J/70 UK Grand Slam 2 at Royal Southern Yacht Club - North Sails May Regatta
by James Curtis / J70 UK Class 22 May 14:28 PDT
J/70 UK Grand Slam 2 © Paul Wyeth
Having suffered through some tough conditions in Grand Slam 1, the forecasts were looking hopeful for the second event of the UK J/70 Season. As we got closer to the event it was anyone's guess as to how the racing would pan out for event 2 - the North Sails May Regatta.
Saturday dawned with clear skies and the northerly gradient wind filling in nicely, there were some shifts but it's a northerly in the Solent - that's par for the course. Most models had it holding just about long enough to get a race in from our 10:30 start time, but as we got into the final minute the breeze went into shuffle mode. Gusts were coming from here, there and everywhere with dead calm in the middle. PRO Ian Bullock made the call to AP until 2pm, which gave us all the chance to head to the organisers of the event, Royal Southern Yacht Club, for a refreshment.
Race 1
With the sun still shining we emerged out of the Hamble river into a pleasant south-easterly, ready for the action to begin. The fleet got away cleanly, with some small shifts to play, in the now up to 10 knots of breeze. The first run saw most teams soaking low in the slightly reduced pressure, with a few teams trying their arm at going wing-on-wing in the flat water. As the leaders got to the bottom mark, they were signalled a change of course, with the new top marks to the left of the old ones. However, having waited for the excellent mark layers to drop the new marks in position, the wind then flicked hard right to the south-west. I think it was Max Clapp on Jeepster who was first to pop their kites up, but the lead pack were quickly closing in on the "top marks", with it being anyone's game as to who could pop out ahead. Sardonyx managed to pull away to take the race, but special mentions have to go to Joskin, who managed to gybe on the spreader leg and then come back in on starboard showing some quick thinking.
Race 2
The wind had now established itself in the south-west with some thermal enhancement (can we call it a sea breeze?). The course was re-laid again thanks to the top mark layers. With most of the fleet getting away cleanly, it was an open course with no one side paying. Martin Dent on Jelvis showed good speed to work out of the left and take the win, with Jeepster chasing hard. Doug Struth on DSP knocked in another 3rd to stay in the overall hunt and Tim Collins on EV Experts converted a good first beat into 4th.
Race 3
With the delayed start, this was going to be the last race of the day, and you could tell the fleet was raring to rehydrate in the bar. A general recall on the uniform flag brought out the black flag, and for the second race in a row, Morgan Reynolds on Lightfoot found themselves on the wrong side of it. Sailing one of the Royal Southern's club boats, which is sponsored by a generous member of the J/70 fleet, they will be back, and I'm told this time with a watch!
With the rest of the fleet again off on their way the first beat had a few small shifts with the right being a good place to be. As the leaders rounded the top mark it was marginal if they should try planing. One of the tactical aspects that makes the J/70 so interesting is the different modes down wind and I think on this run we saw boats soaking low, going wing-on-wing and planing. The high-speed option seemed to work for the leaders on starboard but post gybe they couldn't keep it up and had to mode switch. Alistair Hall who has taken over the Calypso campaign showed the fleet that there was no drop in quality as they found a nice gap to lead round the bottom mark. DSP were best of the rest with Ian Poynton's Powder Monkey who had banged the right corner and stayed away from the traffic in the middle.
On the next beat, the wind picked back up and again there were some small shifts to be worked, with the fleet mainly preferring the left side of the course. DSP were determined to upgrade from the two 3rds they had in the first two races and were trying to cover Powder Monkey with a dummy tack even coming out at one stage. As they rounded the top mark they split modes with DSP trying to go high and Powder Monkey flipping the boom over and sailing straight for the finish line - which after 0.9 nautical miles made the difference by half a boat length.
Day Two started with a similar forecast but this time a cloudy sky. There was even a slight chill in the air which I thought we had got past at this time of year. After the jumpers and Rooster Waterproof socks had been put on (game changer for sports-boat sailing with trainers) we got out to a race course that looked like a game of snakes and ladders. Then the sun came out and the breeze completely died, so the jumpers came off as we waited for the swich to the south. Fortunately it didn't take long.
