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WINDY FINALE FOR WARSASH SPRING SERIES
The final gathering for the
Warsash Spring Series and Spring Championship took place over 28th/29th
April 2012 and was sponsored by SLAM. Earlier in the season, conditions had
been bright, sunny and light, but this was all set to change. After a very damp
week, the rain looked like continuing and more importantly forecasts
highlighted gusts to 50 knots over the
Saturday 28th April – Warsash Spring
Championship Day 3, powered by SLAM
Four races were scheduled for
Black Group on Day 3. The breeze came mainly from the northeast but with
frequent minor oscillations. The
committee boat set up station between North Ryde Middle and Mackley
buoys with a finish at Goodacre. Races 1 and 2 were
windward/leeward courses, two rounds totalling just under
eight miles, with a half-mile spreader at the windward end to take boats up
tide for an accurate run. Races 3 and 4 were shorter, except for the Farr 45s,
and as the tide had slackened, were simple windward/leewards.
The final race included a starboard leeward rounding – just to keep crews on
their toes! The breeze started around 11/12 knots for the first two races,
increasing to 14/15 knots in the afternoon. In the Farr 45s, RAN (Niklas Zennstrom) put in a good performance with five points from
four races, but having not competed on the previous weekend was not to feature
on the overall leaderboard. The closest finish came
for second and third places in Race 1, with three seconds separating Kolga (
This year all boats in IRC1
and IRC2 were eligible for the Spring Championships. As no discards are
allowed, consistency often paid. In IRC1 both Tokoloshe (Michael Batholomew) and Brevity
(Mark Devereux) scored no lower than 5th place but with four
wins, Tokoloshe
took a six point lead to repeat their success as class winner in 2011. Similarly in IRC2, two boats headed the pack
with Winston and Tarka II separated by two points after nine races. There was a close
tussle in the J/109s headed by Jahmali (Mike and Sarah Wallis) two points ahead of Outrajeous (Richard and Valerie Griffiths).
Returning to the J/80 class Stewart Hawthorn headed the fleet in J’ai Deux Amourswith J2x (Rob Larke) second. The turnout in
the Laser SB3 class was patchy but the Russian entry from Oleg Zherebstov improved to first place from his fifth position
in 2011. The Quarter Ton class knotched up 11 races
after which the Irish entry Anchor
Challenge (Diamuid Foley) was tied on points with
local sailor Louise Morton in Espada, but four bullets gave Diarmuid
the trophy.
Sunday 29th April – Warsash Spring Series
Day 5, Warsash Spring Championship Day 4
After a successful Saturday’s
racing, everyone hoped that the worst of the gale would go through the
This left the standings for
the Spring Series as at last week. After six races in IRC1 no one could catch Magnum III (Andrew Pearce), discarding
an 11th place and scoring no lower than fourth. Having enjoyed some
close racing at Spi Ouest
Warsash Sailing Club now
looks forward to the prizegiving for the Spring Series and Spring Championship,
at Shore House, Warsash, on Friday 18th May. All competitors and
crew will be welcome.
21st/22nd
April 2012
STEPPING UP THE PACE FOR WARSASH SPRING SERIES AND
CHAMPIONSHIP
It was a busy weekend for
Warsash Sailing Club on 21st/22nd April when Saturday racing
for the Spring Championship was added to the penultimate gathering of the
Spring Series the next day. New entries had also come in resulting in over 190
boats out on the water enjoying a range of weather conditions.
Saturday 21st April – Warsash Spring
Championship Day 1
The Warsash Spring
Championship offers an intense schedule of four days’ racing for selected
classes. This year all IRC1 and IRC2 boats are eligible as well as Farr 45 and
J/109 one designs. Sportsboats include Laser SB3, J/80 and Quarter-ton classes.
Sections are also included for Brewin Dolphin
Commodores’ Cup triallists with an entry of 17 boats ranging from Cobra (Michael Blair – King 40) to Mike Moxley’s HOD35 Malice,
well known on the Solent circuit, and the J/109s Yeoman of Wight and Diamond Jem. The planned programme aims at 12 races for Black
Group and 14 for White Group. The results of every race count towards the final
placings.
