Please select your home edition
Edition
RYA Membership

British Dragon South Coast Championship 2019 at the Royal London Yacht Club

by Owen Pay 10 Sep 2019 15:35 BST 7-8 September 2019

Sadly, gone are the days when 40 plus boats would cross the start line for the South Coasts; but what we lacked in quantity we made up for in quality.

With only seven entries we merged our event with a standard Windward/Leeward weekend, which kept costs down and reduced the stress on our always-busy Solent race teams. The whole event went very smoothly mainly due to the marvellous race management from the Royal London Yacht Club with Gill Smith as PRO. I would like to thank Gill and her team for a marvellous weekend's racing!

This weekend we had Northerlies forecast and North winds are notoriously unstable; especially compared with our normal classic South-Westerlies. But we had six very close and competitive races. Three races were scheduled for each day, with length approximately one hour per race. Race one was all clear on the start but after 3 minutes of the first beat Aimee saw some pressure on the right and was a couple of hundred yards ahead (how do they do that?) and one the first race easily; and I was getting a sense of déjà vu. But, don't forget it was a Northerly and anything can happen!

For the second race Furious started at the pin and just kept going left. At the top mark Furious had at least a hundred yards lead, with the rest of the fleet closely bunched together behind. On the second beat Furious defied convention, didn't cover and went hard left again, having lost a bit of their lead, had to fight hard to keep Ecstatic at bay.

The third race was a real Snakes and Ladders affair Bertie went hard right on the second beat (don't forget this was a Northerly and the wind is, shall we say, slightly unstable) to open a useful lead which took her home to victory.

Gill Smith suggested that, as we had a poor forecast for the next day, we should go into race four straight away; which turned out be a good suggestion in the end. Badger sticking to centre right on the second beat managed to be the fourth winner of the day. Badger had been in the top three in every race, unlike the rest of the fleet, so finished the day with a comfortable lead. The fleet headed home for a delicious casual supper at the Royal London, after a very challenging but enjoyable day racing.

Sunday started with a steady nine knots from the NNW which was oscillating significantly. Once again Gill and her team miraculously managed to run the fifth race in a dying breeze and it was beginning to look like this was finish, With Badger winning the last race they had extended their lead, but it was still theoretically possible for Graham to win. After consultation with the competitors it was decided to wait an hour to see if the wind would stabilise for the last race.

Badger once gain one the last race, which was initiated just before the 12:30 agreed time limit and staked their justified claim to take home the Brigadier Henson Trophy having sailed a consistent series in tricky conditions (and winning three races), well done to Tom Vernon and crew. Bertie were second overall, having beaten Aimee in the last race, to take home the Ratsey and Lapthorn half model. Aimee, finishing third overall, were still first Corinthian and took home the Oscar Cup. I'd like to thank Gill Smith once again, and her very competent race team, for a marvellous weekend racing in tricky conditions.

Overall Results:

1st Badger, GBR 810
2nd Bertie, GBR 763
3rd Aimee, GBR 782 & 1st Corinthian
4th Ecstatic, GBR 682
5th Furious, GBR 777
6th Fanfare, GBR 754
7th Glaurung, GBR 768

Related Articles

Medway YC Keelboat Regatta
What a blast - on the water and shoreside The regatta was a two day event with an additional practice race on the Friday evening. The cruisers racing two races on the Saturday all within the River Medway and down river as far as the entrance at Queenborough. Posted on 21 Jun
2025 South Coast Dragon Championship
Classic rivalries and conditions at the Royal Thames Yacht Club 250th Anniversary Regatta The Dragon South Coast Championship 2025 was a spectacular sailing showcase, hosted in Cowes as part of the Royal Thames Yacht Club's prestigious 250th anniversary regatta. Posted on 17 Jun
Royal Thames YC 250th Anniversary Regatta overall
Perfect Solent conditions and desperately tight racing for the conclusion Picture-perfect conditions of a building 8-18 knots from the south-west, bright sunshine and flat Solent conditions on the flood tide made for a glamorous conclusion to the Royal Thames Yacht Club's 250th Anniversary Regatta on Sunday. Posted on 16 Jun
Royal Thames YC 250th Anniversary Regatta Day 4
Challenging summer Solent conditions test the fleets A brisk south-westerly breeze, with gusts above 20 knots at times, made for challenging top-end conditions for all the fleets on a very busy Solent for the Royal Thames Yacht Club 250th Anniversary Regatta. Posted on 14 Jun
Royal Thames YC 250th Anniversary Regatta Day 3
Patience rewarded on light air afternoon Conditions more akin to the Mediterranean greeted the 251 entries on day 3 of the Royal Thames Yacht Club's 250th Anniversary Regatta, with bright sunshine and a shut-down of air flow across the Solent racecourses. Posted on 13 Jun
Royal Thames YC 250th Anniversary Regatta looms
The club has worked hard, along with over 100 volunteers, to ensure great racing and socials The Royal Thames Yacht Club, one of the oldest yacht clubs in the world today, is very much looking forward to welcoming competitors, their families and friends to what is shaping up to be a most remarkable summer festival of sail on the Solent. Posted on 9 Jun
Save the Date - Cowes Classics Regatta 2026
The dates now confirmed after a highly successful 2025 event As the curtain comes down on what has been a remarkable Cowes Classics Week 2025, thoughts at the Royal London Yacht Club and the Royal Thames Yacht Club turn towards the hosting of Cowes Classics Regatta 2026 with the dates now confirmed. Posted on 5 Jun
Cowes Classics Regatta 2025 overall
Building breeze and sea state create a spectacular conclusion Ahead of an oncoming, breeze-filled front from the west, the superb race management teams, under the watchful eye of Principal Race Officer Tim Hancock, elected to send all the fleets out early on the concluding day of Cowes Classics Regatta 2025. Posted on 1 Jun
Medway Yacht Club Keelboat Regatta approaching
It's not too late to enter! It is just two weeks before The Medway Yacht Club hosts the 2025 Medway Yacht Club Keelboat Regatta. The dates are 13th to 15th June. Our principal sponsor is Pirates Cave Yacht Chandlery. Posted on 1 Jun
Cowes Classics Regatta 2025 Day 2
Fog lifts on the Solent to reveal the front-runner A dense, wispy fog sat over the Solent this morning, hampering visibility and causing Cowes Classics Regatta Principal Race Officer, Tim Hancock, to call a short delay shoreside to let the sun burn through and leave a simply stunning day for all. Posted on 31 May