Ker 11.3 Wins IRC Class 0 in the Hamble Winter Series

To complete another tremendous season of racing for the Race1 Ker 11.3 fleet, Robbie Cameron-Davies’ I-Site, helmed by Mason Woodworth with Dave Lenz occasionally guesting, has now won IRC Class 0 in the Hamble Winter Series even before the final race is held. With one more race to sail, six races will count for the series. I-Site has 12 pts from the six races sailed so far, while second placed Too Steamy, Nick Haigh’s Farr 40, has 21 pts. Tony Mack’s Swan 45 McFly is lying third with 27 pts.

Three other 11.3s have also been sailing regularly in the series giving the class a great “race within a race” each Sunday. This includes Skipjack of Cowes sailing its first ever series, on charter to Fenton Burgin and his team. Despite having no previous experience racing an 11.3, they have done very well to win one race and to be lying 6th overall. Nick Hartshorn’s El Gringo is just ahead of them, with Michael Cover’s Blue Belle just behind.

An exciting 11.3 win has been out in Hong Kong, where Paul Bankowski’s Jaywalker beat all-comers, including Mandrake now owned by Frank Pong, to win the Lamma Channel Cup (under IRC) and the Pacific Cup (under local HK rating numbers) in the ABC Sunseeker Regatta, a fantastic first big win for Paul and his team. (see picture attached of Paul collecting his trophies)

At the RORC dinner and prizegiving just held in London, El Gringo was awarded the trophy for most consistent performance in IRM. John Shepherd’s Fair Do’s V was second overall and just failed to win IRM Class 1, half a point behind Tonnerre de Breskens in a total of nearly 400 pts, with Tonnerre able to count a win in IRM in the North Sea Race where her rivals did not compete. El Gringo was also third overall in IRC Class 0. Both El Gringo and Fair Do’s V have won IRC Class 0 in different RORC offshore races.

Class Chairman Anthony Richards’ Minnie the Moocher won the Armitage Challenge Cup and the RYS Trophy in IRC Class 1 in Cowes Week and finished second overall, after also winning the Coupe de Normandie in the JOG Deauville race earlier in the season.

John Shepherd’s Fair Do’s V won IRC Class 1 in the Royal Torbay regatta, with Minnie the Moocher second.

David Pinner’s Cracker had a big win in the Port of Felixstowe regatta on the east coast winning overall out of 62 boats across IRC Classes 1 to 4 all racing together, unbelievably counting three firsts and a second for 5 points while the second boat overall, an X332, counted 14 points.

Blue Belle, won the Legal Week Challenge overall under IRC, counting two firsts in three races. Under charter Blue Belle also did very well in the Scottish Series.

I-Site won the 11.3 Class National Championships from Minnie the Moocher and also won the Royal Thames YC end of season regatta, both 11.3 One-Design and also IRM including the Farr 40s.

The 11.3 success in 2003 continues what happened in 2001 and 2002 when 11.3s won several of the major trophies in Cowes Week, including the New York Yacht Club Cup, the Queen’s Cup and the Rocking Chair Trophy. They also won a number of other events like Dartmouth regatta and several races in the 2002 Rolex Commodore’s Cup, where the 11.3s were the largest group of boats competing.

The 11.3s will have even better racing in 2004 with some new owners now purchasing boats and joining the 11.3 Class. It is also expected that the new international Grand Prix Rule will suit the 11.3 well and so the boats will remain highly competitive under whatever rule is used, IRC, IRM or the new Grand Prix Rule.