JOG Race from Cowes to Weymouth

This popular JOG Inshore race, along the coast in daylight hours, started on a lovely sunny morning with a promise of a beat in sunshine all the way. This was the penultimate Category 4 (inshore) race before the JOG 50th celebration week in Guernsey at the end of August, and many regular competitors were there to check the opposition!

Class 5, the smallest, started first with Lazy Bear and Dragonstar getting the best of the starts near the pin end in maximum tide, and as the fleet headed down the Solent, it was Alchemist and Dragonstar, the two fastest on paper, fighting for the lead.

Half an hour later, Class 4 started with some caution it has to be said, with several yachts taking a minute or so to get across the line. First across was Just Enough, the J92, who port tacked the whole fleet from mid-line but heading down the Solent it was Xarifa who clawed her way into the lead.

Finally the biggest fleet, Class 3 started, with Dick Dastardly and J Fever both intent on starting right on the pin end in the building tide. Dick Dastardly managed to just squeeze under J Fever to lead initially, but it was soon Waylander, in Phil Hagen's final JOG race in this boat, who led at Hurst.

Out of the Solent, the mid ebb saw most yachts starboard tacking out into the channel, with opinion divided as to whether to come back inshore on port tack to St Albans as the tide weakened, then turned against by early afternoon.

Scarlet Oyster, the largest yacht in the fleet, stood well out whilst most the fleet, now inshore, seemed to take forever to round St Albans in the now foul tide. Either way, surprisingly it didn't seem to make a huge difference to positions.

Approaching Weymouth Bay in the clear sky and brilliant sunshine, Dragonstar in Class 5 continued to lead the fleet with Alchemist. Further back the majority of Class 5 having now been caught by the larger classes, whilst Xarifa in Class 4 together with Waylander in Class 3 both having a storming race.

Dragonstar held on in Class 5, winning both line honours and her class on handicap, with Alchemist piped into 2nd, both well clear of 3rd place Disco Inferno. Xarifa beat off the challenging X-Tosea and Zingara to take Class 4 comfortably. In Class 3, Waylander took line honours but had to accept 2nd place on handicap to the low rated JACP, with J-Fever 3rd.

The legendary JOG "apres race" socialising saw most yacht crews meeting up in the Weymouth Sailing club, who as ever provided great hospitality, and the usual exchanging of stories over a glass or two continued well into the evening.

Overall Results:

More Information:

• JOG Website