Suzanne and Alan share this latest sailing news. Ed
With this year’s sailing European Championships to be run in conjunction with the 2018 version of the Commodores’ Cup from Cowes in early June, several boats and crews which hope to take part in this prestigious regatta have been in Cowes for the RORC Easter Regatta.
Crews were able to take this opportunity to hone their skills after, in many cases, a break from sailing through the Winter months. At the end of each day’s sailing there were free coaching sessions laid on for Easter Challenge competitors by the RORC and led by coaching legend Jim Saltonstall.
Icy rain and wind from Russia
Day one of the RORC Easter Challenge, supported by North Sails, saw the four classes braving the conditions of icy rain and an Easterly wind from Russia.
From his race committee boat located in the central Solent the Royal Ocean Racing Club’s PRO Stuart Childerley had three windward-leeward races scheduled, but cancelled the last one sending competitors home to get dry and thaw out.
Good Friday saw IRC Zero Tony Dickin’s GP42 ‘Jubilee’ comfortably score two bullets ahead of the Ker 46 ‘Lady Mariposa’ and the Dutch de Graaf family’s Ker 43 ‘Baraka GP’. Clearly the Jubilee crew, who regularly compete in the FAST40+ class, were more race-ready than most despite this being their first day out in their boat this season.
Perennial class winner at the RORC Easter Challenge, Sam Laidlaw’s Quarter Tonner ‘Aguila’ scored two bullets in IRC Three and in IRC One Roger Bowden’s King 40 ‘Nifty’ (pictured) ended the day leading, albeit tied on points with Michael Blair’s ‘Cobra’.
At the post-race debrief Jim Saltonstall advised crews that he and the coaching team from North Sails would be examining rules.
One of strongest tides of the year
On day two, assisted by one of the strongest tides of the year, there were numerous close encounters; taking boats over the start line early; on to weather marks; one even snagging the race committee boat’s anchor chain. There was much looking into rules at the end of the day’s sailing!
Prior to this, however, for day two of competition there were 6-12 knots of wind, and the temperature on the water was 5°C, certainly an improvement to Friday. Stuart Childerley’s race management team staged three windward-leewards on the central Solent followed by a round the cans grand finale to get the boats home.
Straight bullets
Tony Dickin’s ‘Jubilee’ in IRC Zero and Sam Laidlaw’s’ Aguila’ in IRC Three had straight bullets and would be hard to beat with just Easter Sunday’s races left. ‘Baraka GP,’ with Harmen de Graaf’s Dutch team getting to grips with their new boat, had a better day overhauling ‘Lady Mariposa’ to claim second place in IRC Zero.
Closest competition was in IRC One and the newly created Performance 40 class, where Michael Blair’s ‘Cobra’ overtook Roger Bowden’s ’Nifty’, ending the day one point ahead. Both scored two bullets, but ‘Nifty’ lost the lead after scoring a seventh.
On Easter Sunday conditions caused racing to be cancelled for the third and final day of the RORC Easter Challenge. At 09:00 when the decision was announced, PRO Stuart Childerley explained:
“Currently we have less than five knots on the Solent and we have a lot of flood tide for the next hour and a half which will be very hard for the boats to make over the ground in that wind strength.”
Clubhouse prizegiving
Prizegiving was held at the Cowes clubhouse at 10:30. Coming away most laden with chocolate was Tony Dickin’s crew on the FAST40+ ‘Jubilee’, which won straight bullets in IRC Zero.
Michael Blair’s ‘Cobra’ won IRC One by 14 points to Nifty’s 15.
In third and fourth places were two First 40s, with Jock Wishart skippering Rob Bottomley’s ‘Adventurer out of Sailplane’ which finished six points ahead of RORC Admiral Andrew McIrvine’s La Réponse.
IRC Two was won by ‘Bengal Magic’ and IRC Three by Sam Laidlaw’s’ Aguila’.
Image: © Paul Wyeth RORC
