Results : RS200 Open Weymouth and Portland Sailing Academy

GUL RS300 Racing Circuit Weymouth 1st& 2nd July 2000
by Riki Hooker


Light breeze and sunshine greeted the RS300 travellers at the Weymouth
Sailing Centre. The racing was held inside Portland Harbour in shifty and
changeable conditions which provided an interesting challenge for both
racers and race organizers. The first race set the scene for the day, with
Jerry Wales displaying superior skills which rocketed him away ahead of the
fleet, followed hard by Riki Hooker and Scott Butler. In the second race, a
port flyer on the start again saw Wales break away, followed by Hooker,
fending off the closing Butler through to the finish, with Graham Sanderson
forth. The start of the third race saw Sanderson attempt to foil Wales on
another port tack, and make an excellent start. Wales manoeuvred around the
problem and set off once again, with Butler close behind at the windward
mark, only to be overtaken by Hooker on the downwind leg. Sanderson
continued to chase hard and managed to overhaul Butler on the last run
before the finish.


Sundays racing was graced with RS300 superstar Paul Lewis on a mission to
topple Wales from his podium position and races counted toward the RS300 TT
Tour. Even lighter wind meant tricky shifts and gusts were the order of the
day. Lewis stayed close on Wales' transom but was unable to catch him.

Sanderson revelled in the conditions taking third place and earning himself
a
GUL Merit award in the process, followed by Butler. The fifth race mirrored
the last, with Lewis again unable to stamp his authority on Wales, with
Butler, Sanderson and Hooker battling for third place. A bad shift left
Hooker out of the running and saw Butler and Sanderson changing places
downwind to let Butler take third place. Wales stayed afloat for the final
race, and pulled ahead after the first beat with Lewis opting for a
different angle up the beat to no avail. Butler and Hooker jostled for third
place for the entire race, with Butler finally gaining the upper hand.

Wales was able to discard a bullet to win, and looks like a formidable force
ready for the RS National championships in August.