http://www.yccarnac.com/usa/regates/mondial-rs-feva-et-tera/resultats-rs-feva.html

The charter boats are now loaded and will depart for Carnac shortly. The forecast rain for Sunday is now unforecast - yipee! The forecast wind for Sunday, Monday is now also unforecast but with the sun due to shine in its place we could be looking good for a spot of seabreeze. This is only rough as yet with forecasts 5/6 days ahead of time being notorious for their lack of accuracy.... but it gets me into the mood so I'll tell you about it!

Believe it or not - the first boats have already arrived. Smart people from the land of Holland have taken it all as part of a much longer French vacation. They'll be so relaxed by the time the rest of us get there there must be a danger of a coma setting in!

But the fastest possibly were the North Welsh lot. They reckon that George & Ed and Rob & Becca were clocked at 13 knots. Personally I feel that that my ability to buy into that claimed record will depend in almost equal measure on the amount of vin rouge supplied to me next week! Anyway, here is some of the evidence they will rely on...

Off course it is entirely plausible that I'll be fully at it with the rest of the team setting registration etc up and perhaps doing a little blogging instead. Either way, the Worlds Live site is hopefully going live on Monday to start feeding you more info. That will ramp up in the days ahead and off course be as good as we can get duriing the racing. So if you are leaving anyone behind who is nuts enough to want to follow the action as close as we can get it, then tell them where we'll be on-line.

In the meantime I'll just have to live on the daydreams of it...

But biggest congratulation goes to Vikki Payne cos.... she WON! Couldn't have doone it without the camera man or Rib driver and especially Steffi Orton of course (superb tacks & gybes) but what a great prize... Here is part of the announcement by Henri Lloyd:

"Following the final stage of selection, where the finalists had to film themselves replicating sailing footage from Henri Lloyd Ambassador and TEAMORIGIN Skipper Ben Ainslie, the judging panel of Ben Ainslie CBE and representatives from Henri Lloyd and TEAMORIGIN selected the two winners, whom we are delighted to announce are Ross Mackley, Fareham in the Under 13 age category and Vikki Payne, Emsworth in the Under 16 age category.

The finalists have won the fantastic prize, of £500 each to go towards their sailing costs and £350 worth of Henri Lloyd products, plus the opportunity to experience a day in the life of Ben Ainslie CBE and TEAMORIGIN which is going to take place during the 1851 Cup at Cowes in August.

Henri Lloyd would like to thank all the entrants for taking the time to enter the Henri Lloyd Mentor Scheme and hope that they will enter again in 2011."

Taking advantage with Finbar Prestons brand new, never touched the water, watertight, out of the bag yesterday boat he and Will Acres helming won comfortably enough despite a last minute splosh. Attempting a showboating finish with a stand on the gunwhale crossing of the finish line in R4 Will took a close up sampling of the salinity of the harbour. He reports that it was indeed salty, phew - no change there then! In second was the recently returned from Poland and the Oppie Europeans Jemima Lawson crewed by the dependable Lily Summers. Taking full advantage of the Acres dip were Hugo Tucker & Tim Collino who thereby snuck a 3rd place ahead of Phoebe Warren & Tabbie Peel.

After racing came the greasy pole pillow fight and the surfboard simulator where a goodly number of moves were attempted. Laugh? I nearly..., well you get the picture.

Not sure about reports of events/sailing elswhere as I haven't received any yet but I do know that Draycote had another of their rather good Feva, 29er training weekends. I'm sure we'll hear from them yet.

I know that Ben Binmore has been a bit of a hit with his occassional forrays in the class this year but having seen him in this neck of the woods yesterday delivering his Cadet for transport to the Cadet Worlds in Poland we'd better wish him and all his fellow team members all the best. Go for it Ben! I feel a bit envious of him having competed myself in a Cadet in Poland (when it was behind the Iron Curtain!) about 6km away from Puck in about 1976. The place had the rather catchy name - Wladislawowo!

