Snowflake Winter Series at Chichester Yacht Club - Day 5

Over the recent Chichester YC Snowflake weekends the south coast has had mild temperatures and light winds due to a number of high pressure systems over the south west. With another high pressure in charge right in the middle of the UK, it was reported that last Sunday temperatures reached over 16 deg C and they matched that of Ibiza!

However, the wind forecast was not ideal, with only 1-3 knots from the North West for the early arrivals. With a noon first start, and a very variable breeze in direction and strength, the OOD for the day Charles Porter, had a short postponement of Race 7 in the current Snowflake series to allow the breeze to hopefully settle. Unknown to all, the winds gods had other ideas…

With the Merlin fleet at the 50th Hamble warming pan event, and the Optimists at Poole for an open, only 46 competitors drifted around the Chichester Lake starting area.

With a port end bias for the first start, the fast fleet of 13 starters got cleanly away first time, with the exception of two over excited RS400 crews. What seemed a cunning plan at the favored port end of the line, in the flood tide, soon looked bleak, with the wind deciding to go right within seconds after the start and filling in, giving the starboard end boats, which looked dead in the water, a huge advantage. Steve and Sarah Cockerill in their Scorpion, as current series leaders, soon got in the grove, and won race 7 on corrected time by over 1 minute. Second was the RS400 of Nick and Roger Elliman from CYC, with another CYC RS400 of Scott Dawson and Sonia Kirk third, again from the home club.

Race 8 in the series was held in a dying Northerly breeze, but with now a strong ebb current setting in. At the start it was another port end favored port, but against the current. Steve and Sarah this time made a good start, and just got to the windward mark before the breeze went completely and they raced down with the strong tide. Meanwhile the rest of the fast fleet still on the ‘beat’, had to wait for a faint southerly sea breeze to arrive. First on corrected time were Steve and Sarah, second was the Finn of Mark Harper from CYC, and third Nick and Roger Elliman in their RS400.

Back at the race committee boat, the medium fleet that had just started, and were running down on the Southerly breeze to the first mark. The fleet (20 starters) had another good turn out of Lasers. Ian Morgan (Hill Head SC) who had spend all morning polishing his Laser hull was rewarded with a win, and his fellow club member Jon Steward took second in another Laser. Third was the Solo of Ian Lissamore from CYC. In Race 8 Chris Powles from Hayling Island SC in his Solo was first, with Ian Morgan second and Ian Lissamore a very close third.

The Slow fleet had a smaller turnout of 13 boats, but was well supported by Chichester neighbors, Itchenor S.C. Race7 was won by Adrian and Harriet Fisk in their Mirror from Itchenor SC, by just 10 seconds on corrected time from the CYC Optimist of Alfie Batchelor. Third were the current leaders of the Slow fleet, the Mirror of Grace Yeoman and Izzy Barker (Itchenor SC).

In race 8, The ISC Mirror of Grace Yeoman and Izzy Barker, took control of the race and sailed to over a 1 minute lead on corrected time in the changing conditions from Hannah Thompson (Topper) from CYC. Harry Kennsom had a good race and took third place in his Topper (Hill Head SC).

The final racing is on the 25th March, first start and 12:30hrs - Snowflake races 9 and 10. The series prize giving is provisionally scheduled for 15:30hrs at CYC on the ‘Upper Deck’. All competitors and supporters are most welcome.

Thanks again to Rooster Sailing and Hawk Marine products for their support of the series.