Hamble Winter Series Week IV Report

 

(Hamble, England)- The Hamble River Sailing Club worked with local and national authorities in the United Kingdom to ensure that sailing events could take place on the Southampton Water and the infamous Solent while adhering to the covid-19 pandemic guidelines.  As a result, they were able to start up their annual Hamble Winter Series, albeit with a bit of a delay. Here is the latest report from Trevor Pountain and thanks to Paul Wyeth for sailing photos.

"This week should have seen the culmination of the Hamble One-Design Championships, with racing on both Saturday and Sunday. However, the Weather Gods, or Storm Barbara as they were called last week, had other ideas. It was clear for several days in advance, that Saturday would be a complete non-starter. So, competitors were given an early cancellation on Friday lunchtime. With a well-known and respected online weather predictor giving 17-23 knots average, but gusts of 28-33 knots for the Sunday, the Race Team gave another early cancellation on the Saturday to prevent teams travelling and boats being launched.


The Forecast was not bad enough to trouble the IRC Classes, so Peter Bateson took the fleet to the vicinity of "Hamblewinterseries.com buoy" for a probable start area. The wind was moving between WSW and W, but was otherwise as expected. By 1000 hours it had gone south and dropped to 2-4 knots. There was much head scratching on the committee boat, and the competitors who had braved thunder and hail stones on the way to the start area, began to frantically adjust their rig settings and look for lighter headsails. With Windycator v2 showing 25 knots from the SW everywhere but the Bramble plateau the PRO decided to wait.

After half an hour, the wind was still light and from the south, so Peter Bateson decide it was better for the fleet to do something rather than sit around waiting. New courses were quickly designed to deal with the southerly starting breeze, but with the later legs ready for the expected southwesterly. 

IRC 1 Class and IRC 2 Class got away at 1110 hrs and 1120 hrs, still in shifty, very light airs from the south. IRC 3 Class departed at 1130 hrs, with a building breeze of 10 knots. 

IRC 1 Class were near the third mark at West Knoll when the "proper" breeze returned (10-15 knots) from the SW. IRC 2 yachts were half way from the first mark (East Knoll) to the second, with spinnakers up, when the wind switched from very little from the S (coming from Cowes) to 15+ knots from the NW (direct from Southampton) and several boats had a minute or two bearing off in the direction of Portsmouth before they could drop their kites and get onto the beat, which the leg had become. IRC 3 started on a beat which turned into a fetch, but at least the second leg became another beat! The rest of the race was more-or-less beats and spinnaker runs, as intended!


Big wind shifts nearly always have a snakes and ladders effect on the positions, and so it was in IRC 2 Class. Simon Perry's J/019 JIRAFFE got caught up in the pin end melee, leaving Mike & Susie Yates J/109 JAGO in clear air mid-line, alongside Gavin Howe's J/88 TIGRIS and Rob Cotterill J/109 MOJO RISIN. 

In the end, it was the Yates' JAGO taking line honors and extending their lead for the series with a cumulative 2-1-1 tally for 4 pts and a near-unassailable lead on the fleet. However, "no one is counting their chickens before they hatch", so to speak.  Perry's JIRAFFE team got smoked and ended up taking a 6th place to drop off their "death match" with the JAGO team...now posting 11 pts.  Sailing the most consistently is Gavin Howe's J/88 TIGRIS, hanging onto third overall with the series with a 4th place, for a total of 11 pts. Yet another J/crew sits on fourth for the series, Mark Stevens' J/105 JACANA with a 4-2-7 tally for 13 pts. 

In IRC 3, the amazing Greenhalgh family continues to hang in there. Though they had a disappointing 6th place this past weekend, their series tally of 6-1-6 for 13 pts keeps them in the hunt at the top of the leaderboard. While currently sitting in third place, no one doubts they have the talent and the desire to jump to the top of the class. 

The Key Yachting Prosecco and Chocolates were enjoyed by all the winners, not just Susie Yates.

Next week is the mid series break, and when the fleet returns on November 8th for the real winter bit of the series.   Sailing photo credits- Paul Wyeth  For more Hamble Winter Series sailing informationAdd to Flipboard Magazine.

Hamble Winter Series Report

 

(Hamble, England)- The Hamble River Sailing Club worked with local and national authorities in the United Kingdom to ensure that sailing events could take place on the Southampton Water and the infamous Solent while adhering to the covid-19 pandemic guidelines.  As a result, they were able to start up their annual Hamble Winter Series, albeit with a bit of a delay. Here are the quick reports for J/Sailors around the world. 


Saturday saw the start of racing for the two days of the Hamble IRC Autumn Championship. Fifty-eight teams went out over the weekend, including a twenty-five strong Class 1, who were also battling for the Hamble Star Trophy for the best" Big Boat." That world-renowned photographer from the Isle of Wight, Paul Wyeth, declared it was "The best turn out all season."

Conditions looked tricky for all concerned from the forecast’s light winds from the NE on Saturday and three fifths of sod all on the Sunday. The CV Condor went to East Knoll to start Race 1 on Saturday and laid a couple of windward marks and a couple of leeward marks to allow for the predicted shift in the wind.


This turned out to be the best breeze of the weekend and the 25 strong IRC 1 fleet had a great first race and finished in a big bunch with the top four separated by only 1 minute 30 seconds on corrected time.  Michael O'Donnell's J/121 DARKWOOD was second. 

