(Hamble, England)- It was a weekend of awesome sailing for this year's Women's Open Keelboat Championship, with the top J being the J/105 JOS of Hamble, skippered by Clemency Ives, coming in third overall.
One hundred and sixty women from all over the UK and abroad took part in the event, with J's being by far the largest brand (over 50%!!) supporting Breast Cancer Care for Women in the U.K. (the charity that is the beneficiary of the WOKC event). The regatta was hosted by the Royal Southern Yacht Club in Hamble and supported by championship sponsor Coffin Mew LLP, race sponsor Dubarry of Ireland and drinks sponsor Wight Vodka. Six races over two days were split into three classes - IRC1, IRC2 and J80.
Participating J's this year included the J/105 JOS (Clemency Ives), the J/105 JOURNEYMAKER 5 (Louise Makin), the J/109 JAMBHALA (Gillian Ross), the J/80 SWALLOW (Vicky Lincoln), the J/92 WIZARD (Cathy Vise), the J/109 J2EAU (Jody Windmiller), the J/92s NEILSON REDEYE (Marion Piper) and others.
SWALLOW, skippered by Viks Lincoln, came out on top in the J80 class in the inaugural year for one-design racing at the event. She also managed to finish fourth overall behind much larger boats.
Racing in the Solent was challenging with competitors having to contend with gusty winds of 22 knots on Saturday afternoon and the postponement of racing for an hour due to light winds on Sunday morning. Peter Bateson (PRO), from the Royal Southern Yacht Club, set a series of challenging courses accommodating the range of boats participating and creating some exciting mark roundings.
One of the event's organizers, Jody Slater, commented: "It was a fantastic weekend, with all the competitors really getting into the spirit of the event, whether at the front or back of the fleet. It was also great to see the Championship so well supported by both our sponsors, but also other sailors. The Frock's & Flip-Flops Party was a great success, attracting lots of sailors from the local area, and raising £800 for Breast Cancer Care, a charity that WOKC is proud to support."
Several other teams took awards including Cathy Vise's J/92 WIZARD, named "Most Improved Team." For more WOKC Sailing information. Sailing photo credit- Rick Langford- Ocean Images UK
