Crewsaver Warsash Spring Championship - Weekend 2
by Louise Nicholls 26 Apr 2016 12:42 BST
23-24 April 2016
Synchronised broaching on the final weekend
The second and final weekend (23/24 April) of racing in the Crewsaver Warsash Spring Championship had a bitter wind chill, sunshine and cloud, shifty winds and some cracking racing!
The wind remained in the north similar to last weekend but this time a NNE on the Saturday with around 10-15knots of wind. The forecast for Sunday had been a NNW veering north but it was in fact close to a NNE backing N which made course setting quite a challenge for the race committee. Gusts of up to 20knots became a challenge for the competitors, with many significant broaches and trawling of spinnakers and asymmetric seen during the days racing.
There were few surprises in the results with those boats leading their class at the end of the first weekend of the Championship further consolidating their lead this weekend to finish overall winner in their class.
Anne Cummings, racing on Winston (Beneteau First 40.7 – Jonathan Blanshard) posted on Twitter "two awesome weekends sailing in the Warsash Spring Championship! Team@WinstonFirst40 thoroughly ourselves..."
Girls on Film (Carkeek 40 Mk3- Peter Morton) took first position in the Fast 40+ fleet, in the Black Group Aurora (Corby 37-Rod Stuart & A Ram) was first in IRC1, Salvo (JND35-Peter Morton) in IRC2 and Elaine (Elan 37-Mike Bridges) in IRC3.
Sunshine, (Ker 9m Modified-Malcolm Roberts) in IRC3 retired after breaking her rudder in the penultimate race of the Championship leaving her in fourth place overall. Skipper Malcom Roberts said: "I'd like to thank 'Jochem' of the RYA British Sailing Team who came to our assistance in his RIB and towed as back in to the Hamble River".
In the J/109 class Diamond Jem (Robert Stiles) won the Championship only narrowly beating David Mcgough's Just so.
Bulitt, (Quarter Tonner - Louise Morton) maintained a podium position (bar two races throughout the Championship tipped Aguila (Sam Laidlaw) off first spot to win IRC4. In the SB20 fleet it was all change with Jerry Hill's Sportsworld.com taking first position.
Peter Knight, White Group Principal Race Officer" The boats that played the shifts successfully over the weekend were the winners. I saw boats move up four or five places just because they had read the shifts correctly."
Racing was close in the J/80 class, with some synchronised broaching at one point, but in the end Betty (Jon Powell) prevailed to take first place overall, and to win the Helly Hansen Spring Series in the J/80 class as well. Team RAF Benevolent Spitfire Fund took the Championship in the J/70 class.
The Black Group classes were started near South Ryde Middle with four windward / leeward races on part laid courses with some use of fixed marks when they served our purpose. The first General Recall of the Championship (and in fact the Spring Series as well) was for IRC2 in the first race of the weekend but all boats were away cleanly at the second attempt.
White Group starts were laid at the Jonathan Janson mark with courses running diagonally into the Meon shore.
Peter Bateson, Series and Championship Chairman, summed up the Championship saying "Each year I think that the Spring Championship can't get any better, and each year it does. With 110 boats and around a thousand people taking part there has been a real buzz to the event and some really exciting racing out on the Solent. So far the feedback has been positive so we are really pleased."
"A big thank you to Crewsaver and race partner Rolly Tasker for their continued support of the Spring Championship."
Go to the Crewsaver Warsash Spring Championship results to read the full racing results.
The Warsash Spring Championship is sponsored by Crewsaver and supported by race partner Rolly Tasker Sails.
Full results at warsashspringseries.org.uk/2016/index.htm