Solo Southern Area Championship at Bough Beech Sailing Club

Race 1 starts in the Solo Southern Area Championship at Bough Beech © Martyn Smith

The Solo Fleet returned to Bough Beech SC on 26 May for the 2018 Southern Area Championship. New silverware was at stake: the National Solo Association has introduced new perpetual trophies for each of the regional championships. The event also formed part of the Solo Super Series and attracted some top helms.

38 boats including 13 from Bough Beech launched in brilliant sunshine and headed off to the south west corner of the lake in a comfortable F2. Race Officer Guy Marks set an inverted P course with a decent 600 metre beat, but which put the windward mark inevitably towards the north east shore.

Race 1 starts in the Solo Southern Area Championship at Bough Beech - photo © Martyn Smith

Surprisingly the first race got away without a recall. The fast guys had sussed out that it paid to go up the left shore and a gaggle of them approached top mark in the lead – which was when a second race developed as they tried to work through some big but unpredictable shifts as the wind went soft near the mark. This proved to be a challenge that lasted throughout the day. Ian Walters, (Grafham) got the gun from Lawrence Creaser (Hayling) and Mark Lee (Weymouth).

Many in the fleet were convinced they were over at the start of the second but the RO had a clear sight of the pin and only one (Bough Beech) boat was pinged. Again the left tended to pay, but there were significant and often short term shifts everywhere: sometimes it seemed better just to hang on through a header. Some of the gusts were starting to build towards F4. Several helms including Mark Lee forgot to sail through the start line on one of the beats and were relegated to the back. Creaser won by a significant margin from Vince Horey (King George) and Ollie Davenport (Northampton.) Walters was 4th.

Lawrence Creaser leads form Oliver Davenport and Fraser Hyden in race 2 of the Solo Southern Area Championship at Bough Beech - photo © Martyn Smith

After a good lunch provided by the Galley and a bit of sunbathing on the terrace admiring the view, the fleet set off for the final two races. As forecast, the wind continued to build throughout the afternoon to F4-5 and upturned hulls began to appear more regularly, especially at the leeward mark where an adjustment to the course now meant that there was a gybe through 300 degrees, often in close company, and just when (or so it seemed) a gust came through. The third race top four results were exactly the same as Race 2.

The final race got away with many sailors on "overpowered" settings. Some of the gusts were challenging and "tea bagging" was always a risk. Steve Ede (Ardleigh and a previous multiple Southern Area Champion) won from Fraser Hyden (Papercourt) and Davenport.

Solo Southern Area Championship at Bough Beech - photo © Martyn Smith

Overall Creaser was the comfortable victor with 4 points, but the next three, Walters, Horey and Davenport all finished with 9 points apiece, the actual places being decided on countback in that order. Walters also got the Veterans prize, Andrew Boyce (Papercourt) was first Grand Master in 9th and the evergreen Mike Wilkie was the first Septimus.

Our thanks to Guy Marks and his race team for providing quick turnarounds and efficient race organisation.

Overall Results: