Raymarine Warsash Spring Series - Week 4

by Flavia Bateson on 3 Apr 2007
For the fourth gathering in the Raymarine Warsash Spring Series on 1 April the north-easterly wind started in the 16-18 knot range, sometimes dropping in the shelter of the mainland shore to as low as 11/12 knots, before strengthening to 28 knots by the afternoon.

The weather was overcast and murky initially with spots of rain but the skies soon cleared and some crews managed to achieve the basis of their sailing suntan for the season.

The Black Group start line was laid near South Ryde Middle to give the first beat towards the Lee on Solent shore. The combined IRC1 and Big Boat start was clean, even though the Ker 11.3 Moonraker managed to snag a buoy and was left lying helpless along the line as the gun went.

By the top mark, the TP52 Panthera had gained a significant lead and she extended this to take both line honours and a class win. IRC1 was one of the four classes scheduled for a second race and 'Panthera' continued her fine form later in the day which placed her third overall in the series behind Legally Brunette and Jammy Dodger.

There was also a double win for Phillipe Falle helming Puma Logic in IRC2. The rivalry between Jim MacGregor’s Elan 40 Flair IV and Peter Rutter’s Elan 37 Quokka is well known and these two are again contesting IRC3. This week, Quokka led at the top mark and held her lead to the line although a slender points advantage gave Flair IV the current series lead with Quokka tied with Nick Jones and Suzi Lawicka’s First 34.7 Astarte in joint second.

Sigma 38s and Sigma 33s have in the past raced only in their one design classes, but as fewer enter, they have been amalgamated into IRC4 and IRC5 respectively. Last week the Sigma 38s triumphed over the traditionally-rated boats but Ian Dawson’s X-332 Glide-X was back on form to take the morning race whilst James Crockatt’s sistership Jump and Shout won in the afternoon.

David and Kirsty Apthorp are starting to assert a stranglehold in the J/105s with their third straight win. On the other hand, Matthew Boyle, having missed last week’s racing, took the J/109 class and moved significantly up the table.

As the early finishers from Black Group were making their way home, the fun was just starting on the sportsboat courses. The first two races had been successfully completed with mixed results. In the J/80s, the invincibility of husband and wife team Paul and Marie-Claude Heys had been shattered twice. Liz Savage (Savage Team Sailing) won her first race of the series and then Stewart Hawthorn protected a slender lead up the final beat to take race two.

The Laser SB3s reverted to their earlier good habits with two clean starts. Marshall King on Blue Job gained nearly a minute to win Race 1 whilst Daniel Geoghan brought Champagne Blonde to the line just one second ahead of Palava Geoff Carveth.

The tables were turned in the second race when Palava gained a comfortable win. Just before the last start sequence, the wind swung and increased. After re-aligning the course, all classes got away cleanly. As the leading SB3s reached their spreader mark, a gust came through which took out a couple of boats as they tried to hoist their gennakers but Geoff Carveth was not affected and rapidly increased his lead.

As the main bulk of the fleet came away from this mark they were hit by a more serious gust that laid most of the boat flat. Thankfully there was no serious damage but a number of crews decided that was enough and headed for home. The wind shifted again for the final run and both Carveth and Jason Pyke, lying second, over stood their layline and had to white sail into the bottom gate.

The leading J/80s enjoyed the extra wind where Stewart Hawthorn and Marie-Claude Heys enjoyed a real battle. Wee Jump was just ahead at the bottom mark but misjudged the line into the finish, allowing Marie-Claude to regain her winning ways. The J/80s are now bound for the Easter regatta at Spi-Ouest in France where over 80 are expected to taste the waters where the World Championships will be held later this year.

Back in the clubhouse, top powerboat driver Shelley Jory from Team Raymarine presented the weekly champagne prizes, having spent the day on the Black Group committee boat learning about sailboat racing.

Warsash Sailing Club now takes a break over Easter and reconvenes for the first weekend of the Spring Championship for sportsboats on Saturday 14 April with the Raymarine Warsash Spring Series continuing on Sunday 15 April.

Provisional results: Raymarine Warsash Spring Series - 1 April 2007

Black Group:

IRC 1
Race 1 Panthera TP52 Benny Kelly
Race 2 Panthera TP52 Benny Kelly

IRC 2
Race 1 & 2 Puma Logic Reflex 38 Phillipe Falle/Sailing Logic

IRC 3 Quokka Elan 37 Peter Rutter

IRC 4
Race 1 Glide-X X-332 Ian Dawson
Race 2 Jump & Shout X-332 James Crockatt

IRC 5
Race 1 Sixes and Sevens Sigma 33 Pullin, Norman, Whitmore & Dwyer
Race 2 2xs X-99 Aindriu McCormack

J/109 Shiva Matthew Boyle

J/105 J-Dream David and Kirsty Apthorp

White Group:

Hunter 707
Race 1 The Ant Hill Mob Russell Mead
Race 2 Sword Simon Law and Chris Eddy
Race 3 This is Jeff Tim Hunt

J/80
Races 1 Savage Team Sailing Liz Savage
Race 2 Wee Jump Stewart Hawthorn
Race 3 Jenga Trois Paul and Marie-Claude Heys

Laser SB3
Race 1 Blue Job Marshall King
Race 2 Palava Geoff Carveth
Race 3 Palava Geoff Carveth

Sportsboats
Races 1,2,3 Go Ferret 1720 Huw Alban-Davies