Royal Torbay YC set up the most incredible finale to the season’s GKO Grand Prix circuit. Saturday was almost Med-like with 12kts up to periods of 19kts in Race 2 and back down to 14kts by the end. Sunday was more Brit-like – sunny spells but a thumping 22kts average at the start rising to a sustained 24kts with dash more thrown in during the gusts. For the less experienced it was a baptism of fire, for the experienced it became attritional with only 18 finishers. Those who got their kites up – most at some stage or other needed medical attention to have the excess adrenaline drained off.

Owen Bowerman & Charlie Darling (Hayling Island SC) took pole position after Saturday’s racing but it wasn’t entirely one sided. It was a narrow lead over Rob & Emma Loveridge (Draycote Water SC) in 2nd and the Matteo’s - Pilati and Saccarola from Venice - yes, Italy (there were two boats from Venice and one from Lake Iseo - the next one west of Garda - competing !).  Ruth & Tess Allan (Emsworth SC) weren’t getting dropped off the pace to easily either and the superb Torquay Toreadors were breathing down everyone else’s necks.  Sunday was set for a shootout - and so it was.

The forecast for was for plenty of adrenaline from the SW. It was wrong - there was more than plenty! Owen Bowerman & Charlie Darling showed that they had mastered a bit of a breeze but sadly I think that it was black flag that did for them in the first of the days races. Only two were possible as it turned out. Rob & Emma Loveridge got to both first windward marks in the leading group and then lit the bay up. At appropriate moments they kept the bow up and just shot away. Superb kite work blasted them into the lead which they didn’t relinquish in either of the day’s races.

Ruth & Tess Allan surely got teamwork and performance of the day (ignoring the rather speedy Loveridges here just for effect) - having broken a shroud they got a team of six parents working in perfect harmony to get them afloat again in less time than it takes a lamb to shake its tail. Two and a half minutes’ late for the start but still pinged in at 11th. Cool.  Adam & Lisa Kay (Warsash SC) showed  superb control when all around them were water sampling to claim 2nd in the denouement. Jovian Short & James Barlow led the trio of Torquay Toreadors home after a superbly consistent series in 6th overall whilst the other two in the Top 10 were the marvellously inconsistent (18,1,13,3,41 - see what I mean!) but brilliant Morgan Peach & Herbie Harford in 9th whilst in 8th were rock star Ben Binmore and guest rock star Will Acres.

The Matteos had a torrid final day but still nailed 4th down whilst the irrepressible Emily Peters & Alice Masterman secured 7th (2nd HISC boat in Top 10) whilst Hugo Tucker & Tim Collino were good value in the breeze for 10th (2nd Emsworth boat).

Spot prizes went to birthday girls (Sarah Hussey), the only 7 year old in the fleet, the newest pairing from North Wales to come to a Grand Prix (Becca Morris & Ed Shelley – a gentle warm up prior to getting serious!). This event was the last of the GKO Grand Prix circuit (the series runs Sept to Sept). In a tie break situation it was decided that the trophy would be shared and so the sibling teams of Ruth & Tess Allan along with Rob & Emma Loveridge share the GKO Grand Prix circuit title.

Adrian Peach and the marvellous members of the Royal Torbay YC deserve enormous credit for what they have done over the last two years and this weekend in particular. Thank you.  And of course to GKO for the generous support in straightened times. Thank you all.  

Overnight positions after three races on Day 1 are available via the following links:

Click here for the provisional Junior results after Day 1 at the Torbay GP

Click here for the provisional Overall results after Day 1 at the Torbay GP

Click here for the provisional Series results after Day 1 at the Torbay GP

Click here to follow the action on and off the water on RS Feva Live!

The Torbay GP offers a similar racing experience to the venue for the Feva Worlds in weeks' time, and is a selection event for Team GBR to go to the Irish Nationals at the end of August.

RS Feva Live! is broadcasting from Torbay all weekend - follow the action on and off the water via RSFeva.org/GrandPrix

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See BBC iPlayer for the Glastonbury 'moment' or watch the YouTube version from Pandemonium: Live at the O2 Arena, London, 21st December 2009 (CD+DVD) here . . .

. . . and click here for tickets to 'Go West' to the Torbay RS Feva Grand Prix this weekend!