Bembridge Sailing Club Late September Keelboat Racing
by Bembridge Sailing Club 29 Sep 17:55 BST
27-28 September 2025
Bembridge SC Late September Keelboat Racing © Mike Samuelson
Saturday by Robin Joy
A good 10-15 kts sailing breeze from the south greeted the four BODs (no Redwings today) who ventured out on Saturday, for the final weekend of 2025's keelboat racing.
For the first of two races twice round a windward (Under Tyne) leeward (Britten) course was set, with a start line to the east of Footprint. They got away cleanly, with Sarah Marshall (No 7) and James Beart (No 5) opting for what they hoped was the favoured inshore side of the course, and Jos Coad (No 3) and Charles Perry (No 8) heading offshore on starboard. However, when they came together again at the top mark Jos and Charles were in fact ahead. Sarah and James had their own tacking/ducking battle around the mark, which may have cost them some distance on the leaders.
After a close first run Jos touched Britten with his boom, and his subsequent 360 allowed Charles to get away a little. Jos managed to get back on terms though, and they rounded the top mark together. On the run Jos appeared to sail a more direct course, and led by a few boat lengths. He came home the winner by about a minute. James and Sarah had caught up a little, and finished in that order.
Charles bowed out of a second race, and the three others were set a course incorporating Footprint and Drum, with a finish at Pepe near their harbour moorings. Jos was again on end-of-season form, and soon worked out a useful lead. James and Sarah had another ding-dong contest, but a well-judged tack by James on the final beat gave him the edge, and he was second to Jos's well deserved win.
Sunday by Mike Samuelson
What a disappointment - the previous day's breeze had disappeared and had it been a normal weekend it would have been N over A, however it was the last race day of the 2025 season so four Redwing crews all felt that at least they should give it a try. Although Chimet was recording a 6 knot WSW'erly breeze, it was still an East'erly 0 - 5 knot breeze off Bembridge. All four boats were towed out of the harbour by Charlie and ROs, Mike Samuelson and James Wilson set a very simple course from Pepe to Garland twice round!
There was just enough of a breeze for boats to get to the start line on time; indeed there was just enough for Mike Toogood in Tara to force Xander Shaw in Harlequin to be OCS; Xander then struggled to get back to re-start. Meanwhile Tara tacked early and went inshore where it looked like there was slightly more of a breeze; Richard Jessel in Blue Jay went for the other option and stayed on starboard towards St Helens Fort and picked up a few zephyrs that at one stage looked as if they would put him ahead of Mike. Tim Montagu in Musicus and Xander in Harlequin went for the centre of the course which sadly for them got them both stuck in a windless hole.
With the lead boat (Tara) having already taken nearly an hour to reach Garland, it was decided to call it a day and finish the race after just one leg. Although some way off, Blue Jay was scored second and both Musicus and Harlequin retired and were towed back into the harbour by Charlie with Tara and Blue Jay hitching a lift off Sea Breeze. Not the most rewarding race but everyone felt better for giving it a try.
There were no One-Designs.
Next weekend sees the start of the Illusion Winter Season with normal racing on Saturday and a 'give it a go Invitation Day' on Sunday.