Royal Southampton Yacht Club Spring Series - Races 5 and 6
by Cathy Crawley 25 Apr 2012 12:15 BST
22 April 2012
Royal Southampton Spring Series day 3 © John Greenway
The weather gods were kind for the start of races 5 and 6 in the RSYC Spring Series with the forecast rain holding off until the completion of race 6 and even the container ship movement timed for 12.00 delayed until the fleet were on their way home.
With the 8 to 10 knot WNW wind varying by almost 20 degrees and the tide starting to flood, the race committee set a course for Race 5 from near After Barn cascading up Southampton Water before returning on a reach to finish at Hamblecliff.
In class 1 the scratch boat, David Cule’s J122 Mint Julep went away for line honours, with the J92S Bojangles and Bavaria 44 Faze 3 in close proximity and the J92, J arrow leading the chasing fleet. On handicap Richard Sainsbury’s Bojangles won from Mike Garvey’s Jarrow and Andrew Campbell’s Faze 3.
In class 2 an OCS by the Sonata Frank saw the Laser 28, Wacky Racer, of Ian, Graham, Mike and Nick made a good start and increase her lead through the race to take line honours and a handicap win from Jacob Mackenzie’s Evolution 22 Glass Onion and the first of the Sonatas ,Paul Worthington’s Argento. The second Sonata, Oliver Loves Frank pulled back but could not quite make up the ground to Argento.
For race 6, the wind built to 13 /15 knots under increasing cloud cover and went left to WSW still varying by 10 -15 degrees. The race committee set a course with a start near Hamblecliff cascading up the water on the flooding tide to finish at Hovercraft 2.
In class 1 a close fight around the course between Bojangles and Roger William’s J105 Jos of Hamble resolved in Bojangles favour when Jos incorrectly rounded the penultimate mark. Richard Sainsbury’s J92S Bojangles going on to take line honours and the handicap win from Mike Garvey’s J92 Jarrow and Andrew Campbell’s Bavaria 44 Faze 3.
In class 2 the 2 Sonatas Frank and Argento made good starts with Glass Onion and lead away from a poor starting Wacky Racer but were soon overhauled. The Laser 28 Wacky Racer of Ian, Graham, Mike and Nick went on to take line honours and the handicap win from Paul Worthington’s Argento and Jacob Mackenzie’s Evolution 22 Glass Onion.