The forecast 5 knots d npot materialise in the morning and everyone waited for the
wind until around 1130. When the breeze arrived it was in the 8/10 knot range
west/southwesterly to westerly but shifty. Racing for
Black Group got underway just before noon near Fastnet Insurance buoy with
short windward/leeward courses set. In the afternoon the wind increased and
dark clouds formed resulting in gusts to 20 knots in the showers. This enabled
longer six mile courses to be set for the second and third races. It was a long
day for competitors who were finishing the third race after 1600, so it was sensibly
decided not to go for a fourth race. White Group racing under the lee of the
northern shore had less stable conditions and there was an interval of two
hours between the first and second races. Even so, three races were completed
except for the Quarter Tonners which just managed a short fourth race.
The Farr 45s enjoyed close
tussles.
IRC1 included a fair-sized
entry from J/Boat designs but in the event Michael Bartholomew’s King 40 Tokoloshe took
two wins with Trustmarque Quokka (Grand Soleil
43 Peter Rutter) taking one. IRC2 had a smaller entry
comprising First 40s and 40.7s, Elans and the Grand Soleil 39 Malaika. Winston
(First 40) squeezed a three second lead over sistership Tarka II in Race 1 but Tarka II came back on
form for the latter races. The CC class for Brewin
Dolphin Commodores’ Cup triallists produced three different winners: Eaujet, Philosophie IV and Magnum
III. Jahmali
gained two wins in the J/109s with Just So winning Race 2.
In both the SB3s and J/80s a
group of four boats has started to edge ahead of the rest of the
fleet. Including Team
Sunday 22nd April - Warsash Spring Series
Day 5, Warsash Spring Championship Day 2
Conditions in the morning
were bright and sunny with a forecast for increasing wind and squally showers.
In Black Group, IRC1, IRC2 and J/109s were scheduled for two races. IRC1 was joined by the Farr 45s and Commodores’
Cup triallists which made for a lively start of 27 boats. Even with an adverse
tide, the fleet pushed the line and were all recalled. IRC2 fared better with
only four individual recalls. Starting at Fastnet Insurance, the first leg was
a long beat to Air
The remaining Black Group classes enjoyed one longer
race using a combination of fixed and laid marks with a windward/leeward loop
towards the finish. The J/Sprit class got away cleanly but in others there were
several declared OCS, including some of the front runners for overall honours.
Again classes found themselves sailing alongside as the Sigma 38s caught IRC3
in the increasingly windy conditions. By this time the tide had turned.
Conditions became uncomfortable and the last downwind leg was littered with
broaching yachts. In the Sigma 38 class, the leaders were well bunched with Kindred Spirit (Rob and Julie Lee)
having their bow just ahead. However, the eagle-eyed race team had spotted them
starting early, enabling Mefisto
to add another first to their tally with an unassailable lead. It was good to
see Jamie Wilkinson and Philip Meakins out and
enjoying the racing too. Both Mike Bridges (IRC3) and Tony Mack (J/Sprit)
recorded consecutive wins.
With the first races completed for the relevant
classes the Black Group committee boat moved north and west for the start of
the second and shorter race. The wind had by now swung towards the southwest
which allowed the continued use of Air
In the second race, the entire J/109 class was OCS and
a general recall was signalled. They got away OK at the second attempt under a
‘Z’ flag preparatory signal. The afternoon conditions also suited the two sportboat classes racing near the entrance to Southampton
Water, although by the final race, conditions were brisk and even the front
runners in each class were having difficulty gybing
smoothly. Now joined by the Spring Championship contenders, Laser SB3s and
J/80s hade increased in class size to 20 plus. With the J/80 World
Championships being held at
Next weekend has the grand finale on 28th/29th
April with a full schedule of racing over the weekend which sees the conclusion
of both events in the Warsash Spring Series and Spring Championship Powered by
SLAM.
15th
April 2012
WARSASH SPRING SERIES RESUMES IN LIVELY CONDITIONS
The second half of the
Warsash Spring Series arrived on 15th April after a break for
Easter. Following three Sundays of light and fickle breezes, competitors were
greeted with a brisk if chilly northerly of 12-14 knots, which a little
unexpectedly rose to over 20 knots by late morning.