In IRC 2, the battles between the two J/109's of Simon Perry and Mike & Susie Yates, were quickly re-joined. Mike & Susie's JAGO made the most of the first beat by staying south of the North Channel. They arrived at the windward mark first only to be interrupted by a wine glass, in the spinnaker that is, not the cockpit. This meant they spent some time going down tide allowing Simon Perry's JIRAFFE to slip through and gain control of the race. JIRAFFE finished 1st.

The failing breeze meant that only Class 1 managed to finish the second race on Saturday.


As already stated, the forecast for Sunday did not look positive. PRO Peter Bateson was determined to give it a go, if at all possible, and his Saturday night WhatsApp enthused "We are going to try. It only needs a couple more knots of breeze and we'll get some racing." The Race Team went out on time and at 09.13 the message was "We currently have 4-5 knots of breeze from the North. Suggest boats come out and join us." Peter set up a short 0.8-mile course of loops to keep the fleet close for the expected failing breeze, not to mention the start of the spring tide ripping in the wrong direction. As it turned out every class was shortened by radio Amendment 3, which allowed at least some of them to have a race.

IRC 1 spoiled the plan to get everyone away quickly, by forcing a general recall. "A crucial loss of 10 minutes!" was the only printable comment from those classes waiting patiently behind them. The upshot of this was that in IRC 3, only four boats managed to finish. David Greenhalgh's J/92 J'RONIMO finished a comfortable first. J'RONIMO managed third overall due to 13 retirements on the last race.

In IRC 2, Race 3 started with the J/109s JIRAFFE, JAGO and one other boat OCS. Although this call by the Race Team was hotly disputed on JAGO, they duly returned with JIRAFFE and set about recovering the situation. They repeated their tactics from the first race, this time without any spinnaker trouble and came home first.  Mark Stevens J/105 JACANA was second and JIRAFFE was third. 

With the benefit of going first, eventually, IRC 1 with their greater speed managed to get 16 boats to the amended finish. The overall positions for the IRC 1 Autumn Championship saw Cornel Riklin's J/111 JITTERBUG take third place!

Peter Bateson and the Race Team are to be congratulated in getting three races run in such trying conditions.   Sailing photo credits- Paul Wyeth    For more Hamble Winter Series sailing information

Fast Fun Racing @ J/70 UK Nationals

 

(Hamble, United Kingdom)- The 2020 J/70 UK National Championships saw three days of absolutely fantastic racing for the fleet of twenty-one teams that assembled for a bit of fast & furious racing on the Solent. Blessed with good breezes all three days and a fast, planing-mode finale, the Royal Southern Yacht Club regatta PRO managed to fire off nine races from Friday, 11th of September to Sunday, 13th of September.  

The racing was incredibly competitive despite the enormous amount of time spent off the water in this pandemic year. The top five teams, in particular, took turns trading off podium finishes over the three days.  In the end, it was Graham Clapp's JEEPSTER that was declared 2020 J/70 U.K. National Champion over the reigning J/70 World Champion- Paul Ward's EAT SLEEP J REPEAT.

RACE DAY ONE
Not surprisingly, the regatta started off with a three-way tie for first place after the first three races. 
 
As if by magic, a solid south westerly breeze kicked in shortly before the start of the first race. The wind speed rose steadily through the day, piping up to 20 knots in the gusts. The RSYC Race Team, led by PRO Charlie Stowe, reeled off three excellent windward leeward races in the spectacular conditions.
 
At the end of the day, three teams were tied on points at the top of the leader board: Martin Dent's JELVIS led on countback from EAT SLEEP J REPEAT and Peters & Calascione’s CALYPSO. Clapp’s JEEPSTER was also a race winner. In the Corinthian Division, King & Wilson’s SOAK RACING was on top of the charts.
 

Spectacular conditions with close racing right through the J/70 fleet. (© Louay Habib)

Martin Dent’s Jelvis is somewhat a family boat, with Martin on the helm and his daughter Ruby at the front, with the two Wetherell brothers, Jack and Henry, mid-boat.


Martin Dent's J/70 Jelvis (© Louay Habib)

“We are kind of a North Britain boat, the Dents from Scotland and the Wetherell’s from Yorkshire,” smiled Martin Dent. “It was amazing to be out there today, having missed, like everybody else, a summer of sailing.  We were blessed with fantastic conditions giving us the full spectrum of J/70 sailing modes from displacement downwind to full-on planing mode, sending it downhill.  The class has always provided competitive nip and tuck racing and this year, despite being in the midst of a global pandemic, the UK fleet is getting stronger with some serious new teams.  I am sure everybody enjoyed themselves today.”


L-R SOAK RACING and Jonnie Goodwin's RYS team lock horns downwind. (© Louay Habib)

Marshall King & Ian Wilson’s SOAK RACING is the reigning J/70 Corinthian World Champion and at this regatta, defending the national championship.


King & Wilson's J/70 SOAK RACING. (© Louay Habib)

“Tactically, we decided that we wanted to win the right and the first two races went well in that respect, but in the last race we had a bad start and paid the price,” commented Ian Wilson. “The competition was really good today, and it’s great to see new young teams joining the class and going fast, we need them to turn up, and make it worth our while to retire! Spending Friday, away from work, surfing around The Solent at 15 knots was just fantastic!”


JP Alvarez YC Argentino - GBR 742 (© Louay Habib)

JP Alvarez is racing at the UK J/70 Nationals with a crew all from Argentina. “We have chartered a J/70 from the Royal Thames Yacht Club, and we all work in London,” explained JP. “We have never sailed together before as a team, and we knew that this regatta would be a very high standard. We sail at home in the Rio de la Plata, so we know about current, but The Solent is a very tricky place to sail. We really enjoyed today, and we hope to improve during the regatta. During the second race today, one of the crew said look at the boat next to us. I did and it was the world champions! It is great take part in this regatta.”


