Parker & Seal annual Round the Isle of Wight Race

Small, yet beautifully formed may best describe the fleet that started the Association’s thirty-fourth Round the Isle of Wight Race; half the fleet not having been able to get to the start line off Yarmouth, given the poor weather experienced in the Solent right up until Friday night.

In the event, the first class comprised of three Parker 21’s, with Nigel Walbank’s “Breeze” promptly leading Geoff Turner in “Dawn”, who was sailing single-handed and Paul Burton in “Papillion” away from the line and into the blustery F 4-5 (occas. F6) westerly wind over tide conditions, on the opening leg towards the Needles.

These three were hotly pursued some 45 minutes later by class two consisting of Parker 27 “Jans Express” sailed by David Cooper, the 325 “Kerenza” of Jeremy Parsons and Martin Hopton’s 335 “Shemar”. Having rounded Bridge Buoy west of the Needles and with spinnakers much in evidence the entrants, were accompanied on their way to St Catherine’s Point by the many competitors in the Two Handed Round the Island race.

For the Parkers, the question as always was, could the smaller, slower yachts keep ahead of the larger and quicker, let alone save their time on handicap?. “Shemar” thought the answer was no, when she caught and passed “Dawn” and “Papillion”, only yards apart after 6 hours of racing, at Bembridge Ledge Buoy. She had, however, yet to catch the nimble “Breeze”, who living up to name, sped back up the Solent cheating the foul tide along Ryde Sands, to stay ahead and take both line honours at Gales HSB Buoy and record a first on corrected time.

“Shemar” finished next but was unable to save her time on the singled-handed “Dawn” who was third across the finish. Thanks go to the committee boat, Helen & Roger’s “Cân y Môr” which performed a sterling service, given the lumpy conditions and to the warm hospitality of the Duke of York in Cowes on the Saturday evening.

Results:

1st N Walbank , Parker 21 , Breeze - 7hrs 17mins 46secs
2nd G Turner , Parker 21 , Dawn - 7hrs 37mins 58secs
3rd M Hopton , Parker 335 , Shemar - 7hrs 50mins 32secs
4th P Burton , Parker 21 , Papillion - 7hrs 55mins 27secs
5th D Cooper , Parker 27 , Jans Express - 8hrs 05mins 32secs
6th J Parsons , Parker 325 , Kerenza - 8hrs 54mins 03secs