The Black Group fleet raced
from a start line on Ryde Middle bank on courses designed to include the
occasional reach, interspersed with beats and runs. The start sequence stayed
on schedule until an over eager IRC3 class forced a general recall. They only
had a short wait to allow the Sigma 38s to get away before trying again. Even
with the tide keeping them away from the line three boats managed to transgress
on the restart and were scored OCS. All classes shared
common marks for the start and end of each race with the middle section of each
course suitably adjusted to suit the different classes.
In IRC1 Keromino (Jonathon Goring) was
fast out of the blocks. She pulled ahead immediately on the first beat and
continued to lead the class until a problem with her spinnaker in the middle of
the race allowed Magnum III (Andrew
Pearce) to overhaul her and stretch a lead to 12 minutes at the line and nearly
5 minutes on handicap. This gives Pearce a commanding lead in the class with
two weeks to go. A group of five boats broke away at the front of IRC2 and
after some intense racing
Visit Malta Puma (Sailing Logic) took the gun. However, Mike West’s Eaujet, back from racing in
The J/109 class has a dozen
entries this year and so far each race has produced a different winner. This
week it was newcomer Jonnie Goodwin’s Harlequin
that was top boat. This was his first race in the series and the team put in a
very strong performance to beat David & Mary McGough’s
Just So by over four minutes. If Harlequin competes similarly in the next
two weeks, there could well be a shake up in the results. In the mixed J/Sprit
class, another newcomer had a good day. The J/105 Journeymaker V (Chris Jones), as the biggest boat in the class, revelled in the
conditions to take line honours but three minutes behind him and less than a
boat’s length apart Tony Mack’s McFly just beat Induljence (Nick
& Adam Munday) to the line to take the class win
on his first outing. Class leader J’ronimo (David
Greenhalgh & John Taylor) could only manage fourth in their slightly
smaller J/92.
In the light winds of the
first half of the series the Sigma 38 class had been dominated by Kevin Sussmilch’s Mefisto. The change in conditions made no difference. Mefisto
established a lead on the first beat and although the racing was extremely
tight behind no one could make a dent in this lead. In the dash for the line Pavlova III (Max Walker), Zanzara (Nick Gale) and With Alacrity (Chris & Vanessa
Choules) finished within 10 seconds of each other. After their general recall
IRC3 were given an amended and slightly shorter course. John Barrett’s Stiletto looked a comfortable winner on
the water but found that they were one of the boats adjudged OCS. This left Elaine (Mike Bridges), Neville Hodkin’s 362 Extra Djinn and the Bateson Family entry Starspray topping the class. With the wind increasing, the final downwind
leg was particularly exciting with boats alongside each other at times. In IRC4 the Sigma 33 Prospero of Hamble (Jack Fraser) took a first gun of the series but Ben Meakins’ Impala Polly
was sailing off a much lower handicap and
recorded their second class win.
On the White Group sportsboat
course, set to the north and under the shelter of the Meon
shore, both the J/80s and the Laser SB3s were given a gate at the bottom of the
course. In the first strong breeze of the year, for many of them the retrieval
of gennakers proved to be a significant factor and
some ended up having to sail longer windward legs than expected. In the first
race it became apparent that boats sailing to the shifts made the most gains.
Under the lee of the Meon shore the northerly wind
was much more susceptible to shifting and the boats that chose to go for the laylines tended to lose out. Two boats dominated the J/80
class. Rob Larke (J2x) won all three
races and he was followed home each time by Ian Atkins in boats.com. It was a
similar tale in the Laser SB3s. Joe Llewellyn, racing for the first time in Henri Lloyd, took all three guns. The
minor honours were split between Robina (Jo Lloyd) and David Cummins’ Rumbleflurg. At present Robina leads overall as Rumbleflurg missed the first day’s racing.