RACE DAY TWO
The Solent is a tricky place to sail, especially when the wind is all over the place. Uber wind shifts postponed the start of the second day of the J/70 UK National Championships, but once the wind direction stabilized, three windward leeward races were hard fought for the 22-strong fleet. Ward’s EAT SLEEP J REPEAT took a brace of bullets to lead the regatta by two points. Clapp’s JEEPSTER scored a 1-2-1 to move up to second. Dent’s JELVIS dropped to third but was still in with a shot at the title going into the final day.

Eat Sleep J Repeat’s Ruairidh Scott is a World Champion in the J/70, J/80 and J/111 classes, and commented after racing, “it wasn’t easy in a competitive fleet, especially upwind when the chop gets going, it is challenging to keep the speed up. Crew weight, technique and also mast rake has a big influence on performance. This fleet is spirited and upwind there is not a lot in it. However, the first downwind leg today, we were the first boat to go into wing-on-wing, and that got us away.”

Ben Saxton, NACRA 17 World Champion, has been racing in the J/70 Class for four years, Ben is part of Clapp’s crew on JEEPSTER. “To win in the J/70 Class, you need good teamwork,” commented Saxton. “If you start well and you are quick enough, then you can bring your tactics into play. We are pretty stacked for weight, so quick upwind but not as fast downwind. We have been working on downwind technique and we are getting faster, which shows in the results. We have worked hard to get it right and we passed EAT SLEEP J REPEAT upwind today for our win, so that was a good feeling.”


Tales from the Peloton
Patrick Liardet’s COSMIC, sitting in 12th position with a crew of young talented sailors (son Freddie, Jack Hanslope and Richard Anderton), had an interesting perspective from "the peloton". 

On the race track and in the results, COSMIC is mixing it with sailors from the Olympics, World Champions and top professional sailors.

“It is the first time we have all sailed together and mixing it up in the fleet has been good fun,” commented Patrick. “This is a very tough fleet with strong sailors, and it’s tremendous. Richard is a World Champion Fireball crew, Freddie is very strong in dinghies and keelboats and Jack is his friend from University, who is a great team racer. The boats are evenly matched, so you are really fighting for every place, all the way down the fleet.”

RACE DAY THREE
The J/70 UK Class boast reigning World Champions in both the Open and Corinthian Classes. However, a dramatic end to racing resulted in two new national champions. Spectacular conditions on the final day were used to the full by the Royal Southern YC Race Team, led by PRO Charlie Stowe, the scene was set for a memorable finale to a superb regatta. Graham Clapp’s JEEPSTER is the new J/70 UK Open National Champion, and Charles Thompson’s Brutus is the new J/70 UK Corinthian Champion.

In the Open Championship, Paul Ward’s World Champion team on EAT SLEEP J REPEAT was second. Newcomers to the class, Nick Phillip’s CHAOTIC was third.


Graham Clapp’s J/70 Jeepster (© Louay Habib)

“We have really got the boat going well, and we are also having a lot of fun on board, which is a winning combination,” commented Clapp. “I have known Ben (Saxton) since he was a child, but this team have only come together recently, and our performance improved as the regatta went on. The competition has been really exciting with great racing which is what this class is all about. A big thank you to Charlie (Stowe) and the all the Royal Southern team, who did a fantastic job in organizing the regatta.”

Charles Thompson was grinning from ear to ear after a bullet in the last race secured the Corinthian title for J/70 BRUTUS. 2019 World Champions, Wilson & King’s SOAL RACING was second and Doug Struth’s DSP, runners up at last year’s world championship, third.


Charles Thompson’s J/70 Brutus (© Louay Habib)

“It feels good to have the trophy in my hands, but I have to say quite a surprise after the first couple of days, we didn’t think we would make the top three” commented Thompson. “The last two races went well for us, and that was helped by getting off the start line in the right place. Thanks to my crew, we got a bullet at the end! Teamwork is unquestionably important, sailing with a positive crew is fundamental.” Thompson is the only owner/ bowman in the fleet. “I am definitely the oldest bowman in the fleet, and there is only one word for it– wet!”

J/70 UK Class Chairman, Paul Ward was quick to congratulate both JEEPSTER and BRUTUS. “They both had a fantastic last day and have sailed well all regatta. To knock two world champions of their perches is great for the class. We have four more events in the J/70 UK Grand Slam Series, and they are going to provide fantastic racing.”   Sailing photo credits- Paul Wyeth  Follow the J/70 U.K. class on Facebook here.  For more J/70 U.K. Class sailing information 

Hamble Winter Series VII Report

(Hamble, England)- The past weekend proved to be a bit of an anti-climax for most teams sailing the Hamble Sailing Club's annual Hamble Winter Series. The lack of a race did little to clarify the remaining positions in the IRC classes. While a number of the prize-winners are now set in stone, or at least Solent mud, there are a number of podium places still to fight for.

In IRC 2, Simon Perry's J/109 JIRAFFE has also been safe at the top for a while. Gavin Howe's J/88 TIGRIS in second is some ten points adrift. Third place will be one of next Sunday’s big battles, including Dirk Van Beek's J/88 SABRIEL JR and Mike and Susie Yates's J/109 JAGO-- a three-way match race" as one old wag put it. How JAGO must wish they could have got rid of that 13 points from Race 6, last week.


