Get set for the Royal Southern's North Sails May Regatta
by Louay Habib 15 Apr 2022 11:01 BST
7-8 May 2022
North Sails May Regatta © Paul Wyeth / RSrnYC
The Royal Southern Yacht Club will host the North Sails May Regatta 7th to the 8th of May 2022. This will be the first regatta of the Royal Southern Summer Series, consisting of four events from May to September. The regattas are open to entry for non-members and members alike with social events at the Royal Southern's extensive clubhouse on the Hamble River. Over 80 teams are expected for each regatta with hundreds of sailors taking part. Classes already signed up include J/70, SB20, Cape 31, HP30, J/111, and IRC Classes.
"For the first day of the regatta, North Sails experts will be on the water with coaching and drone video at the club after racing," commented Zoe Dupuy, North Sails European Marketing Manager. "North Sails will also support the regatta with a great mix of goodies as prizes: jackets, books, and sail bags, plus North Sails Certified Service will be on site for the weekend."
Ian Atkin's will be racing in the big boat IRC Class with his new charge, the GP42 Dark'n'Stormy. Ian has been racing with the Royal Southern for over 20 years in a huge variety of boats. "The Summer Series is a time-served successful formula and there is a big incentive to do them all, but each regatta is a proper championship in its own right," commented Ian Atkins. "Dark 'n' Stormy is a thrilling boat to race, and there are about ten boats of similar capabilities racing in The Solent, we are looking forward to a superb season of racing."
For the last ten years, Royal Southern members Louise Makin and Chris Jones, have been racing their J/111 Journeymaker II in the Royal Southern Summer Series. "May is a really important month to get going, everything seems to click into place, and of course it gets a bit warmer. The May Regatta is always something to look forward to." commented Chris Jones.
The North Sails May Regatta will have prizes from the sailmakers and coaching tips from the professionals. "Everyone could use a North Sail's bag to carry their sandwiches down to the boat!" laughed Chris Jones. "But the simple truth is that North Sails have some very high-quality experts, and we know their input is going to be of the very highest calibre. There advice is something that we bake-in, it really does help us progress."
The North Sails May Regatta is the first of the Summer Series, and after two years of disruption due to the pandemic, there is a real buzz at the club. "The Royal Southern Sailing Committee deserve a lot of credit; we have got back to being much more of a sailing club." continued Chris Jones. "In one strange way the pandemic has had a positive impact, in that we have all been forced to race closer to home, and we all want to encourage a continuation of that."
HP30 Class manager Joe Hall expects a bumper entry of 11 teams for the North Sails May Regatta, including five Far East 28s and Four Farr 280s. Royal Southern member Alain Waha was the first HP30 to enter with his Far East 28 GoWest - COGITAL. Other designs meeting the HP30 Class rule include Mike & Lorrie Lewis' V30 Jester and Sture Wikman's Swedish MC31 Vitre.
"This regatta will be the first event of the HP30 2022 Championship," commented Joe Hall. "The HP30s will be racing at all of the Royal Southern Summer Series events, as the regattas make up over half of the HP30 Championship. We have 12 HP30s committed to race this season, and we are expecting more teams to join the class with a number of Far East 28s ready for new teams. 2022 is going to be a cracking year, we can't wait to start the championship with the Royal Southern in May."
One design classes have always been a feature of the Royal Southern Summer Series. The pocket-rocket Cape 31 UK Class is based in Hamble. Five or more Cape 31s are expected to be competing in the North Sails May Regatta. The SB20 Class will be in action for the North Sails May Regatta, which will be their Southern Champs and the first round of the SB20 UK Series.
The Royal Southern YC has produced J/70 World Champions in both the Open and Corinthian Classes. The 2022 J/70 UK Sprint Series kicks off at the North Sails May Regatta and will be held throughout the Royal Southern Summer Series. With five short, sharp races per day, the thrilling series is designed to test raw speed and boat handling.
J/70 UK Class Captain Marshall King, 2019 Corinthian World Champion, commented: "The Sprint Series provides thrilling racing. It is the perfect environment to improve starts and boat handling. After racing the J/70 Class enjoys getting together for post-race drinks, sharing knowledge to increase performance right through the class."
Online Entry for the North Sails May Regatta and the Notice of Race has been posted at YachtScoring. Entries made by 23rd April will benefit from the 15% early-bird discount. For more information visit www.royal-southern.co.uk.