Sailing Southwest Winter Series - Update

Ben and Simon Hawkes in the Roadford Rocket (part of Sailing SouthWest Winter Series) © Lottie Miles

With six of the ten races complete, competitors in the Sailing Southwest Winter Series are heading into a final mad dash throughout March to find the 2018/19 champion. It is tight very tight at the top with just 6 points separating the top five boats.

With the discard rule of 50% rounded down and five races sailed with one cancelled, round 7, the Channel Chop is going to be crucial to the overall standings. This all-important race takes place at Portishead Y&SC on the 2nd March.

The current series leader is Ben Flower from Hayling Island SC in his Laser who is on just 2 points having won both the Wrecker and the Christmas Cracker but discarding two fifth places makes him vulnerable.

In second place is Ben and Simon Hawkes from Castle Cove SC in their Osprey on 3 points following their win at the Icicle and discarding their third place at the Rocket. Iain Horlock's second places in the two of the windiest races the Wrecker and Rocket, leaves him on 4 points, but discarding a DNS means he'll need to get some more events in to climb the table.

The remaining top places are secured by Terry Curtis and Peter Greig in their Osprey in fourth (5 points) Chris Hampe in is International Canoe in sixth (7 points) and another Osprey sailed by Colin Stephens and Mike Greig in sixth with 8 points. Incredibly, the top ten places are separated by just fifteen points.

With March bringing four events, and a total of four events to count in the series it is going to be tight to the finish, but still time for all sailors to make an impact on the series. The SSW Winter Series 2018-19 is very much anyone's to win!

Sutton Bingham Icicle (part of the Sailing SouthWest Winter Series) - photo © Lottie Miles

Events to come:

2nd March Channel Chop at Portishead - with limited entry to 50 boats
16th March Starcross Steamer always popular with entries limited to 100
24th march Exmore Beastie at Wimbleball
30th March Torbay Tornado and Series Prize Giving

Top 20 boats after Round 6:

Sutton Bingham Icicle (part of the Sailing SouthWest Winter Series) - photo © Lottie Miles