The other big scrap will be at the top of IRC 1, where Ian Atkins Icy and Chaz Ivill's J/112E DAVANTI TYRES have been slugging it out all series. They both have the same four first places and a three two split in second places in favour of Icy. Will the J/112E that has won the class for the two previous years ultimately triumph? Time will tell.

The good news is that the forecast is showing some 15-23 knots of breeze for Sunday. The bad news is that it will be from that tricky NE direction, producing very shifty, streaky, offshore breezes!

As well as the overall prizes, this coming Sunday finale will see the "Yacht of the Series Trophy" presented and the "Paul Heys Trophy", to the best J/Boat, in memory of Paul who was such a great supporter of the HYS Hamble Winter Series. For more HYS Hamble Winter Series sailing information Add to Flipboard Magazine.

Beautiful 3rd Weekend @ Hamble Winter Series

(Hamble, England)- The famous Hamble Winter Series continued on the Solent and Southampton Water, hosted by the Hamble Sailing Club. The classes include IRC handicap as well as one-design fleets of J/70s in southern United Kingdom. This past weekend marked the third weekend of sailing in beautiful fall weather conditions.

The Hamble One-design Championship was sailed on both the Saturday and Sunday of Week 3. PRO Ian Bullock, set up station in the vicinity of William buoy for the Saturday starts to take advantage of the WSW airstream. The J/70’s sailed a series of windward/leeward courses in the bright sunshine and steadily increasing breeze. The Race Team, with Ian Sumner, guesting as Time Keeper, on his annual return to the Solent, managed to get four races completed just in case the weather for the next day was not so helpful. As the wind built throughout the day, all the fleets began to surf and plane down the waves.

Paul Ward’s EAT SLEEP J REPEAT showed very quickly why he was the current J/70 World Champion with four bullets on Saturday.

Sunday arrived and this time, although sunny, the wind was from the ENE and decidedly chilly. Everyone was now very happy that only two races were needed to finish the series. Mike Foster was PRO and he placed the start near East Knoll, with the windward mark off the Hill Head shore. Once again, the pressure slowly built, so that when Paul Wyeth appeared to take the pictures, the teams were parting the waves and creating impressive water features.

Having missed the first weekend, Ward’s EAT SLEEP J REPEAT was unable to feature on the overall podium. Marshall King’s SOAK RACING, took the J/70 Championship with 14 points, followed by Tim Collins’ EV EXPERTS in second with 24 pts and Simon Cavey’s JUST 4 PLAY in third with 37 pts.

The IRC boats in the main HYS Hamble Winter Series were taken to Goodall Roofing (40), to battle it out for the Key Yachting day prizes (wine and chocolates) for the first race. The second race started around the "Ryde Middles” and went NE to Fastnet Insurance or East Bramble (depending on your size), then back towards the Isle of Wight, before heading NE to the Lee on the Solent shore, returning to South Ryde Middle and appropriately to a finish off Hamble Yacht Services.

In the IRC 1 Division, race 1 saw the J/112E DAVANTI TYRES take second. Then, DAVANTI TYRES took the win in race two, followed by Paul Griffith’s J/111 JAGERBOMB.

In IRC 2 Division, Simon Perry’s J/109 JIRAFFE continued her winning ways with two first places. "We just kept our nose clean,” said a crewmember. Gavin Howe’s J/88 TIGRIS was also literally in the Key Yachting chocolates with a fourth and a second. Sitting in third for the series is John Smart’s J/109 JUKEBOX to round out a current clean sweep of the class podium for J/Crews.

Continuing to extend their lead in the J/88 class scoring is Howe’s TIGRIS, with Dirk van Beek’s SABRIEL JR in second 4 pts back, and Tim Tolcher’s RAGING BULL in third yet another 4 pts in arrears.

Next week is Race Week 4 of the HYS Hamble Winter Series and the culmination of the Hamble Big Boat Championship.  Sailing photo credits- Paul Wyeth/ PWPictures.com   For more Hamble Winter Series sailing information Add to Flipboard Magazine.

Windier Part II @ Hamble Winter Series

(Hamble, England)- The famous Hamble Winter Series has started on the Solent and Southampton Water, hosted by the Hamble Sailing Club. The classes include IRC handicap as well as one-design fleets of J/70s in southern United Kingdom. This past weekend marked the second weekend of sailing in somewhat exciting, epic sailing conditions.

The forecast for Sunday the 13th October did not look great on Saturday night, but PRO Kathy Smalley, decided to go out and have a look on Sunday morning. As the start time approached, a strong squall swept through the area. Many competitors decided to call it a day and retire to the local pubs for an extended Sunday brunch/ lunch.

Of the 28 teams that decided to venture out, 16 sailed the course, two retired and 10 were DNS. The PRO set a beat to Delloit Buoy, followed by a reach to keep the early starters away from those still beating. One-sided beats to maintain separation were also the call of the day, along with short downwind legs and a short fetch to the finish. The smaller boats did a short leg to QXI while big boats went over to Prince Consort.

Some boats go particularly well downwind when there is a bit breeze around. The J/88 is such a beast. Even IRC 3 Class leader, Simon Perry’s J/109 JIRAFFE, had to concede the following. "We were quicker upwind,” said Simon. “But, the J/88 TIGRIS just shot past us downwind!" Bar-talk later confirmed that 21 knots had been seen on the J/88 TIGRIS’ speedometer. JIRAFFE managed to hang on to second, but the next two were the J/88's, Richard Cooper’s JONGLEUR and Dirk van Beek’s SABRIEL JR. As a result, Perry’s JIRAFFE leads with a 1-1-2 for 4 pts, followed by Howe’s TIGRIS with a 6-3-1 for 10 pts. Sitting in third is Mike & Susie Yates’ J/109 JAGO with a 4-2-DNC for 19 pts.

Next week sees race weekend 3 of the HYS Hamble Winter Series, Week 2 of the Hamble Big Boat Championship and the final weekend of the Hamble One-Design Championships. Sailing photo credits- Paul Wyeth/PwPictures.com. For more Hamble Winter Series sailing information. Add to Flipboard Magazine.

Windy Start to Hamble Winter Series

 
(Hamble, England)- The famous Hamble Winter Series has started on the Solent and Southampton Water, hosted by the Hamble Sailing Club. The classes include IRC handicap as well as one-design fleets of J/70s in southern United Kingdom.

It all started quietly enough on Saturday, with PRO Kathy Smalley announcing at 11:04 hrs on the WhatsApp group that they were “waiting for the wind". Later, she then announced, “still waiting" at 13:04 hrs. The prospects for the first day of the 38th HYS Hamble Winter Series looked bleak. Then, a glimmer of hope from the East. Barney Smith on the One-Design CV reported that, “the wind is coming", and so it did. One-design Race Officer Ian Bullock had suggested patience would be required and he was quite right. The team on CV Flightwing wasted no time starting two races for the J/70s in the Hamble One-Design Championship, the second one starting just before the 15:00 hrs cut off. Out on the IRC start area, in the vicinity of 4W (Goodall Roofing), by 13:00 hrs a light 6-10 knots from the East gave the boats in the Autumn IRC Championship one race. There were cautious starts all round and no recalls.

Over on the One Design Course, the Bullock/Robinson Race Committee PRO Team won all the plaudits by getting through four races on the day and having a complete series. The J/70's were particularly impressed by this. They placed the start line where they were when the water pump packed up on CV Flightwing. As the wind increased the view from the CV became rather exciting. There was a good deal of discussion as to what constituted "in the normal sailing position" when finishing. Did the top of the mast qualify as the front part of the boat during a broach?

Marshall King in SOAK RACING was able to discard a third and count only one second place for an amazing six points to win the J/70 Class. Tim Collins’ EV EXPERTS was five points back in second. Thor Askeland & Rob Larke’s MJOLNIR came third with 20 points. Rounding out the top five was Jack Davies’ YETI in 4th and Simon Weeks’ MIMI’S in 5th place.

In IRC 2 Class, Simon Perry’s J/109 JIRAFFE, a serial winter series winner, took the bullet followed by David Richards’ J/109 JUMPING JELLYFISH in 2nd and John Smart’s JUKEBOX in 3rd in what already looks like a J/109 benefit regatta. In IRC 1 Class, Chaz Ivill’s J/112E DAVANTI TYRES took second place.

With a nice steady west northwesterly forecast, but low water, the two RC PRO’s Kathy Smalley and Peter Bateson took the IRC Classes out to Ryde Bank for Race Day 2. The plan was to run a short cascade of windward-leeward courses, starting at one end of the Ryde Bank, and finishing at the other end.

"Everyone was very civilized on the start line with no recalls, best not to risk anything with a Smalley at each end of the line,” laughed Kathy.

The plan for the second race was to finish closer to Hamble, where beer and cheesy chips were the order of the day. However, as is often the case, the wind Gods had a surprise up their sleeves. Suddenly, the wind was up in the 20's with gusts closer to 30 knots. A number of teams radioed in to say thanks for the first race, but they were now off home! Nevertheless, many others loitered in the start area, as if they wanted a second race. The race committee was ready to provide it. With an increasing wind a simple course was set to West Ryde Middle, back to South Ryde Middle, then up to West Ryde Middle, and so to the finish.

Now the fun really began, and those with memories of Cowes Week could put their recently acquired heavy weather skills to the fore. There was even a suggestion from Lis Robinson that there was an RYA Directive stating that all events must have wind in excess of 25 knots to be considered “proper sailing” events. Be that as it may, the stronger conditions made for entertaining viewing from the CV committee boat.

"Boats were rocking all over the place downwind, many broaching wildly,” said one of the race team. Adding that, “it is slightly unnerving on an anchored committee boat seeing a boat with a bowsprit broaching straight at you!!”

Chris Daniel’s J/122E JUNO, leading IRC 1 Class overall, was unfortunately hit by a Sigma 38 in a port/starboard incident when the mainsheet jammed on. The subsequent hearing gave redress to JUNO,  allowing her to win class by two and a half points.

Perry’s J/109 JIRAFFE won IRC 2 Class with a 1-2-1 series. Third was Smart’s J/109 JUKEBOX, followed by Richards’ J/109 JUMPING JELLYFISH in 4th and Roger Phillips’ J/109 DESIGNSTAR in 5th place. In the J/109 sub-class, those four boats finished in the same order. Also, amongst the J/88 sub-class, winning was Gavin Howe’s TIGRIS, followed by Dirk van Beek’s SABRIEL JR in 2nd and Tim Tolcher’s RAGING BULL in 3rd place.

In IRC 3 Class, Ralph Mason’s J/92 JABBERWOCK finished tied for third place, losing the countback to finish fourth in class.  More great pictures of Sunday's action can be found on Paul Wyeth's website.   For more Hamble Winter Series sailing information

The Landsail Tyres J-Cup Regatta Update

J/70 Worlds Training Event
(Hamble, England)- Before the start of the 2019 Landsail Tyres J-Cup, the J/Boat family gathered for a special tribute to Paul Heys. All of the racing fleet gathered their yachts and all crew observed a minute silence. Surrounded by the J/Boat fleet, Marie Claude Heys, accompanied by Paul's daughters Gemma and Natalie, released a seashell containing Paul's ashes into the Solent. Funds are being raised to support a campaign for a permanent mark in the Solent, the Paul Heys Memorial Buoy. Nearly £20,000 has been raised of the target, to maintain the racing buoy for generations of sailors to come. To make a donation: https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/paulheys

Racing for the 2019 Landsail Tyres J-Cup and J/70 UK Class Training Event, started shortly after noon, with 15 knots of breeze from the southwest. Six classes enjoyed highly competitive racing with 24 teams achieving race podiums in the three races held for all classes.

Michael Wallis' J/122 Jahmali leads the Large IRC Class, from J/112 Davanti Tyres, skippered by Marie-Claude Heys. Isabelle Hung's “The Outsider” racing J/122 Jolly Jellyfish is third on countback.

“Paul Heys was like a father to all of us, and personally we go a long way back,” commented Michael Wallis. “We have been coming to race at just about every J-Cup. It is a fantastic get-together with like minded people, who like to race but observe the rules, and every now and then you let someone cross ahead, knowing they will return the favour. Paul Heys was a huge inspiration to all of us, and it was wonderful to pay tribute to him with such good people out on the Solent.”

There was close racing in the J/92 Class right from the start, with a tie for the win in the first race between Robin Stevenson's Upstart and Alan Macleod's Samurai J. Upstart continued to impress with a second and first to end the day at the top of the leaderboard. David Greenhalgh's J’Ronimo scored a 4-1-2 to finish the first day in second place, just 1.5 points in front of Samurai J.

In the J/111 Class, Tony Mack's McFly scored a 3-1-1 to lead the class but only by a single point for Chris Jones & Louise Makin's Journeymaker II. Paul van Driel's Sweeny is in third position. In the J/109 Class, John Smart's Jukebox is ahead by a single point from Christopher Preston's Jubilee; Simon Perry's Jiraffe is third. In the J/88 Class, Kirsty Apthorp's J-Dream scored a 2-1-1 to hold a five-point advantage over Gavin Howe's Tigris. Richard Cooper's Jongleur is third. In the Small IRC Class Frédéric Bouvier J/99 J Lance 14 scored a 1-1-2 to top the leaderboard. Bob Baker's J/97 Jaywalker is just a point behind in second, and Jeff Johnstone's J/99 Jet is third.

In the J/70 UK Class Training Event, Paul Ward's Eat, Sleep, J, Repeat was fully launched, winning all three races. Eat, Sleep, J, Repeat was the top performing U.K. J/70 team at the recent European Championships, and that time on the water against top international competition, is reaping rewards.

Clive Bush's Darcey posted a 5-3-2, to end the day in second place. Charles Thompson's Brutus is third by way of countback despite equaling Darcey's scoreline. Martin Dent's Jelvis is fourth, also by virtue of countback from Tim Collins' EV Experts.  Sailing photo credits- Tim Wright- http://www.photoaction.com.    Landsail Tyres J-Cup results page   J/70 UK Class Training Event  For more Landsail Tyres J-Cup sailing information Add to Flipboard Magazine.

Warsash Spring Series- Weekend V Report

(Warsash, England)- Ian Wilson & Marshall King's SOAK RACING started the J/70 UK Grand Slam Series in style, winning the opening round of the nine-regatta Grand Slam Series. SOAK RACING scored five bullets out of eight races over the two days, including a hat trick on the last day. Second was Doug Struth's DSP, who scored two races wins, as well as two second places. Paul Ward's Eat, Sleep. J, Repeat was third, just one point ahead of Phil Rees racing Bryn. Ten teams made the top five over the course of the weekend.

Conditions varied dramatically over the two days, with medium wind on the first day, followed by a full-on foam-up of 20 knots plus on the second day. Air and sea temperature was also a factor, as mid-April is about as cold as the water gets in the Solent, added to a bitter easterly breeze, it was a weekend for wrapping up and keeping warm.

“The first day was all about keeping your head out of the boat with lots of gear changing, and the last race the following day, we had 25 knots of brutally cold easterly wind, I think we pulled 19.8 knots out of the boat downwind,” commented Ian Wilson. “The first day was really hard work, trying to spot what was coming next, and getting the right side of the shifts. Downwind, we were switching from planing to low mode, maybe changing mode up to five times. The last day was tough sailing, fresh to frightening, the day started in 16 knots and it built from there, to 20 knots in the second race, and the last race was filled with aggression. To be honest there were a few boats on the ears, beginning to struggle with the conditions, and the freezing conditions were like being slapped in the face with a plate glass – it was sharp, brutal even, when ever a wave came over the boat. It was great for us to have done all that training in Monaco during the winter, but with the best J/70 sailors coming to Torbay for the worlds later this year, we know that on current performance, we would struggle to make the top 20. A great start to the season but we have a lot to do.”

Black Championship Report
In the IRC 1 Class, Tony Mack’s J/111 McFLY is sitting in third place in the two weekend series. The J/109s are doing well in IRC 2 Class, with Simon Perry’s JIRAFFE in 2nd and Mike & Susie Yates’ JAGO in 4th. In the J/109 Class, Perry’s JIRAFFE leads, followed by the Yates’ JAGO in 2nd and David Richards’ JUMPING JELLYFISH in third position.

