RS Elite Chichester Harbour Race Week

Date: 17 August 2022 - 19 August 2022
Club: Hayling Island Sailing Club

RS Elites Chichester Harbour Race Week

Day 1

Colin Smith, helming Shaken not Stirred, RS Elite 7, was the overnight leader after the first day of the RS Elite event in Chichester Harbour Race Week. Essentially a  regatta within a regatta, the RS Elite event is held on the third, fourth and fifth days of Race Week (17^th, 18^th and 19^th of August) with two races per day sailed on a separate racecourse in Bracklesham Bay.

The first three places in the leader board are currently occupied by boats which had finished in  the first four at the recent RS Elite Grand Prix at Cowes. Shaken not Stirred, helmed for this event by Colin Smith and crewed by Jamie Smith and Anna Wells holds first place  by a margin of two points from Martin Jones’s  second placed Candida RS Elite 113, crewed by  Vicky Jones and Steve Butcher and Ossie Stewart’s third placed More T Vicar RS Elite 67, crewed by Tom Stewart and Ian Jubb. Second and third places were tied on six points with the positions resolved by countback.

Colin Smith normally sails as crew in Shaken not Stirred with Tom and Jo Hewitson but is demonstrating his abilities as a very competitive helm for this event. Martin Jones is a newcomer to the RS Elite fleet, having sailed International Fourteens for many years. Ossie Stewart was the winner of the International Grand Prix and National Championship held at Cowes in June.

In fourth place were Steve Fisher and crew in Rs Elite 44, in fifth were Miles Odell and crew in RS Elite 101 and in sixth were Toby Struss and crew in RS Elite 65.

First day conditions made for some difficult sailing. Following the previous day’s heavy rainstorms the wind was light and variable with some major changes in direction presenting difficulties in course setting and challenging the skill of competitors. Nevertheless, in true RS Elite style, the racing was close and competitive. The day was rounded off by a dinner at Hayling Island Sailing Club.

Day 2

Sailing in fresher conditions than day 1 with mainly westerly winds, the second day of the RS Elite event in Chichester Harbour Race Week has brought changes to the leader board. RS Elite national champion and former Olympic medallist Ossie Stewart sailing More T Vicar (RS Elite 67) has taken a narrow lead over Colin smith’s Shaken Not Stirred (RS Elite 7). Stewart scored one first and one second as against a second and a third for Smith to place both boats on nine points overall with the tie resolved on countback. Martin Jones in Candida, RS Elite 113 is now in third place with 18 points overall.

Further down the fleet the racing is equally competitive. Miles Odell in Centurion, RS Elite 101, crewed by Andrew  Streeter and Tom Polglase has put up a consistent performance, moving from fifth place on the first day to fourth overall on day 2. RS Elite stalwart Peter Copsey crewed by Debbie Jarvis and Neil Upton-Brown in The Doctor, RS Elite 46, has moved to fifth overall and former International Fourteen World Champion Andy Partington, crewed by Rob Drumgold and Tony Philips in his newly-refurbished boat Lazy Daisy, RS Elite 66, has moved up into sixth place. Fourth and fifth places are separated by four points and fifth and sixth by one point. There are still lots of opportunities for place changing.

With one day to go the final result is still up for grabs.

Day 3

The third and final day of the RS Elite event in Chichester Harbour Race Week brought a second race win for Colin Smith’s Shaken Not Stirred (RS Elite 7) giving a four point led over Ossie Stewart’s More T Vicar (RS elite 67) in the six-race series. Third was Martin Jones’ Candida (RS Elite 113) which put in a consistent performance throughout the event. After the event Colin Smith commented “we were very pleased with the performance of the boat overall”, and Ossie Stewart commented “you can’t win ‘em all”.

Andy Partington took fourth place in his newly-refurbished Lazy Daisy (RS Elite 66). Lazy Daisy’s performance improved consistently throughout the series as the crew sorted out the boat and application of the discard allowed them to mitigate a poor performance on the first day. In fifth place was Steve Fisher (crewed by Elliot Caldwell and Sasha Thorne) in RS Elite 44 who moved up the rankings when discards were applied. Peter Copsey and crew in The Doctor (RS Elite 46) fished sixth overall having put in a consistent performance throughout the series.

As always in the RS Elite fleet competition was intense. In the six-race series, with one exception each race was won by a different boat. Of the thirteen entrants all came from Hayling Island Sailing Club with the exception of Martin Jones’ Candida which sailed under the burgee if Itchenor Sailing Club. The first three places in this event were taken by boats which had finished in the first four in the recent RS Elite International Grand Prix held at Cowes in June.