships in what were increasingly demanding conditions as the racing came to a climax. The increase in numbers and quality within the fleet was apparent to all those who attended and shows the growing popularity of the RS300 as a racing machine for those seeking a challenge.

Many thanks to Filey for their hugely appreciated efforts in hosting our championship in what were very taxing conditions.

Results:

Pos	Sail Number	Helm	Club	R1	R2	R3	R4	R5	R6	R7	R8	R9	Tot
1	414	Steve Cockerill	Stokes Bay SC	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	7
2	445	Ian Baillie	Dalgety Bay	6	5	3	2	3	14	2	2	2	19
3	411	Steve Bolland	Bristol Corinthian	3	7	2	5	2	2	4	4	3	20
4	352	Ben Yeats	Chanory	14	10	4	7	5	6	3	3	5	33
5	502	John Wilson	Prestwick	9	8	5	4	7	4	5	5	DNC	38
6	420	John Carron	Milton Keynes	13	2	8	3	8	5	7	7	7	39
7	416	Neil Beveridge	Prestwick	7	3	10	9	4	9	6	9	4	42
8	395	Paul Barker	Milton Keynes	5	11	6	20	12	8	13	10	8	60
9	478	Cliff Shaw	Stokes Bay	17	14	7	6	10	7	9	13	DNC	66
10	410	Greg Barton	Glossop & District	11	12	23	12	13	DNC	8	6	6	68
11	443	Matt Sargent	Royal Artillery	2	6	9	8	6	10	DNC	DNC	DNC	71
12	475	Chris Hart	Milton Keynes	12	4	11	15	11	13	10	DNC	DNC	76
13	30	Paul Thompson	Combs	8	9	16	13	9	3	DNC	DNC	DNC	88
14	380	Simon Cox	RYA	25	15	12	11	17	22	15	8	10	88
15	333	James Phare	Babbacombe Corinthian SC	26	22	19	14	14	21	11	12	9	100
16	503	Garry Phare	Babacombe Corinthian	15	20	DNC	23	21	12	12	11	11	102
17	450	Mark Henman	Sunderland	22	18	13	16	19	11	17	15	13	103
18	372	Ian Smith	Craven	10	13	21	22	20	20	16	14	14	107
19	343	Steve Dewbury	Deben	16	23	15	17	22	16	20	18	12	114
20	313	Phil Underwood	Cotswold	19	16	18	21	DNF	DNC	18	16	15	123