SPARKLING
Warsash Sailing Club was a busy place over the weekend
of 24th/25th April when the Warsash Spring Series and Spring
Championship reached their final stages. Conditions in the
Warsash
Spring Championship – Second weekend (24th/25th April 2010)
At 39 entries, the Laser SB3 class was the largest in
the Spring Championship, including representation from the Royal Signals, Royal
Navy and Royal Air Force. Having been on their best behaviour over the first
weekend, competitiveness got the better of the fleet on the final Saturday with
the ‘Black Flag Rule’ used for every race. The wind was steady throughout and
only minor adjustments needed to be made to the line for the four races
completed. Those on the anchored committee boat had a grandstand view of the
close racing at the end of the runs as the boats planed by causing severe chop.
The verdict was “uncomfortable but highly entertaining.”
On Sunday the breeze had increased and there was no
problem completing the last three races giving 11 results to count for the
two-weekend championship. Craig Burlton (Gill
Race Team) was the runaway winner on 28 points with Geoff Carveth second on
52 points. The Russian sail number of Oleg Zherebzor came third with Champagne Blonde whilst Sponge Bob and Selden Mast were equal on points but Sponge Bob took fourth place on countback.
The J/80s completed 12 races over the course of the
Spring Championship, each of between 40 and 60 minutes. Again there was a
distinct winner in John Cooper’s Oi! which had never dropped below fifth place. Terry Palmer’s Just Do It and Steve Chappell’s Jango Fett were only five points apart
coming second and third.
Triallists for the Rolex Commodore’s Cup joined the
Black Group section of the Spring Championship over the final weekend. Cracklin Rosie (Corby 40), Artemis (Grand Soleil 43) and La Reponse (Beneteau First 40) raced
with the Big Boat class and the 10 boats trialling for Class 3 of the
Commodore’s Cup raced alongside the First 40.7s. Six races were completed over the weekend.
On Saturday with the wind east-south-east in the 10/12
knot range, the committee boat set up station between Universal Marina and East
Bramble buoys. The windward/leeward courses used a mixture of laid and fixed
marks. Farr 45s and the Big Boat classes were the first two away using a six
mile course. Remaining classes’ courses were slightly shorter and the tide had
turned halfway through the scheduled programme.
Fraxious and Rebel
shared the Farr 45 honours, both winning two races by the end of the day. Guy
Prest sailed consistently well in the 40.7s posting four wins in Tarka. Johnny Vincent’s TP52 Pace only dropped one win in the Big
Boats and that was to RORC Commodore Andrew McIrvine’s new La Reponse. The separate Commodore’s Cup Trials class saw Jim Macgregor
on top form with his Elan 410 Premier
Flair. His nearest challenger was Steve Northmore and Chris Arscott’s A35 Waterjet.co.uk which took the first race
of the day.
Sunday’s breeze was stronger, with gusts to 18 knots. The
Spring Championship competitors enjoyed two races sailing in their relevant IRC
class. IRC1 saw a burst of over enthusiasm causing a general recall and a start
delayed until IRC2 were underway. This added zest to the procedure as the two
classes became amalgamated with a wall of spinnakers chasing their way from
South Bramble to a laid mark between Hamble Yacht Services and Fastnet
Insurance buoys. Although Fraxious was
again on good form in the Farr 45s, scoring a first and third, this was not
enough to beat Jerry Otter’s Werewolf which
had performed better over the first weekend of the Spring Championship. In the
Big Boats Pace again pulled out all
the stops ending the Championship on a high with two further wins and 34 points
ahead of her nearest rival Dark and
Steamy (Nick and Annie Haigh). Tarka
was taken to task by Portia (Andrew
Iyer) and Encore (Steven
Anderson/Jane Curwen) but nonetheless had secured a five point lead in the
Championship. Jim Macgregor and Premier
Flair had an enviable scoreline of five wins from six races and topped the
Commodore’s Cup Trials Class 3. Seven J/109s competed. Although J/Dream (Kirsty and David Apthorp)
counted six first places, Adam Wright in Velvet
Elvis had not dropped below second place and took the Championship trophy
by two points.
