Gul B14 TT Series Round 3 at Stokes Bay Sailing Club

Gul B14 TT at Stokes Bay © Tim Olin / www.olinphoto.co.uk

The B14 fleet, along with the Musto Skiff massive and RS800 brigade, arrived at Stokes Bay on Saturday eager to reap the benefits of what looked like a peachy weekend's forecast. Shorts and short-sleeved wetsuits were blinking in the new-found brightness which heralded the arrival of spring.

The weather gods hadn't read the script, cloaking the Solent in mist and shortly after everyone had rubbered up in came some high-level cloud and the light but promising breeze began to misbehave leading to an onshore postponement. After an hour or so things settled down, courses gates and lines were laid, and the fleets released. Thanks to the combination of wind and tidal stream directions there was likely to only be one way to go up the beat and one way (the other way) to go down the run, placing a premium on a good start and first beat.

The B14s were a little down on numbers due to some regulars playing other games this weekend, but it was good to welcome back some old faces (Paul Roberts & Rob Taylor) and some new faces (Liam Willis & Abby Keightly-Hanson). 3 boats made the trek from way out west – Steve Hollingsworth/Elliot Hansen and Gary Parks/Chris Webber all the way from Restronguet, and Tony Blackmore/Charlotte Cooper from Starcross.

Gul B14 TT at Stokes Bay - photo © Tim Olin / www.olinphoto.co.uk

Race 1. Bodge (Paul Roberts/Rob Taylor) were quick out of the blocks, putting the squeeze on Blue Badge forcing them in turn to put the squeeze on Team GUL/North Sails (Mark Barnes/Char Horlock). Also showing well early on were Steve Hollingsworth/Elliot Hansen. Around the weather mark Blue Badge just edged it from Team GUL/North Sails and Steve/Elliot. The latter managed to get over Team GUL/North Sails on the first reach, and from there on there were few passing lanes. Blue Badge maintained their lead with Steve/Elliot keeping them honest. Torq (Gerry & Leaky Fermor) came through to take 3rd with Trunky/Sponsor Required in 4th.

Race 2. By now the game with the tide was obvious to all. The race became a 2-way tussle between Blue Badge and Team GUL/North Sails, with the latter nipping at the former's heels all the way around the course. Again there were no real passing lanes so that is how it stayed. Steve/Elliot held 3rd early on but relinquished the place to Torq at the first leeward mark and that's how it stayed.

The wind now threw in its joker with a rain squall bringing 18 knots and a 70 degree shift to the left. By now it was getting late in the day so with 9 marks plus the committee boat and the pin end boat to move the race committee had little choice but to hoist A over P and send the fleet ashore.

As is norm at Stokes Bay Dan Vincent presented a fiendishly clever quiz, culminating in a contest to form a likeness of Lionel Richie from modelling clay in four minutes. One team in particular came up with the most outstanding, and indeed upstanding entry – sadly the pictures have been deemed unsuitable for publication. An incredible electric storm over the Isle of Wight raged for most of the evening, providing the most spectacular background entertainment.

Lionel Richie sculptures at the Stokes Bay Musto Skiff Open - photo © Tim Olin / www.olinphoto.co.uk

Sunday morning dawned calm and sunny but with the promise of a South-Westerly building to 15 knots by early afternoon. Unfortunately the promise was unfulfilled, or at least very late to arrive (and arrive it did as we were packing up).

Today was in theory the opposite of Saturday, with the only logical route being to tack up the beach against the tide, and head offshore downwind. The Mustos set off first, but already the breeze was waning again and just into the sequence for the B14s up went the AP, shortly followed by the abandonment of the Mustos. Back to the beach we all went. Eventually things settled down again with a light Westerly.

Race 3. As the Mustos started the wind piped up and went left 20 degrees. In the B14s Blue Badge and Trunky (Kathy Watts/ Josh Wilce) chanced a port tack start giving them a substantial jump on the fleet. The beat was now very one-sided so after a brief skirmish with Trunky Blue Badge had an untroubled run to the finish. Trunky got jumped by Team GUL/North Sails on the second beat when they fell into a bit of a hole, Team GUL/North Sails having taken a hitch up to find lifting pressure which Blue Badge also emulated to consolidate their lead. Steve/Elliot again took fourth.

After another delay while the breeze vacillated and the course relaid, race 4 started in less pressure making it difficult to make much way over the tide, with the result that almost everyone wanted the committee boat end in order to tack off to the beach as soon as possible

Gul B14 TT at Stokes Bay - photo © Tim Olin / www.olinphoto.co.uk

A bit of jostling led to Team GUL/North Sails winning the start from Griptec (Mark Watts/Tyler Stonebridge). These two were first to tack off to the right and head for the beach. Meanwhile Trunky had spotted a line of Musto Skiffs who had taken the offshore route were all lifted 20 degrees with good pressure on port tack. They made a beeline for this and were catapulted into a lead they were never in danger of losing. Leaky Pipes and Blue Badge were next to spot this, setting up a tussle which was eventually resolved in Blue Badge's favour. Steve/Elliot bit the bullet part way up the beat and also headed out to the left to get the benefit. For the boats which had followed logic and headed inshore the race was over. At the finish it was Trunky, Blue Badge, Torq and Steve/Elliot.

With time marching on the likelihood was that Blue Badge had the event wrapped up, but the minor placings were still in doubt. The breeze was now favouring the pin end, and with the wind/tide game having changed in favour of picking up the lifting bands of pressure on the left there was a scramble to be furthest left. Team GUL/North Sails won the battle, but at the expense of being a foredeck length over the line and, along with seemingly half the fleet, returned to restart. This left Blue Badge in the clear from a fast-recovering Team GUL/North Sails. Trunky recovered very quickly from a pre-start tangle and ensuing capsize. Blue Badge cleared off but threw the race away by, along with Griptec, doing a lap of honour whilst the remainder of the fleet were finished after 2 laps instead of the usual 3. This gave Team GUL/North Sails the race win followed by Trunky, Steve/Elliot and Torq. And that was it for the day.

Gul B14 TT at Stokes Bay - photo © Tim Olin / www.olinphoto.co.uk

At the prizegiving the top four all received vouchers from our generous sponsors Gul, along with Bodge who received the 'Classic' boat prize, and a merit award for Marlow Ropes (Dan Cowin/Amir Shansuddin).

Our gratitude as always goes to everyone at Stokes Bay for managing five races in very trying conditions and looking after us onshore in their usual style.

Next stop on the Gul B14 2018 TT series is round 3 at Whitstable Yacht Club on May 19/20.

Overall Results: