J/109, J/105 and J/80 Fleets Restlessly Idle
(Solent, Hamble, England)- This past weekend the Winter Series saw all racing canceled, postponing in effect until next week. The fleet made some spirited attempts to work around what amounted to a near hurricane, e.g. the double-red flags on the Beaufort Wind Scale - Force 10. However, the strength and the persistence of the Low was far too overwhelming to even consider venturing forth onto the infamous Solent. Can't imagine what a 6 knots current again gusts up to 60 knots might look like-- how about a webcam mounted on a titanium tripod on the Bramble Bank in the middle of the Solent-- would be kinda cool!In short, the UK MET Office issued all kinds of dire warnings. The BBC was positively shrill...worried perhaps that train service would again cease operations because leaves blown into the air-intakes would stop the trains running again. As one of the Race Officers put it, "latest info we have is SW 25 - 30 kts, with gusts to 45 kts, increasing towards midday with averages of 35 kts with gusts to near 60 kts in thundery showers. This forecast has increased again since last night and racing is clearly impractical." Good on ya, the pubs clearly appreciated the windfall business. For more regatta and sailing info