Hamble River Wednesday Night Series - Early Bird Series race 4
by Trevor Pountain 22 Apr 2016 08:32 BST
14 April 2016
The fourth race in what has been a bright, but chilly series, saw 15 – 20kts of wind from ENE, not something that happens too often on the Solent. Starting in the vicinity of Bald Head, as all the Wednesday night races do, there is zero chance of a windward start. However, the club's Garmin Hamble Winter Series PRO, Mr Stuart Childerly, assures me that reaching starts are now all the rage, so once again HRSC is ahead of the curve.
The Dellar/Pountain RO's determined that the fleet would have to get at least to the Calshot Cardinal Mark before turning left for a beat to Royal Southern and so the die was cast. Class 1 and 2 would do two winward/leeward loops from Calshot to Royal Southern, whilst the lonely "Apple Jack", Craig Cosser and Natalie Gray, the sole Class 3 boat to venture out, was given a slightly shorter route using William and hamblewinterseries.com, before finishing with the rest at Hamble Point.
"Applejack", a Contessa 26, might have been the smallest boat out there but she managed to hover at the windward end of the line, unfurl her genoa on the gun and scamper across first, whilst the rest of the fleet tried to work out how to start against the flood in an ENE'rly. The starts were combined, but success in this situation requires someone to listen to the vhf or watch the flags (preferably both). It seems that on "Uproar", Scott, Akhurst and Palmer no one was delegated to either of these roles, so they started all on their own some time later.
The next little test in the conditions was to judge the cross course tide as Calshot was reached, no pun intended. Some got it right, others had to bear away hard to avoid the large black and yellow thing.
"Midnight Cowboy", Steph Merry's 1720, led the fleet round Calshot and up to the windward mark. She was followed by "La Nef 1V" John Noe, and "Light" Rob Denning, the other Class 1 boats. There followed what is fast becoming the David Thomas - Class 2. Five Impala 28's, a Quarto, a Sigma 33, a Hunter 30 and new this week, Simon Dalton's Link 30 "Blink". Only "Mist", Ross and Undraa Elliston's Nicholson, spoiled a clean sweep.
When to tack was the next decision, bearing in mind the gradient breeze and how it would react off the beach at Solent Breezes and the tide which starts to go south of east pretty quickly round here. If only we had all listened to Jim Saltonstall more closely.
Class 1 maintained their order for the first loop and indeed the second, whilst showing a marked reluctance to fly anything round and coloured at the front of the boat when going down wind. Class 2 had a number of boats who were braver.
Meanwhile, "Applejack" had continued its lone furrow and finished first across the line. Next came the three Class 1 boats, still in the same order, and still refusing to fly a kite on a very broad reach. When asked later if he had left his spinnaker at home, John Noe, "La Nef IV", said "No. We thought "Light" gave us time." It turns out he was wrong, and "Light" snatched their first win of the year, whilst "La Nef IV" slumped to their first 2nd place. "Midnight Cowboy" had to make do with line honours in 3rd.
The battle at the front of the Class 2 fleet, on the water at least, was between two of the Impala's. "Vlad", Peter Dessent, with a large kite flying tried to impale "Polly" Meakins & Cudmore, with their chicken chute up. "Polly" was able to politely refuse "Vlad's" passage to windward of them and cross first.
When the devilish NHC handicaps were brought to bear on the proceedings, "Mist" spoiled the Thomas party by taking first. "Uproar", recovered from her somewhat reluctant start, to take second and "Cheeky Monkey", Aiden Barr, slotted into third spot. "Dino Volante", Vigar, North & Munro, continued its unfortunate series. Early starters last week and an early bath this time round, retiring because of gear failure. "Something broke up in the air" was the technical description of the problem.
Finally, it is incumbent upon me to mention the abject performance of Barney Smith's "Imptish. "It's the worst we have sailed ever!" said Beverly Smith (no relation). All that could be heard as they slowly approached the line was chattering the "Hamble Chicks".
Next week is the culmination of the Early Bird Series, and in Class 2, four boats are in contention, with only 3.5 points separating them, and no, "Imptish" is not one of them.
After that it will be Summer.