Ramsgate Week 2017 - Day 2
by Martin Law 25 Jul 2017 15:04 BST
23-28 July 2017
Monday marked the start of the IRC and cruiser handicap race series incorporating the regional IRC championships.
Conditions were initially moderate for the 10am starts: 10-12 knots blowing from the NW. The cruising classes started from the club start line at the end of Ramsgate harbour breakwater. After a short fetch into Pegwell bay the yachts turned off-shore. Those electing to hoist kites had a good run for a while but one or two broaches later they were soon lowered.
The wind had strengthened significantly in a very short space of time with the ominous arrival of a bank of dark grey cloud. The following two windward/leeward loops were sailed in a challenging 20-25 kts with a short chop and rain squalls that saw many boats over-canvassed.
Class 5 was topped by two local boats: 1st place to 'Maverick,' an Elan 333 skippered by Frank Barrett and 2nd to 'Pippy,' a Sun Odyssey 37 owned by John and Michelle Stonely. Class 6 was won by Mallemok a Nicholson 33 skippered by Dennis Reijke. With Howard Bates' Mallard in Second. Bernard Sealy won Class 7 in Karibia Breezes with Avventura owned by Mark Andrews and Jonathan Hague in second place.
The IRC 1 and 2 classes started from a committee boat line offshore. Class one was dominated by two well prepared Netherlands teams. Team Heiner is a youth race academy headed by Roy Heiner and is becoming a Ramsgate Week regular, winning their class last year. They were placed second today in their Max Fun 35, behind Delft, another youth team sailing a Farr 30 owned by Jelger Rozendaal.
IRC 2 contains a clutch of local boats who compete fiercely throughout the year and who dominated the podium today. 1st Slingshot, J/105 (Rod Oates and Gavin Magee); 2nd Slingback, SJ320 (Paul Woodward and John Barrett); 3rd Foxy, X-34 (Mike and Jo Brand).
Full Results available at www.ramsgateweek.com/results-2017.php