Summery start

Helly Hansen Warsash Spring Series sets sail

Glorious sunshine heralded the first Sunday of the six week Helly Hansen Warsash Spring Series.

 
The breeze was shifty, as expected with a northeasterly coming off the mainland shore and it was swinging up to 45 degrees and quite variable in speed; average 10 knots that occasionally dropped to seven knots and rose at times to 13 knots. There was generally enough breeze to run against the strong spring tides, although this did mean each downwind turning mark opened up big tide gates in some fleets.
 
The White Group classes and Black Group IRC4 class were kept close to ’home’ with their courses starting and finishing at hamblewinterseries.com buoy. Black Group classes were started on the Ryde Middle Bank and raced predominantly windward leeward legs, finishing near the north channel off Hill Head.
 
Several ’race rusty’ White Group competitors were caught out by the strong easterly going tide, combined with the north easterly breeze, and were over the line at the start for race one. By race three of three they were back in the swing of it with a clean start.  
Racing was tight with significant overlaps between the classes making for some exciting boat-on-boat competitive sailing. All three of the classes in White Group;, SB20, J/70 and J/80, gained a top three result in the day’s racing.
 
At the end of the three races the J/70 Cosmic (Patrick Liardet) was leading the combined White Group, with Injunction (Steve Venables) in second place and leading the J/70 class and last year’s series champion, Betty (Jon Powell) in third overall and leading the J/80 class.
 
Flutter (Aron Wellband) finished the day at the front of the SB30 class, with Blackstone Racing (James Russell) in second place and the cheekily named, Trouble & Strife (George Barker) in third.
 
Black Group’s IRC 4 class saw Peter Rouse’s Hunter Impala Voodoo come in with first place. In third place was the fleet’s only Hunter 707 Betty, sailed by Tim Rees and his crew.
 
Tim commented on the days racing saying; ”We had a good tussle with Erik the Red, racing boat-for-boat most of the way round the course and only getting away from her slightly on the last beat. Quite strange racing a Hunter 707 sportsboat against a Mustang 30 boat-for-boat - but we give Erik a lot of time on handicap, so she did well to hold with us nearly all the way round, and have us on time”.
 
“It was great sailing, and it was noticeable sitting in the garden after the racing that quite a few people had missed out on the sunblock and caught the sun!”.
 
Coming in first in IRC3 was John Barrett’s Stiletto (Beneteau First 35),  in IRC 2 Fast Tack Puma (Reflex 38-Fast Tack Sailing Ltd), in IRC1 Simon Henning’s Mumm 36 Alice, and in the J/109 class Simon Perry in Jiraffe.
 
There was a good crowd back in the clubhouse after racing to collect the winners’ champagne prizes, presented by Annabel Shove from race partners Rolly Tasker Sails. The week’s free draw for a Helly Hansen Salt Power jacket was won by Jon Powell (Betty, J/80) – although with two Betty’s racing in the Series there was an undignified scramble as the two crews raced to be the first Betty to pick it up!
 
The free draw for the Crewsaver Pro Auto lifejacket went to Fast Tack Sailing (Fast Tack Puma, a Reflex 38 in IRC2). To have a chance at winning in the weekly prize draws make sure you come along to the Warsash Sailing Club after racing.
 
The Helly Hansen Warsash Spring Series is sponsored by Helly Hansen and supported by race partner’s Crewsaver and Rolly Tasker Sails.
 
The Warsash Sailing Club runs Helly Hansen Warsash Spring Series and for the White Group Combined results is using the Warsash Handicap System which has been developed from the 2015 Championship results.
 
Provisional class winners
IRC 1 Alice  (Simon Henning - Mumm 36)
IRC 2 Fast Tack Puma (Fast Tack Sailing Ltd)
IRC 3 Stiletto (Beneteau First 35 - John Barrett)
IRC 4 Voodoo (Hunter Impala-Peter Rouse)
J/109 Jiraffe (J/109-Peter Rouse)
White Group Combined Cosmic (J/70-Patrick Liardet)
J/80 Betty (Jon Powell)
J/70 Cosmic (Patrick Liardet)
SB20 Flutter (Aron Wellbend)