North Sails June Regatta at the Royal Southern Yacht Club - Overall
by Louay Habib 20 Jun 2016 09:28 BST
18-19 June 2016
Spectacular Finale
Superb conditions prevailed for the final day of the North Sails June Regatta with a true south-westerly breeze piping up during the day to provide a wonderful finale to the regatta. Several of the six racing classes were decided by seconds on the very last race of a highly entertaining series of racing organised by the Royal Southern Yacht Club in the Central Solent. The regatta attracted well over 300 sailors to the club's superb facilities on the shore of the River Hamble, with world champion and Olympic competitors rubbing shoulders with Corinthian sailors, many of who were racing with their families.
IRC One
Father and son team, Michael and Seb Blair racing their King 40 Cobra, held on to win a highly competitive 19 boat class. Roger Bowden's King 40 Nifty, skippered by Sam Cox, was second with Adam Gosling's brand new JPK 1080, Yes!, in third. Two boats were firing on all cylinders today; Jock Wishart's JPK 1080 Shaitan and Richard Patrick's First 40, Dusty P posted the best results of the day and the intensity within the class was highlighted by the last race where Dusty P and Shaitan tied after IRC time correction.
IRC Two
With just one and a half points separating the winner from fourth place, IRC 2 was incredibly competitive. Malcolm Roberts Ker 9m Sunshine scored two second places today, to snatch the class win. David Franks JPK 1010 scored three bullets today but ended up an agonising half a point behind the winner. Simon Perry's J/109 Jiraffe was literally neck and neck with Paul Woodward's First 35 Stiletto, tying for third place in Race 4. Jiraffe eventually claimed third for the class, just half a point ahead of Stiletto.
Simon Perry was racing with his daughter on J/109 Jiraffe and often sails with other family members. "Last week I was racing with my son at the Royal Southern and for the Round the Island Race we hope to have most of the family together. This regatta has been very tight on the water but still so much fun ashore after racing. It is a perfect environment for all the family."
IRC Three
Andy Howe and Annie Kelly's J/97 BlackJack II scored straight wins today to wrap up the class, but closer analysis shows that the races were won by 30, 13 and 9 seconds from John Allen's X-302 Antix. Peter & Steve Bromley's A31 Aneet Djinn held off a strong challenge from Brian Wilkinson's Corby 30 Wild Child, to take third by a point.
"As we were top of the rating band and Antix at the bottom, we were not really racing together around the course, so that made it very difficult to tell who was in the lead." commented BlackJack's Andy Howe. "So we had to keep pushing all the time and it was good that we did, as you can see by the results. If we hadn't maintained our performance, we would not have won the class."
IRC Small Boat's Regatta
The Danby family racing Mustang 30 Respect won both of today's races to win the regatta by a single point from Smith, Tullett & Hance's Hunter Impala Imptish. Bewes & Beevor's Impala 28, Magic scored two podium finishes today, which was just enough to take third place ahead of Richard Hollis' X-95 Crakajax.
"My father Stuart and I were sailing on board with old family friends." commented Respect's John Danby. "Respect was our family boat when I was growing up but she was sold in 2000. When we saw her for sale recently, we decided to buy her back and race her in the IRC Small Boat regattas. It would be great to see this class grow. These type of boats cost very little to own and not much to maintain and if we get a good number out, we can have fantastic racing."
Six Metre Class
Vying for the International 6m British Open Championship and a superb prize from regatta sponsor Aston Martin Chichester, the last day of racing in the magnificent 6 Metre class was a joy to behold. Robin Richardson's Modern 6 Metre St. Kitts showed superb speed, taking line honours in every race. Andy Short's Nancy and Fenton Burgin's Sioma had a terrific battle at the front of the fleet, swapping victories on the last day. The penultimate race was incredibly close with Nancy taking the gun by just one second. Sioma finished in style winning the last race of the regatta but the regatta win and the 6mR British Open Championship went to Andy Short. Regatta sponsor, Aston Martin Chichester, awarded a special prize to Andy Short; a Track Day for five people at their test track.
XOD
Cordelia Ellis' Myrtle scored a lowly fifth in the first race of the day, after a navigational error. However, the Cowes based team clinched the class win with a win in the final race. Hamish Calder's Caprice scored a win and a third today to finish in second place. Hamish's crew included RYA Olympic Manager, Stephen Parks. Peter Nicholson's Sunshine won a battle royale for third place, tied on points with Andy Hamlett's Satu, Sunshine was third on countback. Hamish Wilson's Mischief was just a point behind Sunshine and Satu, but had to settle for fifth.
Mixed Sportsboat Class
Just three points separated the top three boats in the Mixed Sportsboat Class. Alec and Clairy Russell racing SB20 Ethel was fully lit up today and saved their best until last, winning the last race of the regatta to win the class. Mike Lewis' J/80 Jester won two races today, to take second for the regatta on countback from Chris Body's J/80 Mockinjay.
J/70 Class
Ian Wilson's Gill Team Racing scored three wins today to win the class by a handsome margin. French helmsman, Yannig Loyer, racing J out of the box was second and Tim Collins' Velvet was third on countback from Tor McLaren's team.
Ian Wilson was joined today by his 15 year old daughter, Anna, who normally sails a Topper. "Anna had a great time and it was a real treat for me to spend Fathers' Day with her on board. We got up on the plane today and I don't think Anna has been that fast before, so it was special for both of us that we had a memorable day. It is important for me to see my daughter and other young sailors really enjoying the sport, and today was a good day to develop that. Yannig (Loyer) was quicker today, and I am sure he will be one to watch in the J/70 Class."
After racing, competitors enjoyed the full hospitality of the extensive facilities at the Royal Southern Yacht Club. Rear Commodore Sailing, Graham Nixon, welcomed the competitors to the Prize Giving and gave special thanks to PRO Philip Gage, Black Group Race Officer, Jane Windsor and White Group Race Officer Tony Lovell. Prizes from race sponsors North Sails and Aston Martin Chichester were awarded to successful teams in each of the six classes.
Racing continues for the Royal Southern Yacht Club's Summer Series, with champagne sailing at the Joseph Perrier July Regatta, 16th - 17th July.
For photos and video of the North Sails June Regatta go to www.facebook.com/RoyalSouthernYC
For full results from the North Sails June Regatta visit www.royal-southern.co.uk