Glorious sailing conditions for the Bembridge Redwings & One-Designs
by Mike Samuelson 21 May 2018 16:02 AEST
19-20 May 2018
Glorious sailing conditions in Bembridge over the weekend © Mike Samuelson
What a glorious weekend - champagne sailing on Saturday with a cloudless sky and F3 SSE/SSW'erly breeze and although not quite so sunny, Sunday was pretty nice too! Very disappointing therefore that there were not more boats out enjoying the near perfect conditions.
After a reasonable start on Saturday from the laid line to the west of Janson, the five Redwings soon tacked onto port so as to get inshore out of the flood tide. Joe Robertson in Red Gauntlet II was first to round Under Tyne and was then able to extend his lead on the run to Derrick via Janson. Mike Toogood in No 20 Tara was initially second but dropped to the back on the run as James Tate in No 4 Rosetta, Richard Jessel in No 6 Blue Jay II and Robin Ebsworth sailing single handed in Quintessence over took him. However in the beat back to the line, Mike got Tara going again and although not close enough to challenge Red Gauntlet II, he crossed the line second, nine seconds ahead of Blue Jay II.
Although not the best of beats as the breeze veered to the SSW, the first leg of the second race still had Under Tyne as the windward mark but then switched to Garland for the second round. James Tate in Rosetta was first round Under Tyne but Blue Jay II helmed by Crispin Kenyon was always close and indeed took over the lead at Derrick; however Red Gauntlet II was never very far away and reached Garland in front. Although by no means a procession there was no change on the next two legs to Britten and back to Garland with Red Gauntlet II finishing just under half a minute ahead of Blue Jay II; Rosetta was third a minute later.
The three single handed One-Designs meanwhile had the same courses until towards the end of the second race when they rounded a leeward inflatable just to the south of St Helens Fort rather that Britten. Mark Gregorczyk in No 9 proved too strong and led from the start in both races. William Band in No 12 got the better of Hugh Doherty in No 10 in the first race and finished second over a minute ahead of him, but Hugh got his own back in the second race and took second place a minute and a half ahead.
The annual 'Edwardian' race was programmed for Sunday afternoon. This is the opportunity for crews to dress up and race round a course using some of the buoys that our forefathers would have done in the 1930s including at least one in the harbour. Always a fun race with both classes starting together and rounding the same marks but scoring in the own fleet. It was therefore doubly disappointing that there were only three Redwings and one, single-handed, One-Design in the vicinity of the line at Pepe when the starting hooter sounded.
The first leg to Nainby was quite a short reach; this was followed by a beat to Under Tyne, then a run to Drum, another beat back to Under Tyne, a run to Pepe and then into the harbour to an inflatable laid off Bembridge Outboards (there was too much traffic leaving the harbour for the original plan to use No 17 by BHYC) with the finish on the Club 'harbour line'. Colin & Becky Samuelson in No 11 Redwing, Toucan were first round Nainby and never looked like being overtaken; indeed they extended their lead over Joe & Annie Robertson in Red Gauntlet II on each leg and finished well over five minutes ahead to win the Harbour Trophy that had been presented by Malcolm & Fiona Thorpe a few years ago. Initially Hugh Doherty, in the only One-Design (No 10), gave Mike & Katherine Toogood in No 20 Redwing Tara a good run for their money but by the end of the race had to admit defeat and was the last to finish; however as he had completed the course, he was the winning One-Design!
Hopefully better numbers for next weekend's Bank Holiday racing for the Gunston Trophy and the Lowry Corry Cup.