Tricky conditions in finale of Helly Hansen Warsash Spring Series

by Louise Nicholls on 27 Apr 2016 The final Sunday (24 April) of the Helly Hansen Warsash Spring proved to be a tricky day’s racing when the wind ignored the forecast and dished up between five and 20 plus knots, with big and cold down blast gusts which switched direction by up to 30 degrees; dumping more than one crew’s legs in the water!

Shanghai Lil in IRC2 (Regatta Yachts) reported that despite bending their bowsprit irretrievably, they managed sustained bursts of 17 knots on the downwind legs.

In the White Group congratulations go to Jon Powell (J/80 – Betty) who scored a hat trick by winning, once again, the Spring Series and the Crewsaver Warsash Spring Championship in the J/80 class and finished overall leader in the White Group Combined results.

Other White group series winners were Cosmic (Patrick Liardet) in the J/70 class and Flutter (Aron Wellbend) in the SB20 class. White Group starts were laid at the Jonathan Janson mark with courses running diagonally into the Meon shore.

Black Group Series winners were Jitterbug (J111 – Cornel Riklin) in IRC1, Sunrise (JPK1080 – Tom Kneen) in IRC2, J’Ronimo (J92 - David Greenhalgh) in IRC3, Stan the Boat (Sigma 33-Toby Gorman) in IRC4 and in the J/109 Class Just So.

Malice (Hod35 – Mike Moxley), who has raced hard against J’Ronimo for the number one position throughout the Series was disappointed not to have won after a strong performance over the weeks. She came in second in both the Spring Series and Spring Championship.

The start for race one for the Black Group was near S Ryde Middle, courses with a two-mile first beat to a laid mark just inshore of the North Channel and then triangles and windward / leeward legs between there and the Ryde Middle Bank before a finish between the East Bramble and Hill Head buoys.

The first windward mark was carried away by a boat in the first class to race was then left drifting! The next two classes managed somehow to round it as it blew rapidly downwind before it was spotted by the race committee and replaced in position with new ground tackle; the final two classes were delayed whilst this was done.

The second Black Group race start was near Deloitte Sailing Club mark; 6-7 mile courses with a first windward leg up to hamblewinterseries.com mark, then one or two windward / leeward legs before a spinnaker reach to a laid mark near Kilchoman and a short beat back to the same finish.

Talking about the day’s racing, Erick the Red (IRC4) commented that: ‘it was ironic in race 2 that the committee boat on the right end of the line was the windward end, but the boats that started at the left ODM end picked up big lifts on port that lifted them to the windward mark’.

IRC4 also had a stealth coaster appear, cutting the fleet in two during a surfing spinnaker reach which caused a flurry of excitement, particularly for Betty (Hunter707 – Tim Rees) who wiped out while trying to lift across the coasters stern.

Champagne and prizes were presented by Annabel Shove from Rolly Tasker Sails who have provided the winner’s champagne throughout the Series.

Peter Bateson, Series Chairman said: ”The Warsash Spring Series is sponsored by Helly Hansen who we would like to say thank you to for coming onboard and sponsoring the Series and to say thank you to Crewsaver and Rolly Tasker Sails for their continued support”.