RS200 Ladies Day at Burghfield Sailing Club

RS200 Ladies Day at Burghfield © Alex Irwin / www.sportography.tv

RS200 Ladies Day at Burghfield © Alex Irwin / www.sportography.tv

RS200 Ladies Day at Burghfield © Alex Irwin / www.sportography.tv

A glamorous day greeted the ladies sailing teams at Burghfield Sailing club, for the 2015 edition of the RS200 Ladies Day.

The prosecco was on ice, whilst racing commenced with 2 windward/leeward races in the morning, followed by a further 2 races in the afternoon.

Gusts of 20 knots plus streaked down the lake as the teams flew downwind to the start, with a few capsizes on route.

Trudie Fell and Flea Haddrell dominated the start with Emma Deal and Lizzie Chellew in pursuit. The two teams had a great match race for the win, with Trudie and Flea pulling away towards the finish to take the bullet by a few boat lengths. It was hard to believe but the race for 3rd place was an even closer. Emma Lucas and Hannah Sands took the spot by the smallest of margins from Sue Brannum and Mike Proven.

Race 2 followed very much the same way, with Trudie and Flea storming away to take their second straight win by some margin. Second place went to Emma and Lizzie, with Emma and Hannah having a great race with Sue and Mike to claim third and fourth respectively.

The wind had calmed slightly over lunch. It was still all to play for with Trudie and Flea having to face the prospect of snatching defect from the jaws of victory...

Race 3 saw the top two teams force each other over the start line, allowing Emma and Hannah to lead the fleet upwind. The fleet was compact around the windward mark, with Emma Deal and Lizzie taking the lead. Nelly and Davina Gannon were improving throughout the day and were well in the mix.

Emma & Lizzie lead Trudie & Flea for the whole race until Trudie and Flea overtook on the last run. In a dramatic twist, Trudie and Flea capsized on the last gybe allowing Emma & Lizzie to retake the lead and win the race to keep their hopes of winning the event alive.

So, it all came down to the last race, winner takes it all.

Another classic race ensured. Emma & Lizzie took the lead on the first lap and held it to the finish to claim the event. The pursuing pack was tightly bunched with Sue and Mike sneaking out a lead from Emma and Hannah, followed by Nelly and Davina and Ellen and Mark Catherall, who improved enormously throughout the day.

The club laid on a delightfully elegant spread in keeping with the tone of the event, involving substantial amounts of cake and Prosecco.

The next event on the RS200 Calendar is Hayling Island on the 18th & 19th of July, which is perfect preparation for the nationals a few weeks later in Abersoch.

Overall Results: