| UK. Raymarine Warsash Spring Series: 8 knots to zero wind dealt harsh blow to favourites |
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; "Laser SB3 Mark Richards Rigging Gurus won the morning race. © Eddy Mays")
| Monday, 10 April 2006 | |
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Flavia Bateson: After the excitement of last week, many competitors were no doubt relieved to be sailing in gentler conditions for the fifth week of the Raymarine Warsash Spring Series which also included the opening of the Spring Championships for sportsboats on Saturday 8th April. The stress on both days came from making the best use of a breeze which shifted between 30 and 50 degrees. Sunday was perhaps the more trying with a Force 3 which dropped to 8 knots and finally next to nothing just as some boats were desperately clawing their way to the finish. Whilst the first two Black Group classes started successfully, a wind shift caused major rejigging of the courses following and this set the pattern for the rest of the day. IRC1 saw the new TP52 “Panthera” making an exciting start on port, successfully weaving through the starboard tack 45s at speed. She was the fastest boat round the course but on corrected time Stewart Hawthorn’s J-133 “Jump” came out on top which moves him up to second place in the series, behind Shaun Frohlich’s Farr 45 “Exabyte 4”. In IRC2 the luck of the Irish transferred from Aintree to the Solent with two IRL sail numbers leading the pack round the windward mark, but this good fortune was not to last. Jochem Visser helming the X-35 “Cool Runnings” was in hot pursuit and when the boats ahead retired, the way was clear to take both line and class honours. Going into the race this week, “Flair IV” and “Quokka” had identical score lines in IRC3 but by the top mark, it was Russell Hodgson’s Dehler 36 “Veneziani Deliverance” that had a small lead over these two with Chris and Hannah Neve’s First 34.7 “No Doubt” also in the group. On the reach across to Flying Fish buoy, they were joined by another Dehler 36 “eye2eye” and this section of the class broke away from the rest. “Quokka” and “Flair IV” then engaged each other in a private duel and hence posted their worst scores of the series, but leaving no change in the overall positions. Again, everything will be decided on the final day. At the entrance to Southampton Water, the racing area for the sportboats, shifting winds made life equally difficult for the race officers. Simon Blake in “Swordedfish” managed to win both 1720 races and improved his overall place. Messrs Thrower, Duniam and Mitchell, sailing their Backman 21 “Quarter Back”, were joined this week by sistership “Back Beat” owned by Richard Scarff, but it was the more experienced team which won the day and now have an unassailable lead in the mixed sportsboat class. Greatest entertainment came from the Laser SB3s. The morning race suffered only one general recall but wind shifts in the early part of the race dealt harsh blows to many of the favourites. At the front of the fleet, Mark Richards’ “Rigging Gurus” was unfazed by the vagaries of the weather and built a good lead to the finish. The second race was laden with problems and as this also counted towards results in the Spring Championships, where discards are not allowed, the race team was reluctant to use the Black Flag Rule. Eventually the fleet got away at the fourth attempt with Daniel Geoghegan in “Another Naked Blonde” the clear winner. The Raymarine Warsash Spring Series regathers after a break for Easter. The weekend of 22nd/23rd April will be a busy one for the Club with both the Big Boat Series and Spring Championships continuing on Saturday as well as the sixth and final Series race on Sunday. Raymarine Warsash Spring Series Provisional Results Sunday 9th April (Week 5) Black Fleet: IRC1 – Jump - J-133 - Stewart Hawthorn IRC2 - Cool Runnings - X-35 - Thorkild Juncker & Jochem Visser IRC3 - No Doubt - First 34.7 - Chris & Hannah Neve IRC4 - Great Scott III - Elan 333 - Eurof & Barbara Philips IRC5 – Shadowfax - Sigma 33 - Andrew Johns Bowsprit – Java - J-105 - Paul & Marie-Claude Heys J109 – Jahmali - Mike & Sarah Wallis Sigma 38 - Festina Lente - Meakins family White Fleet: Hunter 707 - Race 1 - 3 Little Pigs - Russell Morgan & Nick Matthews Hunter 707 - Race 2 – Sword - Simon Law & Christopher Eddy Cork 1720 - Race 1 - Swordedfish - Simon Blake Cork 1720 - Race 2 - Swordedfish - Simon Blake Laser SB3 - Race 1 - Rigging Gurus - Mark Richards Laser SB3 - Race 2 - Another Naked Blonde - Daniel Geoghegan J80 - Race 1 - Just Savage - Liz Savage J80 - Race 2 – Nemo - Peter Henney Sportsboats - Race 1 - Quarter Back - Backman 21 - Messrs Thrower, Duniam & Mitchell Sportsboats - Race 2 - Quarter Back - Backman 21 - Messrs Thrower, Duniam & Mitchell www.warsashsc.org.uk |
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| Last Updated ( Monday, 10 April 2006 ) |
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