Garmin Hamble Winter Series 2006 - Weekend 9

Unfortunately, all racing on the final day of the 25th Garmin Hamble Winter Series had to be abandoned. High winds during the night were as had been predicted in the weather forecasts, with a maximum gust of 55 knots recorded at 06.30 by the Bramble Bank weather station, which lies within the course area.

The time an initial decision regarding racing had to be made by the race committee was 07.30, and the mean wind speed was then down to 23 knots with gusts over 30, so it was decided to postpone for one hour with the intention of starting the White and Black Fleets at 11.00, on the assumption that the downward trend would continue. However, the trend was reversed, and before 10.00 the mean went up to over 30 knots, with gusts to 40. Reluctantly, the race officers were forced to decide on abandonment, and the wisdom of their decision was seen when the wind peaked at more than 50 knots during the period when racing would have been taking place. Safety considerations had to come first, particularly at this time of the year.

While it was a pity that the final day's racing was lost in this way, there had been some seemingly miraculous escapes from bad weather right from opening day at the beginning of October, and the series will be remembered for very good conditions overall.Apart from everyone'sdisappointment at being deprived of a day's racing by the weather, the hopes of a small number of crews who were hoping to secure a class win on the final day were dashed, and one can only feel sympathy for them.

Once again, the Winter Series has been an excellent event, superbly organised both on and off the water by Race Director Jamie Wilkinson and a huge team of helpers drawn almost entirely from the membership of the Hamble River Sailing Club. The involvement for the past two years of the Garmin company as series sponsor has added greatly to the success, and the support of the local marine companies who have provided weekly prizes has been much appreciated.

Garmin Hamble Winter Series, provisional overall results, White Fleet:

Laser SB3, "Royal Thames Lucky Lady" James Fox
J80, "Savage Racing Team" Liz Savage
Hunter 707, "Surfeit" Mike Foster
SBR Sportsboats, "Boats.com" Ian Atkins

Garmin Hamble Winter Series, provisional overall results, Black Fleet:

IRC 0, "Windsong" Stuart Bowen-Davies & Huw Evans
IRC 1, "Jump" Stewart Hawthorn
IRC 2, "Quokka" Peter Rutter
IRC 3, "Glide-X" Ian Dawson
IRC 4, "Tangent Minus 1" Paul & Julia Aisher
J105, "J-Dream" David & Kirsty Apthorp
J109, "Zelda" Ben Richards & Michael Ewart-Smith
Sigma 33, "Cerefe" Richard & Valerie Griffith
Sigma 38, "Festina Lente" Meakins Family

Complete results for all classes can be found on the Garmin Hamble Winter Series website.