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2013 Dubarry Womens Open Keelboat Championship

Published 21:52 on 10 Sep 2013

The 2013 Dubarry Womens Open Keelboat Championship was hosted by Hamble River Sailing Club over the weekend of 7th & 8th September. The event was sailed in two classes, IRC and J80. Saturday morning served up a flat Solent with 3kts or less breeze which led to the AP hoisted but limp for one and a half hours. By mid-day a gentle SW 7-8 kts developed and Race 1 got under way, from a line situated between South Coast Sailing and Hamble Yacht Services buoys. The short courses were a mixture of windward leeward and round the cans across the tide in the North Channel testing both sailing and tactical skills. Race 1, 3.2 miles in length was led from start to finish by Journey Maker 5 sailed by Laura Dillon, who also won the IRC Class on handicap from Black Jack, Annie Kelly and Wee Bear, Sophie Chudziak in third. Dexterity, Julie Fawcett came fourth in what was to be her best result. Rioja, Debbie Steel, was first J80 home with Peloton, Sally Prideux and Lucy LeRoy second, and Juicy, Cressida Robson third. By Race 2 the breeze was a useful force 3-4 and occasionally force 5. This meant that the 5.1 mile course was completed in 1 hour 14 minutes. Journey Maker 5 led the fleet home again, but was unable to save her time as Gazelle, Minka Armitage, pipped her on handicap. Wee Bear came third for the second time. In the J80’s Rioja, Peloton and Juicy was the repeat result. Race 3, 6.0 miles, saw Wee Bear up to second place in the IRC Class, Journey Maker 5 back in first and a new name on the podium Neilson Redeye, Katie Beney securing 3rd. The J80 Class had another Rioja, Peloton, Juicy repeat.

Saturday night saw the famous Frocks and Flip Flops party with Hog Roast at HRSC, where over £1300 was raised for Breast Cancer Care and the Hamble Life Boat.

The breeze settled more quickly on Sunday morning, generally from 255 degrees but with enough oscillation to keep things interesting. In addition, the first beat of Race 4 contained a very wet, short squall to test the crews recovery from the night before. Journey Maker 5, Laura Dillon, posted another first both on the water and on handicap. Neilson Redeye, Katie Beney, posted their best result so far in second, and Black Jack, Annie Kelly retuned to the podium after some interesting spinnaker work had ruined her chances in Race 3 the previous afternoon. Juicy, Cressida Robson, clearly better in the wet, stormed home to win the J80’s and upset the form book. Rioja, Debbie Steel, kept the overall win well in sight by posting a second, with Peloton, Sally Prideux and Lucy LeRoy in third. The breeze was 4-5 occasionally 6 by the start of Race 5, and this clearly affected Juicy who, having won the previous race, was horribly late on the line. Peloton however enjoyed the blow and romped home in first place, with Rioja adding another second place to her 3 bullets. Journey Maker 5 was making no mistakes in the IRC Class making it four firsts and one second, with the improving Neilson Red Eye second again and Black Jack in 3rd. With the strong wind conditions continuing into the last race, Neilson Red Eye’s steady improvement went out of the window when they threw a crew member off the boat at the last rounding of the leeward mark. They quickly recovered the swimmer, who was no worse for wear, and finished the race. Fifth was the best they could manage after the mishap, but the Seamanship Prize was in the bag. Journey Maker 5 had to cut a spinnaker halyard away which led to small diversion and second place, whilst Black Jack posted their best result a bullet. Peloton was given redress for standing by Neilson Redeye, as she was leading at the time. So, both Peloton and Rioja had points for first with Juicy having 2 points. Mention must be made of Lucinda Alleway and her Army crew, who, sailing Red Arrow an RAF J109 for the first time in the IRC Class, battled round all weekend in 7th place.

The overall championship, worked out across both classes by PRO Peter Bateson from a devious formula borrowed from Cowes Week had Journey Maker 5 first followed by Rioja and Peloton. Next years championship will be held on the weekend of 6/7 September 2014.

Class Results Overall:
IRC – 1 Journey Maker 5 Laura Dillon, 2 Black Jack Annie Kelly, 3 Wee Bear Sophie Chudziak.
J80 - 1 Rioja Debbie Steel, 2 Peloton Sally Prideux and Lucy LeRoy, 3 Juicy Cressida Robson.