Solent Weekend Race Report 3-4 May 2008

This weekend saw the first of the 'champagne' weekends for the Bailey Bowl (kindly donated by Julia and Graham Bailey), in addition to racing for the spring and championship series. The weekend coincided with spring tides and gentle easterly breezes, making for testing conditions but also close racing. Cavalier, Kedron 3 and Virago all started their respective campaigns to join the three early starters from last weekend (Norbert, Jerboa and Njord).

Kedron 3 quickly brushed off any remaining cobwebs to be fastest out of the blocks in Saturday's race, leading the fleet off the line and heading into Cowes harbour to escape the flooding tide. However, places shuffled as the fleet tacked up around the Shrape and into Osborne Bay. Norbert again showed her early season pace by coming out on top at the first mark with Njord second and Jerboa third. After a first close run, Norbert started to extend her lead on the following beat and by the end of the third beat was beginning to pull ahead. Meanwhile Jerboa closed right up on Njord towards the end of the windward leg to set up an exciting and close downwind dual with Njord on the long run back to the finish with the boats sailing alongside each other for a large part on the run. Gavia finally getting the upper hand with a late gybe to be first into more pressure to take second in Jerboa behind Norbert with Njord third and the early leader Kedron holding off Cavalier to finish fourth and fifth respectively.

As the club running the racing, the Royal London Yacht Club hosted the afternoon tea and cake, this week inviting all competitors, including those in the Daring and Etchell fleet. At least one person commented that they had never seen the club so busy! The hope now is that this will become a regular fixture for all competitors every weekend. Later on in the evening the RLYC was also the venue for a champagne reception (well, it was the first champagne weekend!) followed by an enjoyable Fitting out Dinner. Many thanks to Rachel Grimshaw for organising the dinner.

As this was a bank holiday weekend, Sunday saw the first election by a PRO this season to use the new 'R' flag procedure, indicating an intention to run two races. In the first race, Njord was a little too fast out of the blocks and was called OCS but with a foul spring tide, a quick duck behind the line meant that she was able to clear the line and still be first into the harbour, crossing the fleet after the first tack. Chairman Pay working his crew hard to build a good lead as the fleet again tacked up the Shrape and headed across Osborne Bay on a long port tack. However, Norbert took advantage of a pressure lift and a perfect layline call to snatch the lead at the first mark. With the breeze building from behind, Jerboa and Virago closed in on the leading two down the run and the fleet concertinaed as they came back onto the wind in the worst of the flood tide.

Norbert was just far enough ahead to be first to tack clear of the buoy and head for the shore. Jerboa managed to hold out Njord and was second to tack in followed by Njord and then Virago. With the breeze filling in as the fleet once again headed across Osborne Bay, the gaps widened as the fleet made its way up to the last mark, leaving pursuers with no chance to catch up on the run back with the strong tide to the finish. So the finishing order remained Norbert, Jerboa, Njord and Virago with Colonel Singer in Cavalier, who had fallen behind the fleet as a result of an errant forestay, unselfishly retiring from the race to make sure there was no delay in starting the second race back to back.

The second race was a short affair using just three marks, all close to Cowes. Jerboa got the best of the start and was never challenged but the short course meant the boats remained close, Norbert holding onto second from Virago by a single second. Njord come in fourth having found just how shallow the Shrape can get at low tide when it is springs. That proved to be all the racing there would be for the weekend as the light north-easterly breeze on Monday never built sufficiently for the 3 knots of tide. After a couple of hours postponement during which crews tinkered with boats (not necessarily their own either, with some of the front runners generously providing assistance to those suffering from a lack of pace, not something that would happen in many fleets...) the decision was made to abandon for the day.

Our thanks to the race committee for getting three races in despite the difficult conditions and for trying the new two race program. Our thanks also to the RLYC for making us feel welcome both after racing and at the fitting out dinner.

Best wishes
Ben Hancock
Solent Fleet Class Captain
E-mail solentclasscaptain@yahoo.com