Typical! Gentle breezes and lots of sunshine, but other than locals, most Redwing & One-Design sailors have left the Island and gone home or headed off to the Med!
Only three Redwings on Saturday afternoon and the same three on Sunday; four One-Designs on Saturday and none on Sunday. With a light and variable mainly SEasterly breeze and a strong west flowing tide, plus all boats being in the start area, it was decided to start ahead of the scheduled time to allow for the possibility of the breeze dropping. Blue Jay II helmed by Crispin Kenyon and Tara helmed by Mike Toogood started towards the middle of the line with Tara to windward and Blue Jay II slightly ahead. Redwitch, helmed as usual by Henry Thorpe, chose to start slightly behind but close to the Committee boat and continued out to sea hoping to pick up stronger breezes. Blue Jay and Tara tacked as soon as they could and sailed inshore to get out of the tide. Blue Jay II was first round Tara with Redwitch on their heels. The race was then shortened and finished at Britten so that a second race could be got in. So first blood to Blue Jay II with Redwitch close behind. In the second race (to Undertyne to Britten and back to Undertyne) all three boats tacked inshore and second blood went to Redwitch who finished some way ahead of Tara.
The four One-Designs also started ahead of the scheduled time. Alexander Ross, sailing single handed in No 8, chose to head offshore hoping to find the stronger breeze; the other three tacked to get out of the tide. Susie Beart helming No 5 was the first to reach Tara and was able to hold onto her lead on the run to Britten finishing ahead of Jos Coad & Peter Summerhayes in No 1 and single handed John Suffield in No 4. Although offered a second race, there was a unanimous vote to head back to harbour rather than struggle further in the light airs.
More sunshine on Sunday afternoon and although listening to the VHF radio one could hear other Clubs around the Eastern Solent either cancelling or abandoning racing, there was a gentle 5-6 knots easterly breeze off the Undertyne moorings. Rather than sending the three boats offshore in the hopes that the breeze would hold, the Race Officers decided to play safe and set Tara to Undertyne (x3) with the finish at Pepe. With the three boats making the start area early, it was decided to start fifteen minutes early. Henry Thorpe in Redwitch was closest to the line with Mike Toogood in Tara close behind. Admitting after the race that he had failed to take the tide into account, Crispin Kenyon in Blue Jay II, was some way off when the hooter sounded. All tacked soon after they started to try to minimise the effect of the tide and Redwitch was first to round the windward mark with Tara about six boat lengths behind. Little changed for the next three rounds, however on the long and slow run to Pepe, Tara found the extra down wind speed and crossed the finish line half a minute ahead of Redwitch.
No racing next weekend; 12:30 starts the one after (16th & 17th September).
