01 September 2021
Paul Fisk and crew (Caroline Fisk and Richard Tucker) sailing RS Elite 110 Legs Eleven have won the RS Elite Eastern Area Championship hosted by the Royal Burnham Yacht Club over the Bank Holiday weekend of 28th to 30th August at the beginning of Burnham Week.
In an event which saw some of the close and competitive racing that we expect from the RS Elite class Legs eleven scored an impressive five wins out of six races. Discarding a second place in race four gave them an unbeatable net score of five points. In second place was RS Elite 48 Oink Squeal sailed by Bill Blank and Richard Turner with a final score of 10 points. Oink Squeal heaped lots of pressure on Legs Eleven throughout the event, winning race four (the only race that Legs Eleven did not win) and taking three seconds and one third place.
Competition for third fourth and fifth places was no less fierce with one point separating all three places. Third placed RS Elite 21 The Outlaw sailed by Zandy Hobday and crew and fourth placed RS Elite 68 Serious Moonlight sailed by Richard Bavin and crew were tied on a final net score of 18 points with the tie resolved on countback. RS Elite 107 All The Gear sailed by Neil Fulcher and crew took fifth place with 19 points.
The event was held on then Bank Holiday weekend of 28th to 30th August. Six races (two per day) were held in the river Roach and the 10 boat fleet enjoyed a gusty northerly breeze which varied in strength from eight knots or less to a maximum of 15 knots. All courses were windward/leeward with reaching starts and finishes.
This was the penultimate championship event for the RS Elites in 2021. In a season which started with lockdowns and restrictions the class is now getting back to business as usual. The final event will be the Irish National Championship to be held at Strangford Lough on the weekend of 11th to 12th September.
Overall Results:
| Pos | Sail No | Boat Name | Helm | Crew | Club | R1 | R2 | R3 | R4 | R5 | R6 | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | EL110 | Legs Eleven | Paul Fisk | Caroline Fisk Richard Tucker | Emsworth SC | 1 | 1 | 1 | (2) | 1 | 1 | 5 |
| 2nd | EL48 | Oink Squeal | Bill Blank | Richard Turner | EYC | 3 | 2 | (6) | 1 | 2 | 2 | 10 |
| 3rd | EL21 | The Outlaw | Zandy Hobday | Tory Hobday | RBYC | 2 | (6) | 3 | 4 | 6 | 3 | 18 |
| 4th | EL68 | Serious Moonlight | Richard Bavin | Joey Thompson Duncan Haley | RBYC | (4) | 3 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 18 |
| 5th | EL107 | All the Gear | Neil Fulcher | Philipa | RBYC | (5) | 4 | 2 | 5 | 3 | 5 | 19 |
| 6th | EL102 | Anduril | Adrian Olsen | Michael Lovell Terry Wilmott | RBYC | 6 | 5 | 5 | (7) | 5 | 7 | 28 |
| 7th | EL22 | Excalibur | Roger Martin | Graham Adams | RBYC | (7) | 7 | 7 | 6 | 7 | 6 | 33 |
| 8th | EL043 | Boudicca | Angus Bates | Annabel Bates | RBYC | 8 | 10 | (RET) | 8 | 8 | 8 | 42 |
| 9th | EL75 | Carrera | Jonathan Durbin | Mark Taylor | RBYC | 9 | 8 | 8 | 9 | (DNC) | DNC | 45 |
| 10th | EL31 | Grand Slam | Gareth Edwards | Peter Jenkins | RBYC | (10) | 9 | 9 | 10 | 9 | 9 | 46 |