(Hamble, So'ton, England)- The 29th edition of the Warsash Spring
Series got underway on 18th March 2012 and on a day when the wind went
from zero then up to 16 knots in the short sharp squalls, both
competitors and race officers needed to think quickly.Forecasts varied but in the main indicated a high pressure area over the south of England bringing light and uncertain winds to the Solent, initially north-west then veering north. Many competitors found ice on the decks but sunshine developed by 0900. The breeze dallied under 5 knots, but this still enabled some crews to put in their first pre-race practice of the season. As the start sequence approached, the wind direction had certainly not settled and a postponement was announced for both Black and White Groups whilst race officers designed and redesigned a multitude of courses accordingly.
The Black Group committee boat had set-up station near East Bramble and at 1050 IRC1 were sent on a course with Prince Consort buoy off Cowes as the turning mark. The fleet was evenly spread along the line. Even with the westerly tide pushing the boats towards the start line, IRC2 also got away cleanly under the “I” flag but now the fleet had decided that the committee boat end was the favorite. Before the J/109 class could start, the wind had swung even further west and the “AP” flag was displayed again. The effect on the first two classes racing was to turn the first beat into a long starboard tack with a port hand hitch to lay the mark.
Meanwhile,
it was back to the chart table for the race officers on Condor to
design another new set of courses for the remaining four Black Group
classes. This time West Knoll was the windward mark giving navigators
the test of judging tidal heights as they skirted the Bramble Bank. Only
one failed and spent an extended break aground until the tide rose
again in the afternoon. To save time, IRC3 had a combined start making
for a busy line. As these boats headed west, angry grey clouds were
forming over the Bramble Bank and these brought lively gusts leaving
crews to wonder whether to peel headsails that had initially been set
for 5 knots of breeze. No sooner had it arrived, than the wind lessened
and turned the run to Universal buoy into a fetch. On completion of the
second beat, the wind vanished leaving boats becalmed and pointing in
every direction, some with white sails, others with spinnakers. The
decision was taken to shorten after the fourth leg and many were
grateful for the now east-going tide to reach the finish. For IRC1 and
IRC2 the course had been amended to omit the penultimate mark and turn
the last leg into a beat.The biggest win of the day was Paul Griffiths on the J/109 JAGERBOMB, a triumph of tactics which took him to first place by 25 minutes ahead of the nearest rival in the J/109s. The J/109 class has a very strong showing overall despite the JAGERBOMB's triumphant first outing. In second was Mike & Sarah Wallis on JAHMALI and third was Roger Phillips on DESIGNSTAR 2.
The closest finish was in the new J/Sprit class where John Cooper and Ian Townend’s J/92 JAMMIN took line honours by a couple of boat lengths but were denied a class win by the lower-handicapped sistership J'RONIMO (John Taylor and David Greenhalgh). Third was yet another J/92s, Andyy Howe's J/92s BLACKJACK.
White Group this year includes classes for J/80s. For this first week, it was the J/80 crews who proved the hardier and turned out in numbers. With a racing area closer in shore, CRO Peter Knight was hoping to catch the breeze coming down Southampton Water but he also had to stall the start procedure. When the first races were underway, a significant wind shift to the right halfway up the first beat turned the course into a full and bye leg with a broad reach return to the bottom mark. Nick Haigh, with Geoff Carveth helming, sneaked the win in SLIGHTLY STEAM, the latest in the “Steamy” brand, ahead of Ian Atkins in Boats.com. Third was Terry Palmer on JUST DO IT.
The course was re-laid to account for the new wind and a brief rain shower raised the wind to over 10 knots by the start of the second race. The squall lasted for the first beat but as the sun came out the wind faded to nothing and by the time the boats had reached the leeward mark and tried to start the next beat it was a losing battle. The race officers made the sensible decision to abandon and send everyone home to enjoy "Mothering Sunday".
The Black Group IRC 1 Class only had five finishers due to the crazy conditions, the somewhat distorted race course with Ivan Trotman's J/122 JOLOU surviving the chaos to grab a fifth overall. For more Warsash Spring Series sailing results.