Warsash
Spring Series – Sixth Day (25th April 2010)
At 0830 when the committee boats left the Warsash
Sailing Club pontoon for the final day of racing in the Warsash Spring Series
the day was grey and drizzly, with poor visibility. It seemed very unlikely
that the superb conditions of the Spring Championship the day before would be
repeated but slowly, as the first start time approached, the rain died and by
1000 the south-westerly breeze was starting to fill. By midday the
The Black Group race team had a particularly complex
day’s racing. Not only was there the normal schedule for the Spring Series, but
the Spring Championship, including the Rolex Commodore’s Cup triallists, was
also to be concluded which meant two races for Spring Championship entries in
IRC1 and IRC2. The steady wind direction made course setting reasonably
straightforward and all classes could share the initial legs on a beat to South
Bramble with the tide followed by a gybe at Flying Fish and run to a laid mark.
Finishing was also at a common mark and the overall length of course was
adjusted as appropriate to the time scale. Going into the final day, only a few
classes, including IRC2, IRC4 and the J/109s, were a foregone conclusion and even
then final places further down were still in contention.
IRC1’s first start was subject to a general recall and
postponed until after IRC2 whilst other classes got away cleanly. The Farr 45s
proved to be the fastest boats round the course in IRC1. In the morning race
Jack Pringle’s Fraxious took line
honours but behind him there was little to separate the other 45 footers.
However, it was Michael Bartholomew’s King 40 Tokoloshe that won on handicap, repeating this success in the
afternoon. The overall series winner was
Commodore’s Cup triallist Paul Turner in Artemis
over Ian Matthews’ Jinja.
IRC2 was augmented by the Class 3 Commodore’s Cup
boats and one of these, Poole-based Jim Macgregor, returned to the Solent
showing he had lost none of his touch for sailing in these waters. He made a
perfect pin end start in Premier Flair
in the morning, was first to the windward mark and had a lead of five minutes
at the finish line. Four boats – two First 40.7s and two Reflex 38s – had been
at the head of the class all series. Andrew Iyer’s Portia had established a winning lead but there was a fair amount
of rivalry between Sailing Logic’s two Reflex 38s. These two kept close company
for most of the race and it was not until they split gybes on the penultimate
run that Phillippe Falle’s Visit Malta
managed to draw ahead of Jaguar Logic,
with Tim Thubron helming. Visit
It was a topsy-turvy day in IRC3. The only leading
contender to record a decent finish was the new First 35 Stiletto (John Barrett/Paul Woodward) in fourth place. The race
was won by Mike Bridges in the Elan 37 Elaine
and this result pulled him up to fourth overall in the series. The pre-race
leaders Juno (Charles Wittam) and Jika-Jika (Mike and Jamie Holmes)
finished well down the fleet but were able to retain first and second places
overall. Stiletto was unlucky to
finish on the same points as Jika-Jika
only to lose out on countback. The perfect final score went to Warsash Sailing
Club members
In the J-Boat one design classes, J-Dream had already secured the series win going into the day but
she had a real tussle with Velvet Elvis
(Adam Wright) for the first half of the race before pulling out a four minute
lead at the line. Offbeat managed to
overtake Velvet Elvis for second
place. The first three boats in the J/105 class had been separated by a single
point so Rob Dornton Duff’s second consecutive win in Java ahead of Journeymaker 5
(Chris Jones) was sufficient to take the series win. Paul Griffiths’ Fay-J did not compete on the final day
but finished third overall. Jammin
won the last J/92 race but a second place for Rory and Cathy Staunton on Jaya secured them the series title.
On White Group things went straightforwardly with
course setting in the steady wind. The Laser SB3s had two general recalls on
the first race and another in the middle race when two boats were eliminated
under the ‘Black Flag Rule’. By the last race, a number of boats had decided
not to compete, so the start was clear. It was a clean sweep for Craig Burlton
in Gill Racing Team. Geoff Carveth
sailed as consistently as ever with no result worse than sixth and won the
class Spring Series title for the second time. Chris Cousins in Rumbleflurg improved to take second
place ahead of Sarah Allan in Sailboat
Spares.com with the Saxton boys fourth with Team Rola Trac.
In the J/80 class, competition has been very close.
This weekend saw Ian Atkins back in action with O.N.B.i.P(Our New Boat is in
GRAND FINALE
APPROACHES FOR WARSASH EVENT
Things were hotting up at Warsash Sailing Club over
the weekend of 17th/18th April in more ways than one.
Firstly, the Spring Championship got underway with a full schedule of racing on
Saturday as well as the Spring Series continuing into its fifth week on Sunday.
