RS400 Trident UK Northern Tour at the Great Northern Asymmetric Challenge at Bassenthwaite SC

RS400 Trident UK Northern Tour on the Nice Northern Uneven Problem at Bassenthwaite SC

by Hamish Gledhill 24 Sep 09:55 PDT
21-22 September 2024

20 RS400s gathered for the final leg of the 2024 Trident UK Northern Tour at Bassenthwaite Crusing Membership over the weekend of 21/22 Might.

The RS400s shared the lake as a part of the fleet of 69 boats competing within the Nice Northern Uneven Problem, and while a lot of the nation sat beneath cloudy damp skies the forecast for the weekend was for a mild breeze and sunny skies. The climate did not disappoint and with a secure north easterly pressure 3-4, the fleet set out for 4 back-to-back races. The RS400s began within the first of two flights giving them the luxurious of a comparatively clear lake for the primary beat, however after that the course was full, creating moments of excessive drama for many boats, particularly on the leeward gate.

As anticipated within the RS400 fleet the racing was tight, with place modifications on each leg the norm for everybody. 4 races and the quantity of place modifications are an excessive amount of for anybody to re-count the element, however after 4 races everybody returned to the shore feeling they’d labored arduous, everybody with a story of when that massive gust, or up-wind elevate took them previous 4 boats, but in addition tales of what may have been.

Native boys Chris Pickles and Matt Sharman had the perfect of the day and had been in a single day leaders, recording two firsts, a second and a fifth, forward of fellow Bassenthwaite sailors Alistair and Tom Coates, who had a constant three seconds and a fourth, and only one level forward of Richard and Heather Marsh from Hollingworth Lake SC. Josh and Patrick Metcalfe (Port Dinorwic SC), had been again on the Northern Tour after a break of a number of years, and had been piecing issues again collectively all through the day culminating with a win within the final race.

After a night of pie, beers and a few toffee vodkas, the rivals awoke considerably bleary eyed on Sunday morning to see much less wind than forecast, and shortly the OOD raised the AP. The delay allowed a while to get better from the earlier night time’s get together and to look at numerous gusts blow throughout the lake in reverse instructions. After an hour’s postponement the fleet had been summoned to the water. OOD, Robin Dawson led the fleet 1.5 miles up the lake the place a breeze was constructing from a south easterly route. Simply because the course was set, the wind turned off, and what was left swung to the northeast. After making reference to what sounded just like the committee boat’s rollocks, the OOD took the fleet again down the lake, setting a begin line simply off the membership home for 2 extra races.

The breeze had constructed once more to an honest pressure 3-4 with extra of the identical from day one. By now Josh and Patrick had clearly remembered tips on how to make their RS400 work by taking two bullets. Chris and Matt, together with Richard and Heather had been each too keen within the first begin with an OCS and Alistair and Tom accomplished the courteous strategy by returning to shore to switch a damaged growth. Mark Somerville and Joe Roberts (Bassenthwaite SC) took second place forward of Jacob Ainsworth and Kayleigh Ainsworth (Tynemouth SC) in third. Within the final race Chris and Matt had been effectively behaved at the beginning to take second place forward of Mark and Joe in third.

General, the outcomes had been tight with Chris and Matt taking the win, simply two factors forward of Josh and Patrick, who had been only one level forward of Alistair and Tom.

That wraps up the Trident UK Northern Tour for 2024, with Chris Pickles and Matt Sharman successful the general tour, from Ollie Groves and Esther Parkhurst (Beaver SC) and Dave Exley and Nigel Corridor (Leigh and Lowton SC) in third. The tour will resume in 2025 at Leigh and Lowton Crusing Membership on 29/30 March 2025.

General Outcomes: