Last day cancelled

The RS400 fleet found the conditions tough at their EuroCup event in Ireland

The 2008 RS400 Fat Face Eurocup kicked off with its inaugural outing at Pwllheli Sailing Club in deepest Wales on 24-25 May. The 14 competitors from all over the British Isles were treated to some excellent sailing conditions: force four to five, surfable waves, glorious sunshine, dolphins, and superb race management.

Race one started promptly at 13:15, assisted by the white-sail sleigh ride out to the race area. Dave Jones and Josh Metcalfe nailed the first shift and led the pack around the windward mark. A pitch-pole capsize by Adam Savage and Ash Johnson allowed the first five to stretch away. The sibling pairing of Richard and Elaine Marsh chased the leaders down the first run but a poor mark rounding opened the door for Michael Simms and Elliott Banks and Howard Farbrother and Nathan Pinch to sneak through. While Simms and Banks and Farbrother and Pinch traded places over the next three laps, Jones and Metcalfe extended their lead to win by a substantial margin. Simms and Banks pulled through Farbrother and Pinch to take second. Circuit virgins Arthur Mehigan and Laura Walsh put in a Tequila-tinged performance in testing conditions to beat fellow Jagermeister-fuelled countrymen, Simon Herriott and Fiachra Etchingham to claim a credible eighth.

A quick turnaround by the PRO and race two was underway with Jones and Metcalfe leading Farbrother and Pinch off the pin end. These two exchanged the lead for the next two laps pulling clear of the fleet. Upwind on lap three Farbrother and Pinch went further left and were rewarded with a lift to the windward mark. They extended their lead to the finish while Jones and Metcalfe fended off a hard charging Simms and Banks to take second.

Race three commenced in more moderate conditions with Leighton King and Richard Brown leading the fleet around the first mark. They repelled all challengers including new combo Al Morrison and June Riley to take the race win from Farbrother and Pinch and Simms and Banks. A ripped spinnaker for the Swedish pair Eric Larsson and Carl Akesson put them back in the pack after a good beat and allowed Simon Pritchard Jones and Jane Alexander to finish the day strongly.

Sunday morning broke with significantly more breeze and the finely-tuned athletes preparing themselves courtesy of Barry’s Snack Shack. The excellent PRO, Richard Date, ventured out into the bay and with the fleet watching from the shore, made a timely decision to abandon racing for the day with a consistent force six, gusting seven. The overnight positions were maintained with Howard Farbrother and Nathan Pinch (Queen Mary SC) taking first place from Michael Simms and Elliot Banks (Carsington SC) and Dave Jones and Josh Metcalfe (Port Dinorwic SC). The new pairing of Al Morrison and June Riley took first Silver followed by Adam Savage and Ash Johnson and Simon Pritchard Jones and Jane Alexander.

Pwllheli proved itself a more than worthy addition to the RS400 Fat Face Eurocup and Purple Marine Northern Circuit. Its strong race management, friendly people, and great sailing facilities left the fleet vowing to return at the first opportunity.

This event was a great lead in for the next Eurocup meeting in Riva del Garda. See you in July.

Results:

Pos	Helm	Crew	Club	R1	R2	R3	Tot	Net
1st	Howard Farbrother	Nathan Pinch	QMSC	3	1	2	6	6
2nd	Michael Sims	Elliot Banks	Carsington	2	3	3	8	8
3rd	Dave Jones	Earth Worm Josh	Clwb Hwylio Felinheli	1	2	6	9	9
4th	Richard Marsh	Elaine Marsh	Elton	4	4	5	13	13
5th	Al Morrison	June Riley	Clwb Hwylio Felinheli	5	5	4	14	14
6th	Leighton King	Richard Brown	Carsington	9	7	1	17	17
7th	Adam Savage	Ash Johnson	Elton SC	6	8	9	23	23
8th	Simon Pritchard Jones	Jane Alexander	Clwb Hwylio Felinheli	11	6	7	24	24
9th	Eric Larsson	Carl Akesson	QMSC	7	9	8	24	24
10th	Simon Herriott	Fiachra Etchingham	GSC	10	10	15.0 DNS	35	35
11th	Ian Gray	Carvlyn Tobin		15.0 DNS	12	10	37	37
12th	Arthur Mehigan	Laura Walsh	GSC	8	15.0 DNF	15.0 DNS	38	38
13th	D Donnelly	D Tobin	QMSC	15.0 DNF	11	12	38	38
14th	Alex Fleming	Nick Blore	Leigh + Lowton	15.0 DNF	15.0 DNF	11	41	41