Next weekend the pace hots up with racing on both days for the Warsash Spring
Championship, including a section with triallists for the Brewin
Dolphin Commodores’
Cup. The fifth week of the Warsash Spring Series continues on Sunday 22nd
April
MORE
SUNSHINE FOR THE SPRING SERIES
The light conditions continued for the third week of
the Warsash Spring Series on Sunday 1st April. With a forecast 7/8
knots north-easterly diminishing and veering southeasterly
then southerly, the Black Group committee boat set up station at Flying Fish
buoy.
The early breeze enabled the first three classes to go
ahead without delay. IRC1 and IRC2 got clear away on time. For the J/109 class
the wind started drifting right and the boats were bunched at the committee
boat end. Red Arrow (RAFYC) started
prematurely and had to return. The sequence was then halted briefly as the wind
swung, the line was adjusted and a new windward mark plotted. After the turning
point, all classes were taken to East Knoll, West Knoll and South Bramble. Into
the second leg, the breeze turned very light and fickle with large patches of
calm water. Andrew Pearce’s Ker 40 Magnum III, the leading IRC1 boat, had
built a good lead over second placed J-Dream
David and Kirsty Apthorp’s J/111 but both used very
different tactics for the run past the Brambles Bank. In fact, it seemed from
the first two classes that every tactician had a different idea on the best
route south.
For the smaller classes, the problems increased as the
route to the windward mark at Fastnet Insurance became increasingly difficult.
The introduction this year of a separate class for
J/Sprit boats has enabled a mix of mainly J/92s and J/97s to enjoy some very
close racing which has resulted in the only perfect score in the series so far.
David Greenhalgh and John Taylor’s J’Ronimo has won all three races, this week by an impressive
margin of six minutes. Mike and Sarah Willis (Jahmali) added a win to their two
second places to edge ahead of David McLeman’s Offbeat in the J/109 standings. A
leading group of five Sigma 38s managed to break away at the top mark and in an
extremely hard fought leg back to West Knoll Mefisto (Kevin Sussmilch) and Nick Gale’s Zanzara sailed above the early
leader Light (John Rainger) to take
the first two places. By the finish, Kindred
Spirit (Rob and Julie Lee) took third place just 14 seconds ahead of Light.
The sportsboats in White Group had set up stall near
the entrance to Southampton Water and initially there was enough breeze to get both classes away on time. A significant wind
shift on the first lap negated the windward/leeward design of the course and
made for a somewhat processional race. Being closer inshore, the new south-southeasterly breeze took some time to reach the race
course. However, the upside of this was that the sportsboats did not have to
suffer the gradual shift in wind direction that had affected the Black Group.
By 1230, the wind had steadied and strengthened sufficiently to allow both
classes two more good races. David Cummins, having missed last week, made a
clean sweep in Rumbleflurg.
Rob Larke (J2X) with two wins this
week has opened up a small lead at the halfway stage in the J/80 class.
The Warsash Spring Series now takes a short break for
the Easter holidays and resumes on Sunday 15th April.
SECOND WEEK
FOR WARSASH SPRING SERIES
British Summer Time arrived for the second week of the
Warsash Spring Series on 25th March 2012 but the early start did not
deter the hundreds of sailors ready to compete. The wind played plenty of
tricks but the full schedule of races was completed, albeit rather later in the
day.
In a light and fickle breeze the Black Group committee
boat initially waited at Hill Head buoy for the wind to fill in and steady.
IRC4 had a separate start line nearer inshore. They benefited from better
conditions and got away with only a slight delay. For the remaining six classes
there was a longer postponement. The committee boat moved further north and at
1220 IRC1 and IRC2 were combined for a start near South Coast Sailing using a
course of laid and fixed marks finishing at Hill Head. The J/Sprit and J/109
classes were also amalgamated followed by IRC3 and Sigma 38s racing together.
Although the breeze stayed at 6 to 9 knots over the racing period, it swung by
40 degrees to turn beats and runs into reaches, with only minimal use of
spinnakers.
In IRC4 the lead was constantly
changing, especially between the two Impalas, though by the line and after a
two hour race it was Warsash veteran Bernard Fyans helming his Mustang 30 Erik the Red who managed to gain
enough lead to take both line and class honours.
