Bembridge Keelboats End of July Racing
by Mike Samuelson 22 Jul 01:48 PDT
20-21 July 2024
Bembridge Redwing and One-Design End of July racing © Mike Samuelson
With the Scow championships taking place further inshore, the opportunity was taken to venture to Fitzwilliam as the starting mark not far from the shipping channel with a Southerly Force 2/3 breeze prevailing most of the time.
With some Redwings launching from the Redwing Quay the first start was somewhat delayed. During the postponement, the opportunity to extend the line was also taken. The start saw most boats at the Pin end with a certain amount of crowding making an OCS likely.
However, Enigma sailed by Mark and Jo Downer, last year's Cowes Week winners just managed to get a legal start with all the other boats behind them. The beat to Tara was a pleasure to observe for the Race Officers, Andrew Eddy and Willy Clegg, as the fleet split eight left and four right towards the Windward mark.
During the run it was noticeable that previous Cowes week front of the fleet boats were evenly spaced, Enigma, Quail, Toucan, Tara and Red Gauntlet, followed by a bunch of boats led by Snow Goose. At the Leeward mark, Ruthven, most boats headed inshore with Enigma maintaining loose cover on Quail who looked threatening. Meanwhile Toucan headed off to the left to the deeper water which despite chat on the Committee boat did her no harm (or good!) by the time the leaders reached Tara again.
Probably the race should have been shortened and finished there but other fleet considerations were on the minds of the RO! However, they completed a second circuit and remained in the same order (Enigma, Quail & Toucan) to the finish. After that the order was Red Gauntlet, Avocet, Tara, Plover, Redwing, Tarpon, Snow Goose and Gannet. Quintessence retired with gear failure.
With the programmed 45 minute race running for over an hour, and with lunchtime looming, a much shorter course was set for the second race. The start was again at Fitzwilliam with Tara as the windward mark, then a beat to Tara, downwind to an inflatable buoy 300 metres north of the finish at Fitzwilliam. Kindly Charlie, the BSC Boatman, set up the leeward mark though it appeared it may have been stuck briefly to his launch after it was deployed!
The start was quite challenging and noisy particularly at the Pin end, but finally ten boats (Gannet had gone home), got away to a clean start. With the wind as before there really was no opportunity for the Race Committee to change the windward mark so Tara was specified again with boats trying both the right and left hand sides of the course, although most went right this time. The run to the Inflatable was a sight to watch.
At the leeward mark snappy mark roundings shook up the race order; for example Plover moved up five places, so that at the finish the order was Enigma, Toucan, Red Gauntlet, followed by Avocet, Plover, Redwing, Quail, Snow Goose, Tarpon and Tara.
The racing for the One-Designs was an altogether more sedate affair! Following their very successful turn out to Cowes Classic week four boats assembled for the start of the first race which had the same course as the Redwings. Unfortunately the wind was up and down and these truly classic boats, wooden and constructed nearly 90 years ago made slow progress under these conditions.
Unfortunately in that part of Bembridge waters shorter courses are not that easy to conjure up. However after clean starts for all four boats, at the end of the first round the order was No 6, No 9, No 10 and No 7 with all boats proceeding up the beat in similar directions. By the finish there had been some tussles with D Orange moving in No 9 into first place ahead of No 6, No 10 and No 7.
Having requested the Race Committee for a quick start to their second race, the four One-Designs had a combined start with the Redwings which resulted in some of them to being cautiously some way from the line when the starting signal was sounded. Their inexorable beat to Tara looked as if they would miss lunch if the full course was sailed, so with a shortened course signalled the class finished there in the order No 6, No 7, No 10 and No 9.
Similar numbers of Redwings and One-Designs rigged up on Sunday morning for a single 'longer' race. Overcast with a steady (well initially) NW'erly F3 saw the Committee Boat back out at Fitzwilliam; Derrick made a perfect beat with Cochrane providing a testing leeward mark for the Redwings and Tara for the One-Designs. Originally set as twice round with the finish at Undertyne via Janson, sadly it proved a bit too ambitious as the breeze began to drop off so some courses changes had to be made as the race progressed.
After a clean start, albeit with Toucan helmed by Colin Samuelson only just managing to duck back in time to avoid being called OCS, the fleet all headed inshore to work the tides. Quail, helmed by James Wilson was seen heading back to the pre-start side of the line after the start but soon made up for it. Rounding Derrick just ahead of Dominic Samuelson in Tarpon, Mark Downer in Enigma, Joe Robertson in Red Gauntlet II, Ed Eddy helming Plover and James in Quail, Toucan led the way to Cochrane.
As tends to be the norm for the Redwing fleet, the runs are rarely a procession as boats seek out the best route to reach the leeward mark. With the breeze beginning to drop off and back more westerly, it was decided to change the course after Cochrane to Britten, Tara (starboard) and finishing at Undertyne. By the time they reached Britten, Quail had moved into a healthy lead ahead of Toucan, Plover, Tarpon, Red Gauntlet II, Enigma, Redwing (Olav Cole), Snow Goose (Jonathan N-Luxmoore), Avocet (Rupert MacInnes), Ibis (Tom Scott) and Tara (Mike Toogood).
The run to Tara was very slow going as was the beat back to Undertyne, however eventually a new breeze kicked in from the SW and aside from Avocet who retired, everyone managed to finish with no change to the order of the leading five with Quail almost five minutes ahead of Toucan. As the most consistent over the weekend, Toucan won the Mackinnon Trophy with two second's and a third.
In the meantime, the four One-Signs had a slightly shorter course but with normal jibs did struggle especially when the breeze dropped away. No 6 helmed by John Deacon (it was great to see him and his wife Sam back sailing after six years away from Bembridge) made the best start with Robin Joy in No 10 down to leeward. As they were coming up to the start, James Beart in No 5 had a problem with the shackle attaching the main sheet to the end of the boom and so, having managed to effect a repair was at least 5 minutes behind the others.
Like the Redwings, they all headed inshore and it was No 6 who rounded Derrick well ahead of No 10 with Charles Abel Smith in No 7 not too far away. On the slow run down to Tara, No 6 and No 7 got confused and failed to spot No 10 making a bee line for the buoy and beginning the return beat to Britten well ahead. Although all made Britten again, it was slow going and so as they passed though the finish line on the run to Tara it was decided to offer to finish them - an offer swiftly accepted!
Daily racing starts this week with the Redwings heading off to Cowes on Friday.