Riviera? Better than that! Adrenaline pumping? Well, not quite. The race team did extremely well to get all six races in. By the end of the third race on Saturday it was a fast drift. The sun cream did get a battering all weekend. On Sunday the wind started firmer at some 9 knots but then suffered a wobble causing a very shortened 5th race at some 20 odd minutes for the winners but a decent 6th race was still possible.
Owen Bowerman & Charlie Darling had a cushion at the end of the first day over Debbie (mum) & Tommy Darling and Morgan Peach & Herbie Harford. This set the scene for not only this GP’s result but also the result of the whole 2011/12 GP Series. Incident of the day was Delanie Rutter and Evie Townsend picking up some weed in the boat, throwing it overboard and discovering that they had caught a fat, green fish with big eyes in the bottom of the boat.
Sunday developed with Morgan & Herbie scorching right back into contention taking the first two bullets of the day. This left Owen & Charlie needing a win and Morgan & Herbie needing to be 4th or lower in the final race. Morgan & Herbie did their bit by having a shocker of a first beat and staging a brilliant recovery but only to 5th. Owen & Charlie were likewise doing their bit in the lead. Debbie & Tommy snuck into the lead with a better layline into the top mark. Owen & Charlie had been superquick down the runs (as well as everywhere else that is). On the final gybes into the bottom mark Debbie & Tommy made it stick and won the race. So Morgan & Herbie win both the GP & the Circuit in quite dramatic circumstances. Well done to both of them!
Incident of the day was the phenomenal port tack crossing of the fleet by Max & Cody Griggs in the first start of the day. Well worthy of a prize.
The generous sponsorship by Europlas ( Home Improvements ) and Ronstan allowed for wonderful prizes. Royal Torbay lived up to their well-deserved reputation for friendliness and organisation. Thank you. Debbie & Tommy took third place with Rob & Alice Masterman in a well-deserved 4th. Anna Prescott & Jess Eales edged Emily Peters & Jess Eales to Top Ladies in 5th & 6th prespectively. Chay & Stirling Taylor confirmed their great improvement this season in 7th. 8th on a tie break were Jacob & Emma Barnett from another massively improved boat. Oliver Scott & Tom Mitchell sailed brilliantly all weekend and becoming real contenders.
Overall Results:
| Pos | Sail No | Helm | Crew | Club | R1 | R2 | R3 | R4 | R5 | R6 | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4000 | Morgan PEACH | Herbie HARFORD | Royal Torbay YC | 3 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 10 |
| 2 | 4204 | Owen BOWERMAN | Charlie DARLING | Hayling Island SC | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 9 | 2 | 10 |
| 3 | 3105 | Debbie DARLING | Tom DARLING | Hayling Island SC | 2 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 11 |
| 4 | 2416 | Robert MASTERMAN | Alice MASTERMAN | Hayling Island SC | 6 | 6 | 6 | 3 | 15 | 8 | 29 |
| 5 | 4355 | Anna PRESCOTT | Jess EALES | Lymington Town SC | 5 | 2 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 10 | 31 |
| 6 | 3184 | Emily PETERS | Augusta READING | Hayling Island SC | 7 | 8 | 11 | 10 | 3 | 4 | 32 |
| 7 | 4344 | Chay TAYLOR | Stirling TAYLOR | Burnham SC | 8 | 13 | 10 | 5 | 6 | 6 | 35 |
| 8 | 2617 | Jacob BARNETT | Emma BARNETT | Royal Torbay YC | 4 | 5 | 12 | 9 | 12 | 20 | 42 |
| 9 | 3788 | Oliver SCOTT | Tom MITCHELL | Docklands S&WC | 15 | 9 | 4 | 7 | 13 | 9 | 42 |
| 10 | 129 | Barnaby BLACKSTONE | William PROUD | Bewl Valley SC | 10 | 7 | 15 | 6 | 11 | 16 | 49 |
| 11 | 3938 | Finbar PRESTON | Ed SHELLEY | Emsworth SC / South Caernarvonshire YC | 14 | 20 | 5 | 18 | 10 | 7 | 54 |
| 12 | 3458 | Hugo TUCKER | Tim COLLINO | Emsworth SC | 12 | 12 | 8 | 12 | 22 | 12 | 56 |
| 13 | 4195 | Cameron WEBBER | Joseph FENWICK | Hill Head SC / Thornbury SC | 19 | 18 | 26 | 15 | 5 | 3 | 60 |
| 14 | 3001 | Hugo ANDREWS | Elliot SPENSLEY-CORFIELD | Hayling Island SC | 25 | 10 | 7 | 11 | 14 | 18 | 60 |
| 15 | 4088 | Lucy CASELDINE | Sophie CASELDINE | Royal Torbay YC | 16 | 21 | 16 | 13 | 2 | 15 | 62 |
| 16 | 4084 | Gemma BIRD | Hannah RICKARDS | Hayling Island SC / Guernsey YC | 9 | 14 | 13 | 20 | 27 | 13 | 69 |
| 17 | 3003 | Emma SCOURFIELD | Jessica SCOURFIELD | Royal Torbay YC | 17 | 11 | 14 | 16 | 17 | 14 | 72 |
| 18 | 1250 | Jovian SHORT | James BARLOW | Royal Torbay YC | 13 | 15 | 18 | 14 | 20 | 17 | 77 |
| 19 | 4037 | Libby ASKEW | Emily PROUD | Burghfield SC | 11 | 17 | 17 | 27 | 25 | 22 | 92 |
| 20 | 3815 | Molly GILBERT | Mollie LIPPETT | Emsworth SC | 26 | 22 | 22 | 21 | 8 | 21 | 94 |
| 21 | 2508 | Jamie JOBSON | Eva GADD | Royal Torbay YC | 24 | 19 | 21 | 17 | 21 | 19 | 97 |
| 22 | 4459 | Ollie WRIGHT | Luke MACDERMOTT | Royal Torbay YC | 20 | 16 | 19 | 19 | 31 | 31 | 105 |
| 23 | 4382 | Delanie RUTTER | Eve TOWNSEND | Emsworth SC | 23 | 24 | 24 | 30 | 26 | 11 | 108 |
| 24 | 2215 | Max GRIGGS | Cody GRIGGS | Royal Torbay YC | 22 | 27 | 23 | 23 | 18 | 25 | 111 |
| 25 | 3672 | Sarah HUSSEY | Rob MCPHERSON | Royal Torbay YC | 18 | 26 | 31 | 26 | 19 | 24 | 113 |
| 26 | 3537 | Pheobe WARREN | Lily SUMMERS | Emsworth SC | 27 | 30 | 28 | 22 | 16 | 26 | 119 |
| 27 | 2523 | Connie MEEK | Imogen SEWELL | Royal Torbay YC | 21 | 28 | 29 | 25 | 24 | 23 | 121 |
| 28 | 783 | Jack NUNN | James DANDO | Cardiff Bay YC / Bowmoor SC | 28 | 23 | 20 | 24 | 28 | 28 | 123 |
| 29 | 4102 | Matt HILL | Joe REEVE | Burghfield SC | 29 | 25 | 25 | 28 | 23 | 27 | 128 |
| 30 | 3172 | Harry ASHWORTH | Fred CLARK | Royal Torbay YC | 30 | 29 | 27 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 143 |
Images – © Jean Border / www.borderphotos2010.com