(Southampton, England)- It was a great start to the 2011 Molson-Coors Double-handed Series in England with close racing in all 5 classes. The Royal Southampton YC prides itself as the home of Double-handed Racing and last year celebrated the 30th anniversary of the first race Series.
Saturday’s race was the first of an eight race season comprising four inshore races and four offshore races. Entrants compete for individual races, the Inshore Series, Offshore Series and Main Series, each with their own prizes and trophies for each Class. The fleet is raced in five monohull Classes – three IRC and two Club. The Series has 73 monohull entries to date and a record 62 of those boats were on the start line off Hillhead at 10 AM boding well for another great season of Double Handed racing. At the attention signal the conditions were near perfect-- the sun shone and the breeze blew at around 12 to 18 knots from the west south west.
Courses were set with long legs to give more of a passage flavor rather than the usual round the cans short legs format. They took the fleets on upwind legs to Stanswood Bay and West Bramble, then back downwind to marks along the North Channel with a tactical decision for the deeper draught boats as to which side of the Bramble Bank to clear. All Classes had a reaching finish from their last marks to Coronation.
In IRC Class 1, shaking off a few cobwebs and getting dialed up for the season was the J/122 OOJAH sailed by Peter Tanner and Trevor Pountain. Their third place out of the starting blocks for their double-handed season is a counter amongst this taught fleet of wily veterans.
In IRC Class 2A, the J/105s seemed to have the run of the place. Andy Hill and Mathieu Lathoud on their J/105 ONLY JUST won the race handily while Trans-Atlantic veteran (and winner) Oscar Mead teamed up with Laurence to take third with their J/105 JUNEAU. For more Royal Southampton YC series sailing information.