Race 4
Those who started at the pin-end and held their lane, gained as the wind went left in the second half of the beat. This split the fleet with the top eight having a reasonable gap over the chasing pack, which contained Jelvis and a few other top contenders who had been caught out by the size of the lefty. Down the run the breeze swung back right which brought back some of the chasing pack who had gybe set and cut the corner. With the fleet compressed and some of the leading boats coming in hot after over standing the gate, the tension was already high as the radios lit up with the boats who had been caught in the UFD massacre. DSP were the top contender to have to peel off but well done to Lightfoot for not being over this time. Once that was all shaken out, Calypso added another bullet to the tally with Sardonyx in 2nd and Oliver Dix in Royal Thames 1 getting a well-deserved third.
Race 5
Was more of the same with a bit more luck for those on the right of the first beat. Calypso managed to gybe early on the run while the rest of the leaders kept going and ended up doing well after it looking like a mistake for the first half. They managed to convert that into another win with Jemima Lawson in Royal Thames 3 taking 2nd and showing the quality that is coming through some of the club boats this season with Royal Thames 1 in third.
Race 6
By this time it felt like we were really in the swing of things with the top marks being in more or less the same place for a while. The turn arounds between races were short thanks to the great Race Committee with the SB20s using a different finish line so we could start pinging the start. It felt like this for the first beat as well, with the leaders coming from both sides of the course. On the run the foreshadowing started with it being a lot more comfortable on starboard than port. By the time we got to the bottom it had started to swing very left. Jelvis rounded behind Calypso, Dads n Lads and Jeepster before throwing a quick tack in, but thirty seconds later the wind had gone around another 15 degrees and they lost out to Powder Monkey and Cosmic who, by the end of the leg were reaching to the top mark. As they turned the corner and set kites it was a tight reach back to the finish. Jeepster took the win with some of the boats further back not being able to hold to the line as the wind continued to rotate.
Race 7
With the wind now firmly in the east and the SI-mandated last signal looming, the race officer had no choice but to set us going up the Hill Head bank for the next start, as there was no time to move the committee boat. With the tide still pushing us down the course, it would be a good warm up to Cowes week, short tacking up the shore. The boats who got away cleanly from the Committee Boat got the first jump with Jelvis, Powder Monkey, Sardonyx and Offbeat poking their noses out early. As the back and forths continued - Jeepster, Joskin and DSP managed to wiggle up to fighting out front. Jelvis lead round the top mark with Powder Monkey and DSP gaining at the end by not jumping back into the melee and maybe showing us that we were getting a little too into the short tacking. Down the run it was again a mix of modes with the tide better offshore but the pressure reinforcing along the bank. Jelvis and Calypso managed to get the jump by the bottom and had a little less of a stressful time up the next beat with them holding their positions to the finish.
So that was the weekend - 7 races in conditions where you easily could have had 2. Special thanks must of course go to the Race Officials who made the best of a tough situation. It was Calypso who came away with the chocolates, showing very impressive consistency. Jeepster took home 2nd, with Jelvis in 3rd.
A huge thank you to Rooster, our fantastic clothing sponsor, for their continued support of the class. Congratulations to Calypso, who will be collecting the Rooster prize as the top Corinthian team of the weekend. We're also delighted to welcome Ocean Rope as a new sponsor - a partnership that feels like a natural fit for the class. Adam Munday at Ocean Rope has been helping teams get race-ready for years, and we're thrilled to have them formally on board this season.
Attention now turns to the Nationals from the 13th-15th June and hosted by the Royal Thames Yacht Club as part of their 250th anniversary celebration. Tickets are on sale for the class dinner- generously subsidised by long-time supporters Tideway Wealth Management making it a third of the price - to be held at the Royal Yacht Squadron on Friday 13th June. Entry numbers are looking hot - see you there!