Closer to the mainland shore the
J/80s and SB3s also started. By the top mark the J/80s found that getting clean
air was the priority and the fleet tended to sail higher than the spread mark.
Those who succeeded made big gains. However the downside was when they gybed those boats found themselves to leeward of all the
others. Progress back to the bottom mark was very protracted and the race
officers made the sensible decision to shorten the course. Mark Baskerville
helming Mistral was the main
beneficiary and took his first gun of the series. One J/80 helm was heard to
say that racing in two different winds systems with a hole in the middle was
not his idea of fun and could they all be sent home. CRO
In IRC 1 and IRC2, a few boats were
adjudged OCS. In IRC 1 the Farr 45 RAN (Niklas Zennstrom) led the way but, on the first lap, she was hotly
pursued by Kolga
(
Over on the Sportsboat course racing
was finally resumed just before 13:00 and with a decent southeasterly
breeze the fleets enjoyed two good races. Honours were shared in the J/80s
where Rob Larke (J2x) and Ian
Atkins (Boats.com) won a race
apiece but in the SB3s Andrew Oddie found good boat
speed in Underground Toys to
take both races.
The Warsash Spring Series continues until 29th
April.
18th
March 2012
CHALLENGING
START FOR THE WARSASH SPRING SERIES
The 29th edition of the Warsash Spring
Series got underway on 18th March 2012 and on a day when the wind
went from zero then up to 16 knots in the short sharp squalls, both competitors
and race officers needed to think quickly.
Forecasts varied but in the main indicated a high pressure area over the south of
The Black Group committee boat had set up station near
East Bramble and at 1050 IRC1 were sent on a course with Prince Consort buoy off
Meanwhile, it was back to the chart table for the race
officers on Condor to design another
new set of courses for the remaining four Black Group classes. This time West
Knoll was the windward mark giving navigators the test of judging tidal heights
as they skirted the Bramble Bank. Only one failed and spent an extended break
aground until the tide rose again in the afternoon. To save time, IRC3 and the
Sigma 38s had a combined start making for a busy line. As these boats headed
west, grey clouds were forming over the Bramble Bank and these brought lively gusts
leaving crews to wonder whether to peel headsails that had initially been set
for 5 knots of breeze. No sooner had it arrived, than the wind lessened and
turned the run to Universal buoy into a fetch. On completion of the second
beat, the wind vanished leaving boats becalmed and pointing in every direction,
some with white sails, others with spinnakers. The
decision was taken to shorten after the fourth leg and many were grateful for
the now east-going tide to reach the finish. For IRC1 and IRC2 the course had
been amended to omit the penultimate mark and turn the last leg into a beat.
Boats headed slowly for the laid finish mark near Flying Fish.
In IRC1 RAN
reached the windward mark first and held a small lead over sistership Kolga (
White Group this year includes classes for J/80s and
Laser SB3s, evenly spread on entries. For this first week, it was the J/80
crews who proved the hardier and turned out in numbers. With a racing area
closer in shore, CRO
The Warsash Spring Series returns on 25th
March and continues until 29th April.
WEATHERWHIZ
SUPPORTS WARSASH SPRING SERIES
Warsash Sailing Club is delighted to have the expertise
of professional sports weather forecaster Weatherwhiz
on board throughout the Warsash Spring Series, which gets underway from Sunday
18th March 2012.
Weatherwhiz will be working with the race management group
providing information on both pre-race and
race days so that the team can maximise the best racing conditions to
ensure another highly successful and competitive series. Competitors can also
benefit from a free, basic forecast available throughout the event.
12th
March 2012
WARSASH
SPRING SERIES – READY FOR ACTION!
Spring was certainly in the air on 11th
March for the 50-strong race management team for the Warsash Spring Series and
Spring Championship 2012, when a full dress rehearsal was held for the
As well as the six Spring Series Sundays, the Spring
Championship is being held on the final two weekends with multiple races for
IRC1, IRC2, Farr 45, J/109, Laser SB3, J/80 and Quarter Tonners. There is also
a separate class for triallists for the Brewin
Dolphin Commodores’ Cup, currently with 10 entries, including David Aisher (Yeoman of Wight), Peter Morton (Salvo), Jim Macgregor (Premier Flair) and Andrew McIrvine (La Reponse).
