Thanks to Suzanne and Alan for this latest sailing report. Ed
Held in the waters off Cowes and in the Solent this regatta marks the start of the summer sailing season and is a good training experience for crews.
Spring was definitely in the air for the opening day with a warm sun, but a chilly, very shifty northeasterly was blowing off the mainland shore at Lee on Solent.
Four classes: Two Races
Two races were laid on for the four classes by the event’s new PRO, well known yachtsman and former Olympic sailor, Stuart Childerley.
In IRC One, James Gair’s Cowes Race School team on their Mills 39, Zero II claimed the first race but overall on the day tied on points for the lead, were Jeffrey Blue’s Farr 45 Expresso Martini and Antix (pictured), the familiar Irish Ker 39 of former Brewin Dolphin Commodores’ Cup winner, Anthony O’Leary.
“It was good fun today – very shifty. It was great to be out sailing in Easter weather where we were not frozen,” said O’Leary, who later this year is hoping to repeat the Irish Commodores’ Cup success of 2010.
Other classes
Three quite dissimilar boats were on equal points at the top of IRC Two with James Neville’s Corby 36 Ino, Simon Henning’s Mumm 36 Alice and Cornel Riklin’s J/111 Jitterbug all level pegging.
In IRC Three the sole French entry, Benoit D’Halluin’s A-35 Dunkerque Plaisance-Gill Racing Team held a slender one point lead over Mark Devereux’s Ker 32 Raygun,
Louise Morton had biggest lead
The biggest lead across the four classes was that of Louise Morton’s Bruce Farr-designed Quarter Tonner, Espada, which with a 2-1 scoreline was four points ahead of Peter Scholfield’s HOD 35 Zarafa.
Louise, who lives in Cowes and is well known for the various sailing trophies she has won, praised her crew including former 420 World Champion Annabel Vose, who is calling tactics. Now 19,Annabel first sailed with Louise when she was 13.
Louise said,
“The Espada crew was able to make use of the coaching on hand with one of the North Sails experts advising us about which jib sheet lead we should use.”
Day Two
With four races scheduled for day two, two were successfully held before the wind turned inside out.
Stuart Childerley said,
“For the third race, IRC Four and One managed to just get upwind over the tide before the wind dropped, so we shortened the courses. Meanwhile IRC Two and Three were trying to start and half of the fleet was still trying to get over the line four minutes after the start. So we pulled the pin.”
At close of play, Anthony O’Leary’s experienced team on the Irish Antix, was leading IRC One. In IRC Two, the results were tight with Guernsey’s Simon Henning and his crew on the Mumm 36, Alice, one point ahead of James Neville’s Corby 36 Ino after Ino scored two bullets in the first two races of the day.
Three boats were currently tied on 11 points at the top of IRC Three with David Franks’ former IRC Nationals winning JPK 10.10, Strait Dealer, tied with Mark Devereux’s Ker 32, Raygun,and Dunkerque Plaisance-Gill Racing Team, the French A-35 of Benoit D’Halluin.
Louise Morton’s successful Quarter Tonner, Espada with their 3-1-1 scoreline left them 12 points clear of the nearest competition, another Quarter Tonner, Sam Laidlaw’s Aguila.
Day Three
Day three and as a slow moving front passed overhead, the Solent received a relentless deluge with the visibility dropping off enough to make it hard to see the weather mark. Conditions then deteriorated further with the deluge becoming a torrent, many crews turning on their yachts’ navigation lights, despite it being lunchtime. Nonetheless, the wind held during the day allowing PRO Stuart Childerley and the RORC race management team to lay on four races in the central/eastern Solent.
In IRC One, Anthony O’Leary’s Irish team on Antix was the class act posting a 1-2-1-1, to finish 9.5 points ahead of James Gair’s Cowes Race School crew on Zero II.
Alice topped IRC Two followed by Salvo and Ino whilst in IRC Three it was Strait Dealer in the winning place followed by Dunkerque Plaisance-Gill Racing Team and Raygun.
Louise Morton’s crew on their Quarter Tonner Espada, had an off-day in the rain while Ian Braham’s Parkstone Yacht Club team on their 22 year old MG 346 Haven Knox Johnston Enigma scored three wins in four races, causing them to close to within 1.5 points of Espada.
Winning boats in IRC one, IRC two and IRC three were presented with glass trophies whilst Louise Morton and her crew added more silverware to their collection in the form of the EastWind Trophy.
Miserable conditions
At the prize giving RORC CEO Eddie Warden Owen, who was also part of the coaching team for the Easter Challenge, felt the regatta had gone well, even though conditions on day three were miserable.
He said,
“The wind was challenging for the new race officer Stuart Childerley and his team but they did a very good job and I think everyone has had a great time.
“This is a regatta where there’s training with racing and we fully appreciate North Sails for their support in bringing two very good technical guys from America to help with the setting up of the boats. Everyone has appreciated that and I think the general standard has risen. I really believe that this Easter weekend should be much bigger.”
Nick Elliott, RORC Racing Manager, announced the class winners at the prize giving and handed out Easter Eggs. He also encouraged everyone to enter other RORC regattas and reminded everyone of the Brewin Dolphin Commodores’ Cup to be sailed off Cowes in July.
Image: © RORC