Black Group Report
In IRC 2 Class, Simon Perry’s J/109 JIRAFFE continues to hold on to 2nd place.  But, with toss races getting factored in, it is Charles Ivill’s J/112E DAVANTI TYRES that has raced up the ladder to now sit in the bronze position.

Despite not having sailed races 3 & 4, David Greenhalgh’s J/92 J’RONIMO is now sitting in fourth place in IRC 3 class.

With six races, the J/88 Class continues to see Gavin Howe’s TIGRIS topping the class with all bullets for 5 pts. Now that “toss races” are factored in, Dirk & Dianne Van Beek’s SABRIEL JR still hold on to 2nd place, while Richard Cooper’s JONGLEUR hangs on to third position.

The J/109s have six races counting. Simon Perry’s JIRAFFE continues to lead with 7 pts, winning their fourth race last weekend. Chris Burleigh’s JYBE TALKIN stays in second with 18 pts, third is Rob Cotterill’s MOJO RISIN with 20 pts.  The balance of the top five is John Smart’s JUKE BOX in 4th and the Royal Air Force Sailing Association’s RED ARROW in 5th position.

The J-Sprit class still sees Gavin Howe’s J/88 TIGRIS leading.  In fact, J/88s occupy the entire top five! SABRIEL JR is 2nd,  Kirsty & David Apthorp’s J/88 J-DREAM is 3rd, Tim Tolcher’s RAGING BULL is 4th, and Richard Cooper’s JONGLEUR is 5th.  Sailing photo credits- Andrew Adams/ CloseHauled Photograph   Follow the Warsash Spring Series on Facebook here  For more HELLY HANSEN Warsash Spring Series sailing information Add to Flipboard Magazine.

HELLY HANSEN Warsash Spring Series Starts Up!

(Warsash, England)- The Warsash Sailing Club on the Hamble River in the United Kingdom started its HELLY HANSEN Warsash Spring Series this past weekend. The WSC PRO paid tribute to Paul Heys of J/U.K., in particular since he was largely responsible for the large fleet of J/Teams that were on the starting line this past weekend. In addition to the two IRC handicap classes, there were three one-design classes of J/70s, J/88s, and J/1092.

Starting with the Black fleet, leading the IRC 2 Class is Simon Perry’s J/111 JIRAFFE with a 1-2 for 3 pts total.  Sitting in 5th with a 6-5 is Chris Burleigh’s J/109 JYBE TALKIN with 11 pts. Holding on to third in IRC 3 Class with a 2-4 is David Greenhalgh’s J/92 J’RONIMO with 6 pts.

In the one-design world, the fleet of J/70s enjoyed six quick races, putting the crews through their paces.  Currently leading is Paul Ward’s EAT SLEEP J REPEAT with a 1-1-1-3-2-2 for 7 pts net. Just one point back is Graham Clapp’s JEEPSTER in second and laying in third is Martin Dent’s JELVIS.

After two races in the J/88 class, Gavin Howe’s TIGRIS is leading with two bullets.  Then, Richard Cooper’s JONGLEUR posted a 3-2 which puts them in second for 5 pts and David & Kirsty Apthorp’s J-DREAM has a 4-3 tally to hold third position.

Similarly, the J/109 class also saw a double bullet performance, with Simon Perry’s JIRAFFE sitting atop the class.  Second is Chris Burleigh’s JYBE TALKIN and third is Rob Cotterill’s MOJO RISIN.

Finally, in the newly-created J/Sprit Division, it is Howe’s J/88 TIGRIS leading, followed by the Apthorp’s J/88 J-DREAM in second and Richard Cooper’s J/88 JONGLEUR in third.  Follow the Warsash Spring Series on Facebook here   Sailing photo credits- Close Hauled Photography/   For more HELLY HANSEN Warsash Spring Series sailing information Add to Flipboard Magazine.

J/121 Northeast Sailing Calendar 2019 Update

(Newport, RI)- The J/121 fleet continues to grow and next season, nearly one third of all the boats worldwide will be sailing in the New England area for the summer. Kicking off the season will be the 2nd Annual J/121 Spring Tune-up hosted by J/Boats and the Newport Shipyard. The great line-up of events continues, highlighted by Block Island Race Week, the NYYC 175th Anniversary Regatta and J/Fest New England. Let the fun begin! Here is the list of the events and links.

May 17-18    J/121 Spring Tune-up/ Newport Shipyard, Newport, RI – a combination J/121 clinic/regatta with onboard coaching and daily recaps– a great way to get up to speed within weeks of spring launching. Four boats and seven owners participated in 2018 and as many as eight teams are expected for 2019.

May 24    Storm Trysail Club’s Block Island Race (Stamford, CT) – this 186 miler is the first offshore distance race of the season and a great shakedown for teams planning on more offshore racing during the year. It’s a commitment to get the boat down to Stamford, CT and back after the race. But, worth the effort if you want an early season challenge and some potential speed-record setting legs.
 
June 7-9    New York Yacht Club Annual Regatta (Newport, RI)– this is the big season opener in Newport with usually 150+ boats participating and a variety of courses. Friday is the classic round-the-island race – tailor made for the J/121.  The weekend is a choice of buoy racing or mid-distance open, course style – a great tune-up for Block Island Race Week.

