(Hong Kong, China)- After sailing a terrific race to win the Island Solo
race, we asked skipper Laurence Mead to provide us a full on report on
what it was like to sail single-handed around the Isle of Wight (note-
your Editor has done the Island Double three times and knows how tough
this race can be (first on the J/44 J-HAWK with Andrew Cape- navigator
on the Volvo 70 TELEFONICA and twice on Mike's pretty J/35c from
Lymington). Here's Laurence's report:"The UK has a thriving short-handed sailing scene, the 2-hander’s have both the offshore orientated RORC races (which J/105’s have always done well in) being mainly 200-mile races round the English Channel as well as the shorter course but better attended (and truth be told a bit less competitive) Royal Southampton Series, which is 8 races over the season, 4 inshore and 4 offshore. The solo boys have a strong and growing group being run by the Solo Ocean Racing Club (SORC – which is confusing for the old timers who all know SORC to be the Florida series of yesteryear!) and they now have a full season of both inshore and offshore races, some to France, others up and down the UK’s South Coast.
On April 28th 31 boats came to the start line for the favorite solo event of the year, the Solo Round the Isle of Wight race (RIOW). This 50 mile passage race has it all. Strong tides, massive headlands to round, rocks, muddy shallows and with the full 360 degree loop of the island, wind from every angle! This year the forecast was light North Easterly to kick off (at 0600!) building so that by early evening it would be blowing 25 and heading for 40 knots NE. We would all in be in by then but some heavy air beating up the back of the island wasn’t out of the question.
The day dawned exactly as advertised (an 0430 alarm from a warm bed made it feel like the Vendee – well, a tiny weeny bit anyway!) and three J boats took an immediate lead. Laurence Mead in his 105 nearest the island shore, Simon Curwen on Voador (another 105) in the middle of the Solent and Rob Craigie on his 122 nearest the mainland shore (more northerly). Mead hoped he had enough extra tide to get round the front of the other 2 as chutes were hoisted off the start line but in the end the gusts from the NE gave the other two just enough extra forward to lead at the first turn, being Hurst Narrows at the end of the Solent. Behind the fleet was already well spread out.
The three J boats all sailed down the edge of the Shingles Bank and lined up for the Needles Point. Craigie went wide to avoid any issues with Goose Rock and the wreck of the Varassi - which sits off the point - while Mead (who had caught up with a bit more pressure to the north - having swapped sides with Curwen as they came past Hurst Narrows) and Curwen went round side by side about 2 metres off the lighthouse. They traded places twice within 2 minutes as they dropped chutes and set off up the 25 mile fetch and beat towards St Catherines Point on the Island’s southern side but Curwen held his lead, just!
The J105’s were never more than 3 boat lengths apart and continued to hold onto 2nd and 3rd place on the water all the way to the half way station at St Catherine’s Point, at which stage they were finally caught by some class 1 boats as Chris Rustom sailed by in his Andrews 37 Ding-Dong, the Figaro 2 of Ian Hoddle caught them as well (but this is a water ballasted 35 footer that rates higher than the 122’s so Ian still had a lot to do!) as did the second J122 of David Cule. Still the 105’s were leading on corrected time surely; there was no sight of the small boats astern.
Although the race had been very benign so far the gusts started to roll in as the next section of the race unfolded, this a 15 mile beat into the now 15 to 16 knot NE’ly from St Cat’s to Bembridge Ledge Buoy. The big boats all had slack tide at this stage, just a little turning in their favour while at the back the smaller boats were stirring!! They were by now 3 or 4 miles back and had favourable tide for the whole beat to look forward to.
The J122 of David Cule took a few minutes to get into her stride but when David got the trim right she took off like a scolded cat to power upwind. Mead got the better of Curwen here to finally grab a decent lead of about 3 boat lengths having worked hard to get inside as the boats hardened up.
Curwen was rolled by a couple of bigger boats and this dirty-wind, along with Mead possibly having a tad more of the early tide change inshore was enough to turn the tables. The big movers on the beat however were the small boats, which, although out of sight to the leaders must have done well on this leg. Jerry Freeman on the 3rd J105 “Juliette” was also going fast, inshore of the leading pack he closed noticeably over the course of the leg.
On the water leader Rob Craigie in his immaculately prepared J122 then overstood the Bembridge Ledge turning mark badly to give up his big lead, indeed by the mark David Cule had almost got his bow in front, not quite, but close! Most of the big boats did the same as Craigie while Mead was first of the smaller boats to tack back towards Bembridge and he held a small lead over Curwen at the mark.
It was then a case of diving to leeward of the rhumb line to get out of the building adverse tide which the two J105’s did aggressively. Round the Ryde bank and headed for home Mead went to his Code 0 while Curwen had his fractional chute up and was closing. Most of the leading pack were flying chutes down this leg and most held up off the lee-shore accepting the negative tidal effect in the middle of the Solent.
Curwen, never one to give up without a fight kept his bow down, going fast and skirting along the shallows and Mead followed suit peeling to his full size spinnaker as he did so. This all looked good until a gentle build in pressure and a small header as the Cowes finish line came into view meant that neither could lay round the point....depth kept dropping and they both kept chutes up until Mead finally blinked first and went into a drop sequence. He had a Code 0 hoisted and ready to unfurl immediately and although he was losing ground after he had dropped he looked secure for the 800 metres to the finish, and that secure lead over Curwen became rock solid when Curwen finally ran out of depth and had to drop his chute, which he did, only to see it trawl out astern in the process.
The little boats weren’t in sight behind but a combination of better tide round the track and more wind down the last reach saw Class 3 boats take the top 4 overall places (ahead of the 2 J105’s in 5th and 6th) and 7 of the top ten overall. None of the Class 1 boats had ever looked like getting enough of a lead to beat the class 2’s and that was how it finished.
A great race though enjoyed by all. Winners and Grinners were Will Sayer, Richard Breese and Chris Flewitt who took the podium places in their Sigma 33, Hunter Sonata 23 and Contessa 28 respectively. IRC handicaps may have some quirks but it does deliver great racing for all shapes and sizes!!!
The week after the 2-handers get their shot at it and many of the same boats will be on the race course again!" We wish we were there, too!
