Phantom Super Series event at Lee-on-the-Solent Sailing Club

Training day with 'Magic' Mike Webster - Phantom Super Series event at Lee-on-the-Solent © Mark Spruce

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The weekend kicked off with a successful training day on Friday, led by the one and only "Magic" Mike Webster. Twelve Phantom sailors benefited from top tips, rig tuning advice, and a glorious 12-15 knot south-westerly breeze—classic champagne sailing conditions for the on-the-water session.

The race committee originally planned to run six races split evenly over Saturday and Sunday. However, with a "spicy" Sunday forecast looming, they made the call to run four back-to-back races on Saturday in the building breeze. A healthy fleet of 23 Phantoms shared the racecourse with 15 Solutions and 11 Blazes, with 5-minute starting gaps between fleets.

After bacon and egg rolls, boat fettling, and a good catch-up with fellow sailors, the 23 Phantoms launched for racing on Saturday morning.

Race 1 (8-10 knots)

A port-biased line and a bit of chaos at the pin end saw most of the fleet get away cleanly, except for a couple of OCS sailors and Sam Coxon, who got his fixed rudder caught on the pin buoy and crossed the start last. Heading offshore paid dividends with a port-tack lift to the windward mark. Nick Orman, Sam Coxon and Alex Spurgeon rounded in the top three. Mike Webster denied Alex's request for extra on the water training claiming 3rd and demoting him to 4th place. Sam showed impressive upwind pace in the sloppy, unpredictable chop, overtaking Nick on the second beat to go from OCS last to 1st—an exemplar display in recovery.

Race 2 (10-13 knots)

Familiar faces were again leading the fleet with strong tactics upwind and sharp boat handling downwind in the growing swell. Solent locals Alex Spurgeon and Mark Spruce made it to the windward mark first and sailed a tight race alongside Nick Orman, Sam Coxon, and Mike Webster. Alex tried to fend off Sam in a thrilling battle to the line—Sam snuck into 2nd, Alex was 3rd, and Mike 4th.

Race 3 (12-15 knots)

With lots of rig tweaking going on, this race featured close tactical battles. John Wayling and Mark Spruce demonstrated their experience, while Nick showed superior speed on the downwind legs, pulling ahead. The fight for the next spots remained extremely tight.

Race 4 (14-17 knots)

John Wayling hit a new gear and led to the windward mark, with Paul Birbeck also showing great pace in his new Phantom (#1508). Nick and Sam eventually pulled through to take 1st and 2nd, with John securing a solid 3rd. Alex provided some light entertainment by stepping out of his boat mid-reach but somehow avoided a capsize!

Back ashore, a fantastic shore crew helped with trolleys over the shingle and breaking waves, followed by a much-welcomed hot supper at the LOSSC clubhouse. Tired sailors enjoyed a few drinks and Sprucey's infamous quiz, which went down a treat!

Pin end carnage - Phantom Super Series event at Lee-on-the-Solent - photo © Paul Chandler

Conditions started with squally 16-26 knot gusts and heavy rain on Sunday, prompting a one-hour postponement. By midday, it settled slightly to a manageable 18-22 knots, and 12 hardy Phantoms launched for the final two races.

Race 5

Sam needed two bullets to beat Nick overall. In a tactical pre-start duel, both aimed to hit the pin at full speed. Sam went low and fast off the line, tacking across early to build a solid lead on the reaches. However, some shaky moments upwind—dropping both main sheet and tiller under pressure—allowed Nick and Mark to catch up. At the final downwind, Nick led, with Mark and Mike close behind. Sam tacked between them in a last-ditch effort but was deemed OCS at the start. Nick took the win, Mark 2nd, Mike 3rd, and Alex and Paul rounded out the top five.

Race 6

Another squall swept through, prompting seven sailors to head ashore—either through fatigue or tactical retirement. That left just five boats to contest the final race in the strongest breeze of the weekend. Mark Spruce led to the first mark but double-capsized at the gybe mark to the delight of spectators. Dave Royse sailed clean through for the win, with Jeremy Deacon and Callum McPherson sailing smartly and bravely in the testing conditions to finish 2nd and 3rd respectively.

Final thoughts

Congratulations to Nick Orman, who rose above fierce competition to deliver a masterclass in Phantom boat handling and speed over the weekend.

One of the most outstanding aspects of the Phantom fleet is its openness and camaraderie—sailors are always willing to share tuning tips, sail trim insights, and tactical debriefs to raise the overall game. On behalf of the Phantom class, a huge thank you goes to all the volunteers and staff—from LOSSC galley to shore crew, rescue teams, and the ever-efficient race committee—for running such a smooth and memorable event.

See you next time!

Winner, Nick Orman - Phantom Super Series event at Lee-on-the-Solent - photo © Alex Spurgeon

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