Write-Up
Datchet Flyer (SailJuice) - Datchet SC, West London, UK, 11/12th Dec
90 mixed class small sailboats pitched up for the Datchet Flyer, the 2nd event in the
Selden SailJuice Winter Series.
The RS Aero 7s formed a 2nd largest class behind the large contingent of 420s, well done to the Datchet RS Aero fleet for pitching up for a good showing at their home event.
The breeze was light on Saturday with about 5-6kns and just one and a half races were completed. On Sunday the breeze picked up from a light start to about 7-12kn with occasional pokier gusts which allowed for one more average lap handicap race followed by the pursuit race.
The highlight for the RS Aeros was the pursuit race with the slightly increased wind and more clean air, as the fleet was split into two races with the RS Aero 7s first to start on the fast half of the race. A 100 minute tusstle between the lead three RS Aeros ensued with each of Steve, Ellie and Peter swapping the lead freequently. There was lots of reaching on the course but mostly sub planing for the RS Aeros. A tad more wind would have helped the RS Aeros plane and made the spinaker boats lose the benefit of their kites on the tighter reaches. The Merlin came through fast quite early on to win the race. The lead 505 and National 18 took the lead RS Aeros in the closing stages, with a RS400 and RS Aero sailor Chris Hatton in his RS300 splitting the lead RS Aeros. The RS Aeros took 3rd, 6th and 8th in the fast half of the pursuit race with those places then doubled to create an overall pursuit result.
That left the RS Aeros in 12th, 21st and 28th overall after a tough weekend's racing. Consistency is everything across the varied events of the SailJuice Series, taking the rough with the smooth, and these results see the RS Aeros in 4th, 7th, 14th in the series after 2 events from 145 entrants so far.
The RS Aero 7 Class remains in 3rd in the
Top Class Results having overtaken the RS400s but having lost out to a strong event by the Lasers. This is based on the top three boats from each class in each race.
NEXT UP in the Selden SailJuice Winter Series is the double event on the Monday 27th December - The
Yorkshire Dales Brass Monkey for the northerners and the
Burghfield Breezer for the southerners, enabling less motorway miles in the dark of mid winter. Pop your entries in now as these events fill up!
Winter 2021/22 Gallery for larger photos
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Full Results
Top 5 and RS Aeros 1 Merlin Rocket Thomas GILLARD Rachael GRAY Staunton Harold SC 2 505 Roger GILBERT Ben MCGRANE Netley SC 3 Laser (ILCA 7) Jack HOPKINS Delph SC 4 GP14 Nick CRAIG Tobytastic LEWIS Burghfield / Frensham SC 5 National 18 Dylan FLETCHER, Michael BATCHELOR, Ben WILSON Isle Of Man YC 12 RS Aero 7 3597 Peter BARTON Lymington Town SC 21 RS Aero 7 3866 Ellie CRAIG Starcross YC 28 RS Aero 7 3000 Steve NORBURY Warsash SC 50 RS Aero 7 2717 Chris HARRUP Burghfield SC 70 RS Aero 7 2504 George HOSKINS Datchet Water SC 81 RS Aero 7 2384 Simon GEYMAN Datchet Water / Lymington Town SC 85 RS Aero 7 1813 Simon ETTER Datchet Water SC 91 RS Aero 7 1457 Charlie ROOME Datchet Water SC |