June 23-28    Block Island Race Week (Block Island, RI) – this biannual classic attracts teams from all over the east coast for five days of spectacular racing.  Storm Trysail Club will provide the J/121s (with at least 6 boats) with a class start and the ability to sail Round-the-Island type courses, which Block Island is most famous for.

July 7    Marblehead to Halifax Race (Marblehead, MA) - the principal offshore race of northern New England, this 363 mile race goes from Marblehead, MA to Halifax, Nova Scotia.

July 15-20    New York Yacht Club 175th Anniversary Regatta (Newport, RI) – New York Yacht Club’s anniversary regatta only comes around every 25 years, so this is a must-attend event!  The NOR indicated that entrants must be members of NYYC or three specific guest clubs, but one can also apply to the sailing office.  With several J/121 owners being NYYC members, there’s an excellent chance for a class start.

August 10-11    J/121 Open Course Rally @ J/Fest New England (Newport, RI) – J/Boat owners from around New England will rendezvous for a fun weekend of racing and socials.

August 16    Ida Lewis Distance Race (Newport, RI) – the 15th edition of this 120nm to 165nm overnight race that starts off Fort Adams State Park and finishes inside Newport Harbor with a bottle of champagne awaiting every finisher.

August 30    Stamford-Vineyard Race (Stamford, CT) - This 238-mile course stretches from Shippan Point through the swirling currents of Plum Gut past Block Island, and on to the light tower at the entrance to Buzzard's Bay. Once reached, sailors return by leaving Block Island to starboard on route to the finish in Stamford Harbor.

September 1    Conanicut Round the Island Race (Jamestown, RI) – the oldest continuous yacht race on Narragansett Bay, this event drew 100 boats in 2018 with the J/121 CRESCENT winning its class and finishing 2nd overall. Add to Flipboard Magazine.

J/121 Nominated @ British Yachting Awards

Performance Yacht of the Year Category (London, United Kingdom)- The J/121 offshore speedster has been shortlisted in The British Yachting Awards 2018 Performance Yacht of the Year category.

For the first time, the established and influential Yachts and Yachting Awards and Sailing Today Awards have been combined as the British Yachting Awards. This a new event draws upon the very best boats, sailing gear, sailors, achievements, destinations, and events from the past year, placing the spotlight onto the finest of both the racing and cruising worlds.

The winners will be announced at a champagne reception from 6.30pm to 10.30pm on Tuesday, 11th December at the prestigious Royal Thames Yacht Club headquarters in Knightsbridge, London.

The winners will be published in the January 2019 issue of Yachts & Yachting and the February 2019 issue of Sailing Today, on newsstands by Friday 14 December and Friday 28 December, respectively.  A full list of Performance Yacht of the Year nominees can be found here Add to Flipboard Magazine.

Hamble Winter Series- Sunny, Wet First Weekend!

(Hamble, England)- The IRC Autumn Championship took place over the weekend of the 6th & 7th October and, as anyone who was in the Solent last weekend will tell you, these were two very different days. Hamble River SC PRO Kathy Smalley summed it up when she said "It was a game of two halves!" If you prefer musical references to sporting ones then "Wet Wet Wet" summed up the overture to the weekend.

Day One- Wet & Cold & Miserable!
On the Saturday, Kathy, assisted by her redoubtable linesman, Peter Bateson, took up station at 4W (Goodall Roofing) and waited for the fleet to show up. Despite the rain and the building northerly, show up they did. Some 32 teams made the start area. The course consisted of a cascading windward/leeward with a windward mark 8R and Solent fixed marks.

In IRC Class 2, the first race saw an epic battle between the two J/109s- Roger Phillips’ DESIGNSTAR 2 and David Richards’ JUMPING JELLYFISH. In the first race they finished 3/4 and in the second race 1/3 with the JELLYFISH holding the advantage.

In classes 3 & 4 only two boats in each class braved the Saturday conditions. Joe Banks’s J/92 NIGHTJAR had two bullets in Class 3.

With the conditions worsening in line with the forecast, the race team displayed AP over A and sent everyone home for the day. There was a suggestion that a lack of gas, and therefore hot drinks on the committee boat had something to do with the decision, but this has been dismissed as Fake News!

Day Two- Gorgeous, Sunny, Lovely!
Sunday dawned with beautiful conditions and 10 knots of breeze from the North. Once again, the committee boat set up at 4W. There was plenty of tacking and gybing in evidence on the beats and runs indicating some well set windward/leeward cascades on the west going tide. The improved weather brought some 52 boats out to play.

The big battles for the top places were in IRC Class 2. Three boats ended tied on 14 points in Class 2 and countback gave the win to the J/109 JUMPING JELLYFISH and third went to the J/109 DESIGNSTAR 2.

Taking the Autumn Champs win in IRC Class 3 was Banks’ J/92 NIGHTJAR!

The Bugle presented the Sunday day prizes in a packed HRSC.  Next week the HYS Hamble Winter Series continues along with the Hamble Big Boat Championship and the Hamble One Design Championship.

The 2018 HYS Hamble Winter Series will run from the 6th October to 2nd December 2018. Teams will be racing in IRC Classes and One Designs. The action pack program will feature the IRC Autumn Championship, the Performance 40 Series, the Hamble Big Boat Championship, the Hamble One Design Championship, and 2019 J/70 World Championship Qualifiers that will be sailed in Torquay, U.K. in the “west country”.   Sailing photo credits- Paul Wyeth  Follow the HYS Hamble Winter Series on Facebook here  For HYS Hamble Winter Series sailing information Add to Flipboard Magazine.