Southampton Water Sailing Association Evening Series Race 5
by Chris Waddington 17 Jul 2009 12:22 BST
1 July 2009
A mid-series round-up
Completion of the 5th race marks the half way point for yachts competing in the Southampton Water Sailing Association’s evening series. Now in its second season the event is seeing strong growth with 21 boats from 6 clubs participating.
The Royal Air Force Yacht Club currently leads the way in class 1 with two of the first three boats sporting roundel burgees. Winner of last year’s class 1, Stephen Booy in his Hunter 31 Arty Miss has secured two firsts and a second and is looking well placed to retain his title. Perhaps the greatest threat to Arty Miss will come from Alex Bell and Paul Bush of Warsash SC in their Beneteau 305 Symphony. Having missed 3 races they currently lie 4th. However, Symphony is very much on form having recently won both the SWSA Round the Island and Nab Tower races.
Class 2 is seeing a resurgence in IOR designs with all 3 podium places occupied by mini and quarter tonners. Securing three firsts, Mat Girling of Fawley Sailing Club leads overall and despite only having purchased his quarter tonner Zipper in the Spring he is showing excellent light weather form, regularly beating class 1 boats on the water. In joint 2nd place Peter Hairswape and Jonathan Tickner’s mini tonner Calypso got a good start to the season but will have to pull out all the stops to keep ahead of the late starting mini tonner Glass Onion of Constantino Corbari. Glass Onion, currently holding joint second place is looking the faster of the pair, although having recently sustained some hull damage at another regatta, the Glass Onion crew will have to work hard to make the line for race 6. If they can, their boat’s reputation is second to none, being a previous winner of the ISC round the Island race. Down at 4th Ricky Yardley of Southampton Sailing Club in his Dufour 1800 Bianca is 4 points adrift of the leading trio. Never the less his performance is creditable, having completed several of the races single handed. Look out also for last year’s class 2 winner Graham Harrison of Fawley Sailing Club in his Trapper 500 Auriole. Currently down at 5th due to a late start to the season Graham has consumed all his discards. However in his 2 completed races he has recorded first and third places and could yet cause an upset.
The SWSA cruiser evening series continues on Friday 31st July. It is open to members of the 16 SWSA member clubs and to individual members of the RYA. For more information, please see www.swsa.org.uk
Results after 5 races:
Class 1
1st Arty Miss, Hunter Channel 31, Stephen Booy, RAFYC
2nd Close Encounter, UFO 27, Chris Waddington, Southampton Sailing Club
3rd Puma of Paglesham, Malbec 240, Stephen Webb, RAF Yacht Club
4th Symphony, First 305, Alex Bell/Paul Bush, Warsash Sailing Club
5th Cleo, Super Seal, Peter Lowry, Southampton Sailing Club
6th Simba, X-95, Paul Marshall, Warsash Sailing Club
Class 2
1st Zipper, Quarter Tonner, Mat Girling, Fawley PSSC
2nd Glass Onion, Evolution 22, Constantino Corbari, USSSC
2nd Calypso, Limbo 6.6, J.Tickner/P.Hairswape, Southampton Sailing Club
4th Bianca, Dufour 1800, Ricky Yardley, Southampton Sailing Club
5th Auriole, Trapper 500, Graham Harrison, Fawley PSSC
6th Blueprint, Ballad 28, Roger Lockett, Hythe Sailing Club
7th Hawkwind, Tomahawk, Malcolm Kirk, Southampton Sailing Club
8th Tranquility, Achilles 9M, Andrew Valentine, Southampton Sailing Club
9th Petite Folie, Trapper 501, V.Tudor Williams, Southampton Sailing Club
10th Cindar, Pageant, Kelvin Gibson, Southampton Sailing Club
11th Patricia Elaine II, Roberts 34, David Hollingdale, Fawley PSSC
12th Killick, Four 21, Antoine Serrurier, USSSC
13th Unchained Melody, Hunter 232, Richard Shadick, Marchwood Yacht Club
14th Ayuya, Trident 24, John Grant, Marchwood Yacht Club
15th Hasty, T24, Nigel Smith, Southampton Sailing Club