Hamble River Wednesday Night Series - Series B Race 1

This year seems to have flown by and already we are on the B Series! There was an additional bonus of a grand stand seat for competitors with an impressive array of commercial shipping and cruise liners going out all evening including the Queen May II. Summer did make an attempt to arrive last night with a good NW breeze which started lighter than expected and filled in during the second beat.

The wind direction unusually allowed windward leeward racing up and down Southampton Water. The courses were run with a beat up to just beyond Hamble Point with the an initial downwind mark at Stormforce Coaching for all classes bar class 1 who were sent down to hamblewinterseries.com.

The Impala fleet bar Cheeky Monkey were away for their nationals and most of the XOD fleet were in Cowes for Classic Week but a few hardy souls were out in the XODs including David Gregory living up to the boat name "Fearless" singlehanded. Past Commodore Trevor Pountain and Implacable made a welcome return to Wednesday night racing with our own Club administrator Gemma Payne as crew boss and, given the competing events, a respectable 17 boats turned out.

In the absence of the pushy Impalas the only class blotting their start line was the XOD fleet with an individual recall and enthusiasm for a start on the gun had clearly died away by the start of class 1 who took a very leisurely approach to starting ! The more canny sailors spotted the ebb tide has started on the pin end and went out in search of slack water but those who went into the north shore paid dearly.

M'Enfin?! Malas & Chudziak just managed to pip Aidan Barr in Cheeky Monkey to the leeward mark with Needlework in 3rd place but the longer legs and initial drop in the wind forced all courses to be shortened at the windward mark to ensure everyone got back in time for supper. In the XOD fleet Keith Hughes in Nanette took 1st place closely followed by Kathleen (Mos Fitzgerald) and Fearless.

In Class 3 Cockleshell (Jonty Sherwill) led followed by Applejack (Cossar and Gray) and Forethought (Mike James) under Club handicap with cockleshell slipping back down to 3rd under NHC to give Applejack and Forethought 1st and 2nd. Class 1 were consistent with La Nef in 1st and Light in 2nd under both systems. In Class 2 Needlework (just pipped cheeky Monkey into 2nd followed by M'enfin?! under club handicap but Cheeky Monkey took 1st followed by M'Enfin?! and Dino Volante under NHC.

Implacable, following an inadvertent detour around the Class 1 leeward mark, kindly retired to prevent the committee boat advising them of time out. However Lis Robinson, back again as Race Officer for Series B, together with the committee boat crew, nearly became a permanent fixture on the race course when the committee boat failed to start after completing the tally of finish boats.

A thank you to Bertrand Malas for a prompt rescue and to Alastair Shove and Paul Howard for getting Obsession running again. Our caterers Stuart and his team together with our new bar staff kept everyone well fed and watered on the return to the Clubhouse. Racing continues next week and is free for all members of Hamble River Sailing Club with membership costing less than many series entry fees. New members are welcome to come and try out an evening race for free and details of the full activities, training courses and events of the Club are on the Hamble River SC website.