Then the high pressure system gave rise to Mediterranean-style temperatures but
it also meant the volcanic dust cloud remained over the
Warsash
Spring Championship – First weekend (17th/18th April
2010)
The Spring Championship takes place this year over the
final two weekends of the Spring Series. Black Group classes include “Big
Boats” ranging from the Farr 52 Bob (formerly
Bear of Britain) and the TP52 Pace to Jim MacGregor’s Elan 410 Flair. They were joined by Farr 45s,
First 40.7s and J/109s, as well as the beautiful International 12 metre Italia. White Group classes were offered
for Laser SB3s and J/80s with Quarter Tonners enjoying their Spring
Championship over 17th/18th April. No discards are allowed
for the Spring Championship – every race has to count.
On Saturday light conditions provided close and
challenging racing.
“I was expecting a difficult day but was pleased to
find the wind stayed steady from the south-east in the 5/8 knot range. We used
the same laid courses for four races. All the starts were very well behaved
with only one individual recall all day. Our only disappointment was that the
wind shifted slightly in the final race, making the last run one sided. On two
occasions three boats finished one second apart and I even had to declare a
dead heat between Bloo and Giraffe in Race 3. It was just too close
to call.”
It was a good day for Craig Burlton and his crew on Gill Race Team who completed the day
with nine points and no place lower than third. Oleg Zherebzor with Champagne
Blonde was ten points adrift followed by Team
Rola-Trac (Peter, Ben and Tim Saxton).
The J/80s’ and Quarter Tonners’ racing was managed by
Jon Spencer. He too completed the full schedule of racing. Steve Chappell on Jango Fett in the J/80s took two wins
bit slipped to ninth in Race 2 resulting in a total of 13 points. John Cooper in
Oi! gained
the top points for the day with only one win but a more consistent score. Ten
Quarter Tonners came to the line including Louise Morton on Espada and husband Peter on Anchor Challenge. Louise and her
all-female crew took three wins and a second to top the leaderboard at the end
of the day.
Further out in the
Warsash
Spring Series – Fifth Day (18th April 2010)
On Sunday the forecast was for even lighter winds.
Some crews took a good supply of Sunday newspapers hoping this ruse would
guarantee the arrival of a decent breeze. Unfortunately it didn’t work! Teams
took the opportunity of carrying out minor repairs or just enjoyed the
sunshine. The area round the Black Group committee boat at Universal Marina
buoy soon resembled a boat park. Further
inshore, the Laser SB3 fared no better and at noon they and all Black Group
classes were abandoned.
Fortunately, Jon Spencer tucked up inshore against the
Meon shore and found just enough early morning breeze
funnelling down Southampton Water to get one race going for the J/80s,
Sportsboats and Quarter Tonners. Even here the breeze faded away and the course
was shortened at the bottom mark.
In the J/80s Jango
Fett (Steve Chappell) made a cracking start at the pin end of the line.
Halfway up the first beat there was nothing to separate the leaders as they
crossed tacks. Jango Fett’s team read the wind well. Having
gone left into deeper water they then put in a long hitch inshore before
hitting the layline and making a tack out to the top mark. This was enough to
give her the lead ahead of Oi! (John Cooper) and Spitfire
(RAF SA). Oi! slowly pulled away but on the second run back Elle S’Appelle (Thor Askelund) gybed
inshore immediately, kept more breeze and arrived at the top mark just behind
the leader. This established the pecking order for the final lap.
The Quarter Tonners decided en bloc that the committee
boat was the place to start. The exception was Louise Morton’s Espada which, having sailed across from
TESTING
RACING AT WARSASH SPRING SERIES
Back after an Easter break, the Warsash Spring Series
continued on 11th April with the entries topping 200. There were
challenging conditions for Week 4 with the wind ranging between 9 and 14 knots.
The general mean direction was from the north-east, but local conditions
prevailed on the three separate race tracks. Jon Spencer, in charge of the
White Group J/80s and SBR Sportsboats, was closest inshore and reported the
wind moving to the east each time it faded. A little further out,
IRC1 got away on time and Jinja, Ian Matthews’ J/122, took a flyer from the pin end of the
line and established a winning lead within the first 10 minutes of the race.
Behind her, Paul Turner’s Grand Soleil 43 Artemis
and the Army Sailing Association’s British
Soldier had a close tussle until the last run when they split gybes. Artemis
found more breeze on the left-hand side to gain a
comfortable lead up to the last beat and finish at ‘Universal Marina’ buoy. Jinja is the fourth different winner in IRC 1 so the class is wide open with two races to
go.
IRC2 also got clean away but opinions amongst
tacticians were more divided and the class spread out up the first beat. At the
top mark the two Reflex 38s from the Sailing Logic group rounded first with a
small lead over the rest. Tim Thubron helming Jaguar Logic held his lead round the gybe mark at Hill Head and
south to Prince Consort but on the long second beat against the tide Visit Malta got ahead. Behind these two
boats, Martin Moody helming Eurof Philips’ Elan 410 Great Scot IV slowly caught up and then passed the leader. He
rounded West Ryde Middle with a 30 second lead but Philippe Falle driving Visit Malta put in a short tack, cleared
his wind and then got a lift that saw him point higher to take the gun by 40
seconds. Great Scot IV finished ahead
of Encore which took the win on
handicap.
Unusually, the highly competitive J/109 class was
slightly reluctant at the start. This gave David McCleman helming Offbeat, who had perhaps been watching
the earlier starts, the golden opportunity to grab the favoured position at the
pin end. He achieved an immediate lead. David Apthorp on J/Dream gained on the first beat and, although never far away,
could not get close enough to cause danger. IRC3 and the combined J/105 and
J/92 starts were subject to individual recalls. As the wind lightened towards
the
The only perfect record remains intact.
In White Group, the Laser SB3s were on their best
behaviour with clean starts in every race. A long 90 minute first race was
followed by two shorter ones and the fleet was still racing when everyone else
was on their way back to the Warsash Sailing Club bar. Craig Burlton in Gill Race Team was out for the first
time in the series and made an immediate impact. He took the morning race ahead
of Geoff Carveth and then came third, behind Geoff and Chris Cousins in Rumbleflurg in the middle race before
following Chris home in the final race.
No clear leader has yet emerged in the J/80 class. One
of the main contenders, Terry Palmer’s Just
Do It, was not out this weekend and his three “did not compete” scores have
been added to his overall points total. John Cooper in
Oi! took the
first race but the RAF Team Spitfire
made the best start of the second race. They managed to stay ahead of both Oi! and Charles
Somerset’s Loudwater down the run but
a poor spinnaker drop let both the others through. At the same time, Katie,
working foredeck on Jannine Stoodley’s Wairua
thought of having a quick swim but after testing the water temperature
decided against it and stayed on board. At the end of the third beat, Java Nano had made up a large deficit to
round the mark in the lead but a poor tactical decision on the final run put
her back in the pack. In the end, Loudwater
took the gun a few boat lengths ahead of Oi! Team Spitfire had their revenge in the final race establishing
a small lead to the finish. Loudwater
and Oi! finished
virtually level, only two seconds separating them. In the small SBR Sportsboat
class, it was a clean sweep with some smart teamwork by Southampton University
OTC’s Artificer.
CLOSE RACING
IN THE WARSASH SPRING SERIES
The third week of Warsash Sailing Club’s Spring Series
saw the first south-westerly breeze of the season. The wind stayed true in
direction with the strength varying from 10 to 14 knots, providing near ideal
sailing conditions if still cold. Despite the clocks going forward, competitors
were out early for practice with new entries joining the fleets.
The Black Group committee boat anchored near Hamble
Yacht Services buoy and used Air
The number of “Big Boats” competing has increased as
their Spring Championship after Easter approaches. Johnny Vincent’s TP52 Pace slowly pulled away from the Farr 45 Ran (Niklas Zennstrom). Finishing almost half an hour apart on the
water, the first four boats had a nail-biting result with only 28 seconds
between them on corrected time after handicaps were applied. However, after two
hours’ racing, the better handicapped Ran
took the win by 11 seconds. The third and fourth placed boats Jammy Dodger (Neil Martin) and Artemis (Paul Turner) were 13 and 17
seconds further back. The closeness of the result for widely differing boats
was a great testimony to the IRC rating system.
IRC2 was the first class of the series in Black Group
to blot their copybook with a general recall. Bunching at the outer distance
mark meant that they had to be sent to the back of the start sequence but even
then there were a number of individual recalls at the second attempt. Malice, Moya and Visit Malta all made good their errors but No Retreat and Great Scot IV
failed to return. This was particularly galling for Eurof Phillips helming Great Scot IV as, after a real battle
round the course with Andrew Iyer’s First 40.7 Portia, he reached the finishing
line first - only to get no result. This left Portia to claim a third consecutive win ahead of Jaguar Logic and Tradition Philosphie IV. Tangaroa
and Visit Malta tied for fourth
place.
The smaller boats were set a slightly different second
leg to Sunsail Events and this proved to be a fine spinnaker reach. In the 33-strong
IRC3 group the Bateson family’s Dehler 36 Starspray
took an early lead but behind her the fleet was closely packed. It was only
later in the race that the eventual winner, Charles Whittam’s X-34 Juno, managed to get close enough to
make his lower handicap pay. This is Juno’s
second win in three races and gives her a good lead going into the Easter
break. The results extracted from IRC 3 for the ten Sigma 38s competing saw Rob
Denning and John Rainger’s Light the
top boat, finishing over three minutes ahead of the nearest sistership With Alacrity
as well as scoring a third place in class.
At the J/109 start an individual recall caused both J/Dream and Just So to return and give the others a head start. Last week’s
winner Offbeat (David McLeman) was
unlucky to suffer sail damage when lying second and had to retire. This left Jeez Louise (James Arnell) with a clear
lead. The team on
J-Dream have proved very hard to beat
over the past two seasons. This week, despite their early mistake, they worked
hard to catch and overtake Jeez Louise
before the penultimate mark. This second win gives them a two point lead in the
series. The standings are even tighter in the J/105 class. Paul Griffiths
helming Fay-J won his second race but
is tied with Rob Dornton-Duff (Java)
in the series just one point behind leader Chris Jones’ Journeymaker 5. Roger Williams on Jos of Hamble won the
first race of the series and is a further one point adrift overall. The J/92
division has produced three different winners. This week Bill Howard’s Wizard cast a spell over the opposition,
although Dominic Homer’s Jekyll has
sailed consistently well to lead the class on series points.
IRC4 enjoyed a very close race. As the largest boat in
the class, Simon Law’s Dehler 36 Polly’s
Kettle took full advantage of her extra waterline speed to take the gun but
behind her the rest of the fleet battled away. On the final legs Menace III managed to put some daylight
between herself and the Mustang 30s.
Even so, she could not catch the leader or Alan Fraser’s Sigma 33 Prospero of Hamble. However, third was good enough to give Tim Rees and Derek
Moreland their third win on handicap and a perfect score at the halfway point
of the series.
Having sent IRC4 on their way, the team on Knight’s Challenge then had the task of
getting the Laser SB3s racing. The first two attempts produced general recalls
but the final result for Race 7 could not have been closer. After an hour’s
racing, the first six boats finished within 30 seconds. Chris Cousins squeezed Rumbleflurg home just one second ahead
of Team Rola-Trac (Saxton family) to
take his first win this series. Geoff Carveth then stepped up the pace to take
the next race ahead of the Saxtons and Jerry Hill in 3 Sad Old Blokes. In the final race, only Team Rola-Trac was called back and at the top mark Rumbleflurg led a group of four boats.
Carveth was caught on a port and starboard incident and had to take a 720
degree penalty on the spreader leg. This dropped him back in the pack. Andrew
Oddie helming In Your Pocket was
going well in second place and the order more or less remained on the second
beat. On the run it was noticeable that Carveth sailed a wider line on the port
gybe and picked up more speed. Judging the layline perfectly he arrived at the
bottom gate in fourth place but then a poor hoist combined with the decision to
stay out to the right let the others go left to pick up better pressure. Rumbleflurg and In Your Pocket made enough gains downwind to keep their positions
to the line.
On the other White Group course area, John Cooper
helming the J/80 Oi! had taken the first race from Terry Palmer’s Just Do It by 12 seconds. In the middle
race, it looked as if Palmer was going to get his revenge. He held a small lead
from Cooper at the top mark with Charles Somerset in Loudwater also mixing it. However over the next couple of legs,
Cooper made the right moves to edge ahead and finish
15 seconds up crossing the line. Cooper then made a clean sweep by taking the
last race with the RAF’s entry Spitfire
in second ahead of Loudwater.
The SBR Sportsboats class is the domain of the Hunter
707s. Liz Lotz and Peter Lloyd on Lutine
Belle missed the first day’s racing but over the last two weekends have
shared honours with the Southampton University OTC entry Artificer which leads on series points.
The Warsash Spring Series now takes a break for Easter
and reconvenes on 11th April. The final weekends
of 17th/18th and 24th/25th April lead up to a
grand finale with the addition of Saturday racing for the Spring Championship.
New entries are welcome and enquiries can be made to Warsash Sailing Club on
01489 583575, admin@warsashsc.org.uk
or visit www.warsashspringseries.org.uk.
CHALLENGING
CONDITIONS IN WARSASH SPRING SERIES
The sunshine continued for the second week of Warsash
Sailing Club’s Spring Series on 21st March but in stark contrast to
week one, the breeze was often elusive and tricky. The weather forecasts
varied, with wind speeds ranging from 4 to 15 knots, but in the main agreed a
north-westerly was due to back to the south-west or south.
IRC4 benefited from a start line off Hill Head harbour
and the CRO Phillip Gage got them away on time. The fleet immediately tacked
onto port, making for the shore to avoid the strong east-going tide. Last
week’s winner Menace III (
From the same start line, the White Group Laser SB3s
had a clean start for Race 1 but there was less certainty on tactics for the
first beat. Laser Chaotic (Jim Eynon)
started well under the committee boat and tacked straight away for the shore,
followed by most of the 37–strong fleet. Ann Jackson helming Excuse Me Gents made the brave and
conscious decision to stay out in the tide and get the better breeze. As the
wind lightened, those inshore slowed drastically whilst Excuse Me Gents kept
moving, arriving at the windward mark with a healthy lead. Once round the
spreader mark, the tide took her back to the bottom of the course where the
race was shortened. Chill Pill (Scott
Graham and Nick Elder) and Rumbleflurg
(Chris Cousins) managed to break away from the pack for the minor placings and
the rest of the fleet finished in their usual close order. Now the wind was on
the move and the next race was postponed for an hour to allow the new wind,
from the south-west, to steady. In the improved conditions, there were fewer
tactical choices. Geoff Carveth in his, as yet unnamed, boat GBR3053 took the
gun by 30 seconds with second to sixth places finishing within another minute.
At this point the wind oscillated, without settling sufficiently for a final
race.
The J/80s completed three races, under CRO
Looking for sufficient depth of water, the Black Group
committee boat set up station on Ryde Middle. After a short postponement, the
first three classes set off on an initial beat to a laid windward mark between
Flying Fish and Universal Marina buoys. Immediately after the J/109 class was
underway the wind died and remaining classes were postponed. By 1105,
conditions were so fickle that the J/109 race was abandoned by PRO
The latest period of light airs had persuaded the Race
Committee to shorten IRC1 at South East Ryde Middle and IRC2 at Browndown at
the end of a run. There were only two finishers in IRC1 and this week’s
champagne went to Jolly Jellyfish.
Andrew Iyer’s Portia took both line
and handicap honours in IRC2, giving a faultless score over the two weeks.
Carol Lo brought the X-35 Flying Pigs
home in second place and might have won but for the penalty they had accepted
earlier in the race. The courses for IRC3, J/105 and J/92s were also shortened.
Bill Blain’s new J/97 Batfish was the
first of the IRC3 boats to escape the doldrums at the bottom mark and had
established a four minute lead by the time they reached the finish.
The Warsash Spring Series runs on Sundays until 25th
April, with a break for Easter. New entries are welcome and enquiries can be
made to Warsash Sailing Club on 01489 583575, admin@warsashsc.org.uk
or visit www.warsashspringseries.org.uk.
PERFECT
START FOR WARSASH SPRING SERIES
Glorious sunshine and a steady breeze made for a
perfect first day of this year’s Warsash Spring Series on 14th
March. Competitors in the 170-strong entry list were out bright and early, some
putting into practice lessons learned during a Jim Saltonstall training session
organised by the Royal Southern Yacht Club the day before.
Black Group comprises four IRC classes plus one design
starts for J/109, J/105 and J/92. The committee boat set up station between
East Bramble and Universal Marina buoys. IRC1 had a laid windward mark near
Calshot cardinal buoy with windward/leeward legs cascading to a finish at West Knoll.
Niklas Zennstrom’s Farr 45 Ran made a
near perfect start and then drew steadily ahead to take line honours, but Paul
Turner’s lower rated Artemis (Grand
Soleil 43B) was close enough to win on handicap. This was an excellent
beginning for Artemis which is a
Rolex Commodore’s Cup triallist. A significant wind shift towards the north
then caused a postponement whilst the courses for the remaining classes were
re-orientated. Enthusiasm to get under way was reined in and all classes got
away first time.
IRC2 had an intriguing battle. Great Scott IV (Eurof Philips – Elan 410) took an early lead but
this was gradually eroded over the next few legs as both Andrew Iyer’s Portia and Sailing Logic’s Visit Malta Puma overtook. These three
boats pulled away from the pack and crossed the line within seconds of each
other but with her more favourable handicap, Portia came out on top.
There were newcomers to IRC3 including a pair of
Beneteau First 35s. The rating band ran from 0.955 up to 1.029, with the Elan
380 Brio the scratch boat. This range
also included Aindriu McCormack’s X-99 2XS,
successful winner of IRC4 in 2009. A short initial beat to Hamble Yacht
Services found nine boats in close contention with many calls for water. Tom
Snowball’s Beneteau 34.7 Mongoose
came out best, was first to round and complete a fast spinnaker hoist. As the
wind increased, touching 18 knots, there were decisions to be made on the best
sail plan to get through the livelier sea state. The Bateson family’s Dehler 36 Starspray took line honours but dropped
to third on handicap, giving Charles Wittam’s X-34 Juno a first place followed by Elaine.
Results further down the list were also close with eighth to tenth places
separated by under a minute. Sigma 38s were also racing
in IRC3 with double scoring. This week it was Peter and Fiona Diamond’s Rapscallion which headed this
level-rated group.
The family of J/Boats in Black Group has increased
this year by J/92s joining the J/105 start. Interestingly the finishing times
of the two classes overlapped, showing that a better sailed small boat can keep
up with the larger J/Boat design. The class wins went to Jos of Hamble (Roger Williams) and Jammin (Andrew Campbell). In the J/109s David and Kirsty Apthorp
continued where they left off last year by sailing J-Dream to victory. The smallest handicap class, IRC4, was given an
earlier start from the Laser SB3 committee boat closer in shore. This group
includes, amongst others, Sigma 33s, Mustang 30s, First 31.7s, half and quarter
tonners. Early indications show a very competitive class. Michael Fawcett
helming his Mustang 30 Hobby Horse
hit the front early but again the chasing pack closed in and by the finish line
Tim Rees and
Following the successful pattern of the past couple of
years, White Group is split into two separate courses. The Laser SB3s races are
run by
In the J/80s another trophy holder from 2009 was
competing but sadly this time Charles Somerset in Loudwater had to retire from the final contest having gained third
place in the preceding races behind Terry Palmer’s Just Do It and Elle S’Appelle
helmed by Thor Askeland. Mark Baskerville and Steve Sault took the final
victory on board Hoolingkazan.
Back at Warsash Sailing Club after racing, the weekly
class winners were presented with champagne whilst everyone enjoyed a
well-earned rest and time to catch up with sailing friends at the beginning of
the new season. Provisional results have been published on the Warsash Spring
Series website but are subject to updating when remaining 2010 ratings are
notified.
The Warsash Spring Series runs on Sundays until 25th
April, with a break for Easter. New entries are welcome and enquiries can be
made to Warsash Sailing Club on 01489 583575, admin@warsashsc.org.uk
or visit www.warsashspringseries.org.uk.
WARSASH
SPRING SERIES – READY FOR ACTION!
Bright but chilly conditions greeted the 50-strong
members of the race management team for the Warsash Spring Series 2010, when a full
dress rehearsal was held for the
As well as the six race Spring Series on Sundays, the
Spring Championship is being held on the final two weekends with multiple
races. Sportsboats and “Big Boats” share the Spring Championship dates of 17/18
and 24/25 April. The Quarter Ton class joins in on the penultimate weekend and
Commodore’s Cup triallists over the final one – a busy but exciting finale for
Warsash Sailing Club.
Entries currently show an increase over 2009 with
several class trophy winners returning to the fray. These include Werewolf (Farr 45 - Jerry Otter), 2XS (X99 – Aindriu McCormack), J/Dream (J/109 -Kirsty and David
Apthorp) and Java (J/105 – Rob
Dornton-Duff.) Keen competition is also
guaranteed in the Laser SB3s, currently 32-strong, where Geoff Carveth (Spring
Series winner) and Sarah Allan (Spring Championship winner) will again be
competing. First 40.7s and Sigma 38s are also well represented in Black Group
where a separate class for J/92s has been introduced this year.
Every year brings amendments to the seasonal race
marks and a special Warsash Spring Series Buoy
Racer chart is included with the Sailing Instructions and entry pack for
each skipper. Competitors are reminded
of the new buoys – “RORC” and “Royal London” – near the Bramble Bank. “Flying Fish” is some 140 yards due south of
its 2010 published position but will be re-laid after Easter in its correct new
spot.
After racing, Warsash Sailing Club extends a warm
welcome to all competitors at Shore House in the entrance to the
Enquiries regarding the Warsash Spring Series can be
made to Warsash Sailing Club on 01489 583575, admin@warsashsc.org.uk
or visit our website www.warsashspringseries.org.uk.
EARLY ENTRY
BENEFITS FOR WARSASH SPRING SERIES 2010
Now the New Year snow has moved on, spring, if not
just around the corner, seems less far away. The Warsash Spring Series for
keelboats starts on Sunday 14th March and there are savings to be
made for entries received in the next four weeks, by 19th February
2010. Further reductions are also available for Warsash Sailing Club members.
The entry details and the Notice of Race are available on www.warsashspringseries.org.uk.
As the premier early season event, the Warsash Spring
Series and Spring Championship will be one of the first to use the update to
Racing Rules of Sailing issued by ISAF in November 2009. Warsash Sailing Club
will be sending out full details to skippers of all boats entered.
2010 also sees some changes to racing marks in the
The Warsash Spring Series runs on six Sunday mornings,
with a break for Easter, finishing on 25th April. Black Group (four IRC classes, J/109 and J/105)
will normally be given one longer race each week. White Group, with a sailing
area closer inshore, includes Laser SB3s, on a separate start line, as well as
J/80 and Sports Boat Rule classes. They are scheduled for three shorter races a
week.
The final two weekends will be busy as the Spring
Championship adds racing on the Saturdays of 17th/18th
and 24th/25th April. Selected Black Group boats (“Big
Boats”, Class 40s, Farr 45s, J/109s, First 40.7s and 31.7s) enjoy up to 12
races over the two weekends. White Group (Laser SB3s, J/80s and SBR
Sportsboats) have up to 14 races. There are no discards allowed in the Spring
Championship which lends an added challenge to competitors. Quarter tonners
join in on the penultimate weekend and Commodore’s Cup triallists on the final
two days.
The race committee will be happy to arrange extracted
results or separate classes for additional one designs,
subject to minimum entry numbers.
After racing, Warsash Sailing Club extends a warm
welcome to all competitors at Shore House in the entrance to the
Enquiries regarding the Warsash Spring Series can be
made to Warsash Sailing Club on 01489 583575, admin@warsashsc.org.uk
or visit our website www.warsashspringseries.org.uk.
ENTRIES OPEN
FOR WARSASH SPRING SERIES 2010
As the 2009 season draws to a close, Warsash Sailing
Club’s 2010 plans for their premier early season event are well underway.
Entries are now open for the Warsash Spring Series and Spring Championship.
Full details are available on www.warsashspringseries.org.uk
and entries can be completed on line. Beneficial rates apply for early entries
received by 19th February 2010.
The Series comprises six Sunday races held in the
central
The Warsash Spring Championship takes place over the
weekends of 17th/18th and 24th/25th
April. This event caters for selected Black Group boats, including “Big Boats, Class 40s, Farr 45s,
J/109s, First 40.7s and 31.7s, who will enjoy up to 12 races. White Group
classes, Laser SB3s, J/80s and SBR Sportsboats have up to 14 races. Quarter Tonners join in on 17th/18th April
and Commodore’s Cup triallists on 24th/25th April.
The race committee will be happy to arrange extracted
results or separate classes for additional one designs,
subject to minimum entry numbers.
After racing, Warsash Sailing Club extends a warm
welcome to all competitors at Shore House in the entrance to the
Enquiries regarding the Warsash Spring Series can be
made to Warsash Sailing Club on 01489 583575, admin@warsashsc.org.uk or visit our
website www.warsashspringseries.org.uk.
DATES
ANNOUNCED FOR WARSASH SPRING SERIES 2010
Warsash Sailing Club has announced the dates for the
2010 Warsash Spring Series – the
The dates for the Warsash Spring Championship, with
racing on Saturday and Sunday, are 17th/18th April and 24th/25th
April. Here selected Black Group boats (including the “Big Boat” class, Farr 45s,
First 40.7s and others by invitation) will enjoy a total of 12 races. On the
same days, White Group (Laser SB3s, J/80s and SBR Sportsboats) have 14 races.
Throughout both events, Warsash Sailing Club will, as usual, be fielding its
highly experienced race management team.
All competitors are assured of a warm welcome at
Warsash Sailing Club’s riverside base near the entrance to the River Hamble,
where breakfast and lunch is available on Sundays. Fast on-screen results can
be viewed in the friendly bar and weekly class winners can collect their day
prizes.
Enquiries regarding the Warsash Spring Series can be
made to Warsash Sailing Club on 01489 583575, admin@warsashsc.org.uk or visit our
website www.warsashspringseries.org.uk.