Hamble River Sailing Club Wednesday Night Series B - Day 4

Hamble River Sailing Club Wednesday night series continued last night after cancellation last week due to lack of wind. Race Officer Jamie Wilkinson set up near Bald Head for the SW 10 knot breeze with a beat to Mark for all classes. Unfortunately the wind veered round and appeared to settle minutes before the first start to a NW. The committee boat team did a commendable job upping anchor to re lay the start line, reset the courses and restart in fifteen minutes flat to avoid inflicting a reaching course on all competitors and, fortunately, the wind held on the new shift.

The RO sent the classes up Catshead for the smaller classes and Hamblecliff for the bigger classes on windward leeward courses. The XOD fleet and Class 3 got away cleanly against the ebbing tide but Class 2 were fiercely competitive and three boats were OCS, including Needlework (Peter & Ann Smith), although all three cleared the line subsequently.

In the XOD fleet X157 Sox (Mr & Mrs Simon Osgood) pushed their luck a little too far at Hamble Point to park up on the mud for a short time whilst Wee Bear (Chudziak Horener & Malas) in Class 1 in true style started, retired immediately and sailed off to what used to be French Channel week on the other side of the Channel.

White a few classes got shaken up as the tide moved onto flood towards the end of racing and in the XOD fleet X21 Satu (Andy Hamlett) took 1st place to hold the series lead by one point against X90 Calypso (Tim Harding) who took 2nd last night. X84 Nanette (Keith Hughes) made her first appearance tuning up for Cowes Week in fine form in 3rd place. Cockleshell (Jonty Sherwill) in Class 3 proved last week she needed no tuning winning Cowes Classic Week for the second time and continued her winning form last night with Fritha (Bob Allen) in 2nd place.

Needlework in Class 2 not only won despite her OCS but led the Class 1 boats on the first couple of legs of the course. Mist (Undraa and Ross Elliston) took 2nd with Paramour (John Budgen) in 3rd. Class 1 was led all way round by Midnight Cowboy (Stephen Merry) who took pole and podium position with La Nef (John Noe) and Triarchy (Dr Colin Kennedy) only 19 second apart for 2nd and 3rd places respectively.

Next week the "B" Series is broken up by the Cowes Week pursuit race. Wednesday night racing is free and only available to members but all new comers are invited to come and try an evening for free. Those looking to crew do contact the office and it has been great to see a number of new crew who recently have joined the Club. Full details on the Hamble River SC website so come and break up the week with a dose of sea air each Wednesday evening until the clocks change. All new boats are invited to join the fleet back in the Clubhouse for supper afterwards and those members with boats who haven't made it out on the water yet - get your friends together for a fun race.