Garmin Hamble Winter Series starts on Sunday
by Ben Meakins 2 Oct 2014 17:45 BST
5 October - 30 November 2014
The Garmin Hamble Winter Series starts this Sunday © Paul Wyeth /
www.pwpictures.com
The UK's premier winter series is back! The Garmin Hamble Winter Series runs for eight weekends from Sunday 5th October until Sunday 30th November, and the club is delighted to welcome Garmin back as title sponsor for the 10th year running. In a sign of confidence, entries are already at a higher level than seen in past years.
Famed for its race management and excellent, close racing, the Garmin Hamble Winter Series boasts one of the most experienced race teams in the business under PRO Jamie Wilkinson, with Stephen Parry, Stuart Childerley and Kathy Smalley running the racing during the series.
Entries are pouring in from all points of the Solent, with boats from Lymington, Cowes, Gosport, Southampton and Hamble planning to head to the central Solent for some top-notch racing in 6 classes – IRC0, IRC 1, IRC 2, IRC 3, IRC 4, Sigma 38 and J/109. Two races are planned per day for the first half of the series, before a break weekend – after this it reverts to one race per day.
The Garmin Hamble Winter Series also incorporates two other events; the Doyle Sails Hamble One Design Championships, which runs on the first and third weekends and the MDL Big Boat Championships, run on the second and fourth weekends of the series. These two events offer two weekends each of concentrated racing for those unwilling to commit to a whole series. The Doyle Sails Hamble One Design Championships features racing for SBR, J/70, J/80 and SB20 classes in the white group, and J/109, J/92 and Impala 28 classes in the black group. In a change from past years the break weekend of 1st and 2nd November this year can be used to run one design races should a weekend be lost to poor weather earlier in the championships.
The MDL Hamble Big Boat Championships runs on alternate weekends with the Doyle Sails Hamble One Design Championships. This prestigious event boasts top-notch racing for Farr 45s, J/111s and IRC boats with a minimum TCC of 1.040.
Hudson Wight is back on board this year as clothing sponsor providing waterproofs for the marklaying crews, a race day prizegiving draw as well as discounts for competitors and Club members. Grapefruit Graphics are supplying hull decals and Paul Wyeth will again be on the racecourse to capture iconic race images available for competitors to purchase. There is also a good list of day sponsors, which includes Hudson Wight and local businesses such as OneSails, J Boats and the Bugle pub.
There's still time to enter – visit www.hamblewinterseries.com - and don't forget to come back to the clubhouse after racing for hot food and a well-stocked bar, as well as a daily prizegiving.