Contessa 32 Inshore Series at Royal Southern Yacht Club

Andaxi under spinnaker during the second Inshore Series Regatta at the Royal Southern © Chris North

WILD TIMES AT THE ROYAL SOUTHERN

The Rouse, Vanner & Richards co-owned Blanco won the Contessa 32’s second Inshore Series Regatta of the season at the Royal Southern Yacht Club over the weekend of 4/5 June. Tied with Ray Mitchell’s new boat, English Rose, with a win and a third each over the two races that were completed, Blanco edged it on the basis of winning the last race.

Some idea of the competitive nature of the fleet can be gauged by the fact that Seb Gardner’s Hayling based Polar Star who came third, also tied on points with fourth place Drumbeat.

The Saturday was real ‘Contessa weather’ – force 5 building to 7. Two back-to-back races were planned, but with the wind building to 35 knots constant on the Committee boat, the Race Officer, Simon Hand, wisely abandoned racing after the first race.

The first race started at 11.30 with a beat from William to Royal Thames. The fleet showed a variety of reefing and sail configurations, those that had opted for a No3 seeming to have an easier time than those who hung onto their No2s, but there was not much in it in terms of speed. By the first mark English Rose, Polar Star and Drumbeat led Chris North’s Andaxi. The subsequent run to William – with heavyweight spinnakers in 28 knots proved exciting – and many of the ‘pack’ elected white sails only. Eldred Himsworth, over from his home in Boulder, Colorado, for the first time this season, showed some truly spectacular rolls and broaches after Drumbeat gybed, (nice to see the bottom of a dry raced boat) and Polar Star dropped places with spinnaker pole problems when trying to gybe, but best performance on the leg went to Blanco, under perfect control as she tried to catch the leaders.

A beat back to Royal Thames was followed by the second run, this time to Meon. In mid fleet a tight scrap was being had by Cosantes, Andaxi and Equator, while ahead disaster and near disaster was escalating as the wind built and the leading boats tried to hold onto their spinnakers. Polar Star’s stainless steel tiller mounting sheered, luckily close enough to the finish for her to hang onto fourth under jury rig. More spectacularly, John Corden and Annie Merryweather’s Fresh Herring, momentarily sailing blind in mid spinnaker gybe, cut Deck too close and snagged the bouy’s top mark with the main sheet. The subsequent damage to pushpit, stanchions and pulpit was substantial and after cutting away the mainsheet, she had to retire and returned to Lymington. John and Annie drowned their sorrows back with the fleet party on Saturday night. Luckily, fleet injuries appear to have been limited to a cut forehead on Alcyone which Southampton hospital stitched up in time for evening drinks.

At the finish, English Rose led Drumbeat, Blanco, Polar Star and Cosantes.. English Rose won the first Contessa Inshore weekend of the year, so it rather looked as though Ray Mitchell had picked up where he had left off four weeks ago.

Long hot showers, a big pontoon party held by Corafin, and dinner at the Royal Southern eased some of the bruises – but probably contributed to sore heads on Sunday.

Sunday’s race proved slightly tamer – only a good steady force 4 and a grey, but largely dry day – so out came the No1s and the big spinnakers. Off the start, most of the fleet went right, but the best tactics for the first beat from Royal Southern to Royal Thames proved to be go left – which resulted in the newest addition to the racing fleet, Anthony Burdall’s Alcyone, slightly surprising themselves and arriving first at the mark, followed by Blanco and Cantata.

The weekend was only the first time Alcyone’s crew had been together. Their normal crew is largely composed of Southampton University students, including the owner’s son William, and has an average age of 24 (if you exclude the owner!) – but exams had taken their toll and one draftee had never sailed before.

As the attached photograph shows, Alcyone was being chased by Blanco, Cantata, Polar Star, English Rose and Drumbeat, and over the subsequent leg the more practised crews steadily overhauled the newcomers (not helped by Alcyone selecting the wrong mark to drop their spinnaker at the end of the run). Further back Andaxi reacted quickest to the movable obstacle presented by a large container ship coming out of Southampton water, to get ahead of Equator, but then lost the place at the next mark rounding.

The course took in Deck, Royal Southern, Meon and Chilling in a typical Royal Southern style of race, testing every combination of drops, gybes and sets over a good variety of reaches, beats and runs. Never a dull moment and plenty of close racing throughout the fleet.

At the finish Blanco led in from Polar Star, English Rose Drumbeat and Cosantes, with Alcyone just holding on as Equator and Andaxi chased her in. They may have stared the season slowly, but Blanco is still quick enough to come through the fleet.

The Royal Southern proved perfect hosts and the race selection and management provided as exemplary as ever.

Overall Results: