Please select your home edition
Edition

Rockshore / Bosun Bobs RS400 Winter Series at Royal North of Ireland Yacht Club - Week 2

by Robert Hastings 11 Nov 21:27 PST 3 November - 22 December 2024

Day Two of the Frostie Series for the RS400s and the weather forecast didn't disappoint. We hadn't seen sunshine in nearly three weeks and it came out and we didn't half need our sunglasses. The breeze was also perfect, a nice westerly breeze blowing across Belfast Lough from the north of the city.

Twenty boats rigged up which is a brilliant turn out for a double handed fleet. We had a lot of new faces young and old, from Hugh Hutchinson who is only 13 right up to our class veteran Liam Donnely who is at least 5 times older, plus vat!

The race team got the racing off bang on time and squeezed the fleet though a rather short start line, I for one got spat out the back. The fleet spread out evenly across the course. The usual suspects Bob Espey & Mike Ferguson (1533) lead the majority of the way, but on the final down slipped up and opened the door to Donnelly and McCaig (1405) and to Kennedy & Kane (1522) who both nipped inside, resulting in Donnelly & McCaig showing the youth that he hasn't lost it by taking the bullet, closely followed by Kennedy & Kane in second. Unfortunately, two boats, 1044 Andrew Irvine & 1322 Dave Cheyne forgot to go through the up-wind gate resulting DNFs.

Race two and the start line was the same length, everyone tried to cram in closer to the committee boat resulting in the majority of the fleet being over the line, the first substitute was raised, everyone had to go back for another go. This time everyone behaved themselves and racing commenced. The breeze had picked up and it was proper hiking conditions. There was a real game of snakes and ladders. Ross Kearney & Andrew Vaughan (1438) uncharacteristically messed up and let four boats in at a leeward mark rounding. Ben Martin & Rory Flannigan (1179) did well after lap one and gained five places climbing to sixth place. Two boats had a mast on mast clash in an upwind port and starboard making a hell of a noise but the writer of this report saw absolutely nothing and knows nothing about it, honest gov! In the end Stephen McLernon & Jake Little (1316) took third, Peter Kennedy & Stevie Kane (1522) held onto second and taking the line honors were Bob Espey & Mike Ferguson (1533).

Race three, a number of boats by this time had retired due to various reasons. It was a bit more of the same, conditions hadn't changed and everyone got off to a clean start. New kids on the block Patrick Hamilton & Sam Kelly (1283) put in their best performance of the day taking fifth, Jocelyn Hill & Rowan Berry (741) did surprisingly well in forth, especially after Jocelyn was out out the night before and might have had one too many dark'n'stormies. The usual suspects took the podium positions, Ross Kearney & Andrew Vaughan (1438) in third, Peter Kennedy & Stevie Kane (1522) in second leaving Bob Espey & Mike Ferguson (1533) in first. They also won the day's racing, congratulations.

Thanks as always to the race, rescue and mark laying teams who let us have fun each week, it is greatly appreciated.

This Sunday coming, it looks like the high pressure that has been lingering for so long is off and a gnarly arctic northly is coming our way, time to dig out the thermals and the wooly hats!

Results after Week 2:

PosSail NoHelmCrewClubR1R2R3R4R5R6Pts
1st1533Rob EspeyMike FergusonBYC/RNIYC21331111
2nd1438Ross KearneyAndrew VaughanRNIYC13258322
3rd1405Liam DonnellyRick McCaigCSC325121124
4th1522Peter KennedyStephen KaneRNIYC/SLYC441224228
5th741Jocelyn HillRowan BerryCAYC/CSC1212865447
6th1353Robert HastingsRory HigginsSLYC51171011650
7th1283Patrick HamiltonSam KellyEast Down YC13104129553
8th1178Brian HolmesRose WhiteCSC75113161557
9th1004Tom PurdonOlivia HayesSLYC101413871264
10th1179Ben MartinRory FlanniganRUYC/BYC141310176969
11th1001Adam LockhartTBCRNIYC89611RETDNS76
12th1322Dave CheyneSusan McKnightSLYC1189DNF121677
13th1259Gareth FlanniganKnox WilsonBYC96111618RET81
14th1316Stephen McLernonEdwina TernanCSCDNCDNCDNC43884
15th825Paul RobinsonAdam RobinsonCSC6714DNCDNCDNC96
16th762Zak DalzellMax RobinsonRNIYC1616161519RET103
17th1366Hammy BakerRichie FerronSLYCDNCDNCDNC14147104
18th877William FindlayPeter GilmoreStrangford SCDNCDNCDNC91710105
19th1440Simon HutchinsonBen WilliamsRNIYC/SLYCDNCDNCDNC713RET110
20th1188Will BrowneRachel BrowneSLYCDNCDNCDNC181013110
21st1379Anthony StrainJohn FergusonRNIYC151515DNCDNCDNC114
22nd1044Andrew IrvinAisling O'GradyNational YCDNCDNCDNCDNF1514119

Related Articles

RS400 Rooster National Tour overall
Another strong year with almost 70 boats attending The premature end of this year's season, due to the End of Seasons being cancelled sees Ian Martin & Various (Emma Clarke, Chris Martin, Jon Pinner) being crowned the Rooster National Tour champions for 2024! Posted on 19 Nov
Rockshore / Bosun Bobs RS400 Winter Series Week 3
Committee boat wastes no time in getting the black flag out Sunday 17th of November brought a cool NW 13-18kts. Gerry and his team set a perfect windward leeward and rattled off three races. Race1 was a general recall and the committee boat wasted no time in getting the black flag out. Posted on 18 Nov
Rockshore / Bosun Bobs RS400 Winter Series Week 1
The sixteen boat fleet was greeted with a glass like sea Now in its 18th year, RS400 winter series continues to grow from strength to strength. The 2024 event welcomes the return of class stalwart Dave Cheyne, sailing with Susan McKnight. Posted on 5 Nov
Rockshore / Bosun Bobs RS400 Winter Series Preview
18th year of the event starts this Sunday at Royal North of Ireland Yacht Club It doesn't seem that long ago since the last Rockshore / Bosun Bobs RS400 Winter Series at Royal North. This ever-popular winter sailing event returns next Sunday, running for eight weeks through to 22nd December including the infamous Christmas Race. Posted on 29 Oct
RS400 Northern Tour 2024
Chris Pickles and Matt Sharman win for the second year running For the second year running congratulations go to Chris Pickles and Matt Sharman for winning the 2024 RS400 Trident UK Northern Tour, though it was a close-run thing, and all top 6 positions were settled at the final event of the season. Posted on 26 Oct
RS400 Scottish Championship at Dalgety Bay
Held as part of Dalgety Bay's annual regatta Eight RS400s made it to Dalgety Bay Sailing Club on 28th September for the culmination of the year's Stewart Brewing RS400 Scottish Tour, and the Scottish Championships as part of Dalgety Bay's annual regatta. Posted on 15 Oct
RS400 Inland Championship at Grafham
The race team did an outstanding job of cranking out the races at an amazing pace Grafham laid on a fantastic forecast of 12 knots and glorious sunshine for day 1 of the RS400 Inland Championships, sponsored by Rooster Sailing. The RS400s shared the lake with the RS200s and RS500s, who also contested their inland championships. Posted on 7 Oct
RS400 Trident UK Northern Tour at Bass
During the Great Northern Asymmetric Challenge 20 RS400s gathered for the last leg of the 2024 Trident UK Northern Tour at Bassenthwaite Sailing Club over the weekend of 21/22 May. Posted on 24 Sep
13th Great North Asymmetric Challenge
Sixty-nine boats from as far afield as Scotland, Wales and the South Coast Sixty-nine boats from as far afield as Scotland, Wales and the South Coast landed on Bassenthwaite's sunny shores for the 13th Great North Asymmetric Challenge, sponsored once again by Trident UK. Posted on 23 Sep
Irish RS Southerns at Killaloe
200 and 400 fleets let down by Saturday's weather Over 7th & 8th September Killaloe Sailing Club hosted the RS400 & RS200 Southerns. 21 boats entered the competition with boats travelling from Galway, Cullaun, Antrim, Cultra, Whitehead, Strangford Lough and a great big contingent from Blessington. Posted on 11 Sep
Maritimo 2023 S600 FOOTERTrinidad and Tobago - Sail Service Stay