Royal Southampton Yacht Club Weymouth Double Weekend

Good racing and competitors make rescues on both legs!

The turnouts for the double handed racing keeps improving race on race. The start line for leg 1 was laid at Royal Thames in the Solent just west of Calshot Spit with 49 of the 57 yachts entered milling around making plans for the down wind start. Five classes were run, 2 IRC, 2 Club handicap and the multihulls. The wind at the start was slightly better than forecast with a North-easterly 8 knots filling the spinnakers as the boats crossed the line. All starts were clear with the competitors being slightly cautious with some nine hours of racing ahead and no one wanting to be caught OCS. The tide was against the fleet that split as some stuck close to the Island and the rest opted for the sheltered route going west along the mainland shore. Some tucked in a bit too close but managed to get off the mud by doing a U turn. One boat, which shall remain nameless, kept crews amused as the skipper shouted trimming instructions to his sweating crew from the top of the mast as they sailed down the Solent while he freed a jammed spinnaker halyard.

As the fleet approached the Needles the tide changed in their favour but the wind petered away only to reappear as a south westerly, a 180° wind shift!

The fleet split at the Needles, with the shingles bank providing the divide. A number of small races ensued with the 49 boats all having someone in close quarters to race against. It turned out to be a typical Weymouth race - as the yachts got to within ten miles of the finish the wind shift to the west ensured that everyone would have to continually tack and retack to reach the finish.

About five miles from the finish ‘Tosara Blue’ came across a rib manned by a lone frantic individual, trying to attract attention. They reduced sail and made their way to the rib, to find that it was unable to make way and was without communications and had lost its three divers. They radioed the coast guard and recovered the person from the rib. The coast guard helicopter arrived and located the divers. ‘Tosara Blue’ took the rib in tow and then recovered the missing divers who were unaware of the fuss, and arrived at the finish line with six crew, instead of the regulation two. Redress was given in the results.

Class 1 – Leg 1 – ‘Jammy Dodger’ the J133 with Neil Martin & Philip Barnes took line honours some 16 minutes ahead of the next boat of the 16 boats in the class. ‘Oojah’ the J-110 ably sailed by Peter Tanner & Carl Wilcox took the class win 8 seconds ahead of second placed ‘Malice’, Mike Hoxley’s HOD 35 with his crew Huw Philips. Third place went to Simon & Nikki Curwen on ‘Voador’ the J-105.

Class 2 – leg 1 – The finish was quite tight with the first three finishers all crossing within a minute of each other after nearly nine hours of racing. Andy & Peter Pickett brought ‘Moondog’ the Laser 28 over the line to take line honours, but the ever present ‘Google-Eye’ the Trapper 300 with Pat Sables & Nigel Hunt took the class win, pushing ‘Moondog’ into second place. ‘Firefly’ the Contessa 32 raced by Simon Pritchard & Homme Zwagstra took third.

Class 3 – leg 1 – ‘QII’ Mary Falk’s one off short-handed special with Mike Jones took line honours and the class win. ‘Asante’ Andy and Sara Horwood’s Maxi 1100 took second place ahead of the rescuing Maxi 1100 ‘Tosara Blue’ whose owner Martyn Hindley and crew John Enderby were given redress and special praise for their diver rescue.

Class 4 – leg 1 – had a wide spread in finishing times with ‘Lucent’ the Sigma 33 of Simon Worsfold and Chuck Danbridge taking both line honours and the class win, 14 minutes ahead of second placed ‘Pavo’ the Wauquiez Pretorien sailed by David and Mary Greenway. Jon Woolgar and Richard Davison brought ‘Green Kestrel’ the Westerly GK29 home in third place.

Multihull – leg 1 – ‘Force X’ the D920 Extreme piloted by George Burn and Mark Griffiths enjoyed the lighter conditions took line honours and the class win, finishing a full 44 minutes ahead of second place Tim Wilson and Richard Haynes on ‘Cold Fusion’ the Dragonfly 920. David Hyland and Neil Owen brought ‘Marmalade’ the Dragonfly 800 home to take third place.

The Royal Dorset Yacht Club kindly played host to the competitors with 49 boats rafted up in 4 trots outside the club, all flying the McGuigan Wines racing flags. Our sponsor McGuigan wines was represented by Patrick Nelson of Waverley TSB who presented the prizes.

Everyone was able to enjoy a lazy start to the Sunday morning with the first return start scheduled at 1510.

When the boats lined up for the return start outside Weymouth harbour the wind had built to WSW force 6. Playing it safe was the name of the day with only one kite showing it colours in the first three starts but class 1 was more adventurous as the colours popped just before the start gun. As the boats got further offshore the seas built and with 20’ waves surfing was the game to play.

‘QII’ the winner of class 3 in leg 1 ran into problems just past St Albans Head with a broken mast, but ‘Debanessa’, ‘Little Spirit’ and ‘Malice’ rallied to her aid and stood by while the rig was made safe. ‘Debanessa’ escorted her while she motored to Lymington. Everyone else had a quick passage to the finish at ‘Coronation’ at the top of Southampton water.

