Hamble River SC Solent Spars Wednesday Evening B Series Race 7

Published 01:00 on 28 Aug 2013

Thrills and Spills

Hamble River Sailing Club Solent Spars Wednesday Evening B Series Race 7

Wednesday 29 August 2013

A perfect evening of some 8 to 10 knots south-westerly greeted nearly 30 boats in the penultimate race of the Solent Spars Wednesday Night B Series, with some interesting tussles ahead in several classes to get onto the podium.

Malcolm McDonald, our PRO for the night, decided to set up a windward leeward course with varying numbers of laps for each class across the main Southampton channel. As a result, the Harbour Master nearly became a hot contender, pulling alongside the committee boat right on the start line with just under a minute before the Class 1 start to advise of a large container vessel coming out of Southampton Water.

Each class proved in succession that starboard tack was the favoured route to the windward mark by a considerable distance, but most fleets were split on immediate gybe sets or bear away sets thereafter. “Too Frank” (Olly Love) in Class 2 pulled off a smart start pushing “The Flying Fish” and another boat over the line. The lighter breezes and the short legs set up an interesting leeward mark rounding as the XODs came out of the mark onto their second beat with Class 3, Class 2 and the leaders in Class 1 all jockeying for inside position with a couple of boats including Class 1 “Wee Bear” coming in on hot starboard angles.

However, the big upset for the evening was the previously mentioned container ship which came out of Southampton and headed off the Class 3, 2 and 1 leaders including “Polly” (Meakins & Cudmore) , “Imptish” (Barney Smith) , “Wee Bear” (Chudziak, Horner & Malas) and “Hot Rats” (Robbie & Lis Robinson). The majority of boats tacked immediate at the stern of the commercial vessel but standing on and tacking once the clear air arrived definitely paid for Class 1 “Hot Rats” and a number of others brave enough to hold their nerve. Several boats were close enough to their class leaders but far enough back to be little affected by the disturbed breeze and this allowed “Wight Hare” to pull back in Class 1 with a good effect on the results.

The wind almost switched off with the passing of the container ship and the PRO sensibly shortened course at what was for everyone their second rounding of the leeward mark. In the XOD fleet, overall and apparently unassailable “Lark” ( Nick Brebner) came in behind “Swallow” (Simon Russell) by the width of a piece of spinnaker cloth, with Satu (Andy Hamlett) clearly back after her absence in the early part of the series with a vengeance in third place. In Class 3 incredibly on handicap Cockleshell (Jonty Sherwill) and Needlework (Peter & Ann Smith) tied for first place with “Forethought of Gosport” (Mike James ) doing the honourable thing and retiring from his third place having tested the construction of the windward mark, (solid apparently). Unusually in Class 2 class leaders “Mist” (Andrea Undraa & Ross Elliston) managed to just miss last with “Polly” (Meakins & Cudmore) and “Imptish” (Barney Smith) in first and second place and the Flying Fish ( Kathy Smalley) close behind in third. As a result of the container ship intervention “Wight Hare” pulled out second place by 18 seconds on “Hot Rat” with “Wee Bear” taking the podium. This leaves “Light” and “Hot Rats” on equal points and one point behind “Wee Bear” approaching the Series (and Season) Finale next week.

After the race, the bigger boats helped those boats with no engines to make their way back to their moorings (see photo) as the wind had switched off and the tide was piling out of the Hamble River, before everyone gathered to the club for a convivial evening .

Report Lis Robinson & Bertrand Malas

Photograph Bertrand Malas

Last updated 13:16 on 16 April 2024