Many class trophy winners of 2011 are returning to the
fray to defend their titles – Ran
(IRC1), Stiletto (IRC3), Erik the Red (IRC4), Jahmali (J/109) and Aqua-J (J/80). David and Kirsty Apthorp
have been keen contenders in the J/109 division for several years but for 2012
their J-Dream is a J/111 which will
enjoy keen competition with sisterships Icarus, Jeez Louise and
Shmokin Joe. The J/80 section continues to grow
in popularity, with Stewart Hawthorn and Nick and Annie Haigh swapping from
Black Group classes. The increase in numbers may perhaps be due to the World
Championships being held in
Warsash Sailing Club extends a warm welcome to all
competitors at Shore house in the entrance to the
Provisional results are emailed to each entry as soon
as they are available and displayed on the website www.warsashspringseries.org.uk. Further entries are welcome for the Spring Series,
Spring Championship or individual days.
20 December
2011
INNOVATIONS
INTRODUCED FOR WARSASH SPRING SERIES 2012
Warsash Spring Series is now in its 29th
year and the 2012 event gets underway from Sunday 18th March. Again
the Spring Series and Spring Championship will follow the popular tried and
tested formula but the race management team at Warsash Sailing Club has also
taken on board feedback from competitors with a view to improving the event
still further.
· New for the 2012 Spring Series will be a J-Sprit class
for J/105, J/100, J/97, J/95 and J/92 designs, racing together under IRC
ratings. Spring Series Chairman Peter Bateson commented: “We feel this addition
will benefit those boats with very similar sailing characteristics and
competitors can enjoy courses designed for them, rather than sharing with
conventionally rigged boats.”
· The Spring Championship weekends, with racing on
Saturday and Sunday, are being held on 21st/22nd and 28th/29th
April. Classes for 2012 can include the whole of IRC1 and IRC2, rather than
being limited to the light displacement “big boats” of previous years. Racing
will also be arranged for triallists aiming at selection for the Brewin Dolphin Commodores’ Cup.
· A text messaging system is being tried for 2012 which
will improve pre-race communications with competitors.
Sports boats (up to 8.5m LOA and DLR 160 or less) are
welcome to enter under IRC and if at least eight are entered by 9th
March, then a separate sports boat class can be provided.
Lower-rated IRC4 boats are especially welcome in the
Series and will again have a 1000 start from their own line closer to the
mainland shore off Hill Head.
The Spring Series will include four IRC classes plus
J/109, Sigma 38, Laser SB3 and J/80 in addition to the new J-Sprit division.
Spring Championship weekends will cater for IRC1 and IRC2 boats as well as Farr
45, J/109, Laser SB3, J/80 and Quarter Ton classes plus triallists for the Brewin Dolphin Commodores’ Cup.
The provisional Notice of Race is now published on www.warsashspringseries.org.uk
and competitors will be pleased to know that entry fees have been kept at their
2011 rates.
DATES
ANNOUNCED FOR WARSASH SPRING SERIES 2012
Warsash Sailing Club has announced the dates for the
2012 Warsash Spring Series – the
The dates for the Warsash Spring Championship, with
racing on Saturday and Sunday, are 21st/22nd April and 28th/29th
April. Here selected Black Group boats (including the “Big Boat” classes,
J/109s and Farr 45s) will enjoy a total of 12 races. On the same dates White
Group sportsboats have 14 races.
Spring Series Chairman Peter Bateson said: “The Spring
Series and Spring Championship will follow the popular format but we are
introducing some innovations, which will be announced later. Our aim as always
is to provide a first class, well run event afloat, a friendly welcome ashore
and good value for money to competitors.”
A free ferry service is on hand to bring all competitors to Warsash
Sailing Club’s premises near the entrance to the River Hamble after racing.
Enquiries regarding the event can be made to admin@warsashspringseries.org.uk.
Anyone interested can also sign up for email updates through the website www.warsashspringseries.org.uk.