Class 1 – leg 2- Paul Peggs and Chris Leamon surfed ‘Audacious’ the water ballasted JOD 35 to take line honours as the first monohull to cross the finish line only being beaten by one multihull. They had to settle for second on handicap as Simon and Nikki Curwen’s J105 ‘Voador’ was not far behind and took the class win. Third place was taken by the J-92 ‘Solan Goose’ raced by Peter Olden and Christian Lippiatt.

Class 2 – leg 2 – Steve Flick and Peter Spreadborough brought ‘Blue Moviez’ over the line 7 minutes ahead of ‘Moondog’ to take line honours, but Andy and Peter Pickett’s Laser 28 ‘Moondog’ took the class win making it a good weekend for them with a 2, 1 result. Kathy and Rupert Smalley with white sails enjoyed the return trip with a second place for ‘The Flying Fish’ their Laser 28. Third place went to the leg 1 winner ‘Google-Eye’ the Trapper 300 surfed by Pat Stables and Nigel Hunt.

Class 3 – leg 2 - Carol Sear having persevered with the upwind sailing on leg one got her rewards with a return trip that was made for her Mini Transat ‘Rattle & Hum’. With her crew Mike Jones it gave her the drive to fly her headsail and asymmetric to surf home a full 16 minutes ahead of the next boat in class 3 to take line honours and the class win. Andrew and Linda Campbell on ‘Faze 3’ their Bavaria 44 having enjoyed a close race all the way back with the commodore on ‘Ear to Eternity’ finished second. Third place was secured by ‘Piccolo’ the Dufour 44 of Andy Yates and Paul Eaton.

Class 4 – leg 2 - ‘Little Spirit’ and ‘Debanessa’ having made good progress before they tended to QII’s problems, were awarded redress that reflected there positions at the incident. The end result was ‘Little Spirit’ the Beneteau First 375 raced by Brian Cooper and Steve Home was awarded line honours and second place on handicap but ‘Debanessa’ the Beneteau Oceanis 381 ably raced by Maggie and Ricky Chalmers took the class win. Third place went to Ian Ward and Nick Burchell aboard ‘Bedouin’ the Moody 29.

Multihull class – leg 2 – All change from leg 1 with line honours and the class win going to the first boat home ‘Cold Fusion’, Tim Wilson’s Dragonfly 920 crewed by Richard Haynes. Second place went to David Hyland and Neil Owen on ‘Marmalade’ the Dragonfly 800 with George Burn and Mark Griffiths bringing ‘Force X’ home in third place.

The RSYC Double Handed Series continues in 2 weeks time with the Cherbourg Double on Friday 25th May. For details contact Cathy Crawley, Sailing Secretary, RSYC, Tel: 023 8022 3352 or email racing@rsyc.org.uk

Southampton to Weymouth Provisional Results: (Leg 1)

Class: Multihulls
1. Force X, D920 Extreme, George Burn/Mark Griffiths
2. Cold Fusion, Dragonfly 920, Tim Wilson/Richard Haynes
3. Marmalade, Dragonfly 800, David Hyland/Neil Owen

Class: 1 IRC
1. Oojah, J-110, Peter Tanner/Carl Wilcox
2. Malice, HOD 35, Mike Moxley/Huw Philips
3. Voador, J-105, Simon/Nikki Curwen

Class: 2 IRC
1. Google-Eye, Trapper 300, Pat Stables/Nigel Hunt
2. Moondog, Laser 28, Andy/Peter Pickett
3. Firefly, Contessa 32, Simon Pritchard/Homme/Zwagstra

1. QII, One Off, Mary Falk/Mike Jones
2. Asante, Maxi 1100, Andy/Sara Horwood
3. Tosara Blue, Maxi 1100, Martyn Hindley/Jonathan Enderby

Class: 4 Club
1. Lucent, Sigma 33, Simon Worsfold/Chuck Danbridge
2. Pavo, Wauquiez Pretorien, David/Mary Greenway
3. Green Kestrel, Westerly GK29, Jon Woolgar/Richard Davison

Weymouth to Southampton Provisional Results: (Leg 2)

Class: Multihulls
1. Cold Fusion, Dragonfly 920, Tim Wilson/Richard Haynes
2. Marmalade, Dragonfly 800, David Hyland/Neil Owen
3. Force X, D920 Extreme, George Burn/Mark Griffiths

Class: 1 IRC
1. Voador, J-105, Simon/Nikki Curwen
2. Audacious, JOD 35, Paul Peggs/Chris Leamon
3. Solan Goose, J-92, Peter Olden/Christian Lippiatt

Class: 2 IRC
1. Moondog, Laser 28, Andy/Peter Pickett
2. Flying Fish, Laser 28, Kathy/Rupert Smalley
3. Google-Eye, Trapper 300, Pat Stables/Nigel Hunt

Class: 3 Club
1. Rattle & Hum, Mini Transat, Carol Sear
2. Faze 3, Bavaria 44, Andrew & Linda Campbell
3. Piccolo, Dufour 44, Andrew Yates/Paul Eaton

Class: 4 Club
1. Debanessa, Beneteau Oceanis 381, Maggie & Ricky Chalmers
2. Little Spirit, Beneteau First 375, Brian Cooper/Steve Home
3. Bedouin, Moody 29, Ian Ward/Nick Burchell