Hamble Winter Series 2024 Race Week 2, sponsored by Key Yachting
by Trevor Pountain 16 Oct 15:50 BST
12-13 October 2024
Race Week 2 of the Hamble Winter Series comprises two days of racing for the Hamble IRC Autumn Championship, sponsored by Key Yachting. Early weather forecasts showed that once again we may have weekend of two halves. As it turned out it was a weekend of one half.
Sunday's weather had looked light from a couple of days out and series photographer, Paul Wyeth, got in touch on Friday to ask if we wanted pictures in the rain with wind on Saturday or pictures in sunshine with no wind on Sunday. Clearly, he would have preferred Sunday, but when Saturday was not too wet and the sun crept through the clouds, he went out and got some dramatic shots.
The Race Team gathered in HRSC at 0745 on Sunday morning and studied all of the available forecasts several times. There were little pockets of wind on the edges of the Solent but nothing in the middle. PRO Peter Bateson took the difficult decision to cancel racing for the day. His WhatsApp message read "The forecast has not improved and with very light breeze matched with a 180-degree change in direction, there seems no point in going out in hope." At 10.26 Paul Wyeth messaged from the island "Good call today...like a mirror!" Of course, not everyone was happy, especially those who had paid to go in the water at HYS.
On Saturday things went to plan with three races completed. The CV, WetWheels, set up near Royal Southern Buoy in 7-8 knots of breeze, with a course axis of 185, for Race 1 a windward /leeward with course lengths - IRC 1, 5.0 miles: IRC 2, 4.6 miles and IRC 3, 4.2 miles. In IRC 1, Ian and Imogen Watkins Far East 28, Mako claimed first place with the First 40 of Richard Catchpole, second and the new to him, Open 7.50, Cool Runnings of Ross Bowdler in third. In the 16 strong IRC 2, some of the usual protagonists were battling it out at the front of the fleet. Arcus, A35, Paul Newell took first from Jenie, J109, Rosie Berry in second with Kevin Taylor's J99 Jump 2 it in third. IRC 3 saw Sam Cox in the Corby 25, Liquidity Risk 11 win from Rod Macgregor's, Mustang 30, Dark Horse, with the Quarter ton Theseus of Jim Prower in third.
Peter Bateson gave the fleet another 2-lap windward/leeward for Race 2 and around the cans special for Race 3. In IRC 1, with the wind slowly building to 10 -15 kts Ross Bowdler's Open 7.50 began to stretch its legs down wind. Ross had campaigned his J80 in the winter series for a number of years but went down in size to 24'7" and ended with the top rating in IRC 1." We just wanted to plane down wind" explained Ross. "We know she has a punchy rating (1.099), and we have a lot to learn upwind, but with a bunch of dinghy sailors, we're having fun" Cool Runnings took the next two races to win the weekend. Mako was second with a 1, 2, 3, scoreline and Minnie the Minx was third. In IRC 2, Arcus won Race 2 and her third in Race 3 secured top spot. Elaine Again, JPK 1010, Peter Mockeridge recovered from a fourth in Race 1 to post a 2 and 1 to come second. Jumping Jellyfish, J109, David Richards just pipped Jump 2 it by one point for third. In IRC 3, the evergreen Whooper, Giles 39C, Giovanni Belgrano, secured two wins to lift them above Liquidity Risk 2 and Dark Horse.
With no racing on Sunday the Key Yachting prize-giving will be deferred until next Sunday. The One Designs will be out again next weekend as well as the IRC fleet and the day sponsor will be Force 4.
Find out more at www.hamblewinterseries.com