SPECIAL
quickly launched the lovely new kite and
with only the smallest of hitches, were
pretty soon making 6 knots over ground,
overhauling yachts not just in our Day-Glo
pennant class, but also in the previous
one. Everyone had an opinion on the kite
and how it should be flown, but from
Cowes to near Yarmouth it tugged like a
street full of umbrellas.
Then the wind got fluky...
The Needles
It proved a foretaste of what was to come
as spinnakers collapse all over the course.
Though some parts still have a fine
breeze; there’s no rhyme or reason. Near
the land there’s a fine offshore breeze,
but it’s flat out in the Solent – how does
this happen?
We’re starting to lose all our gains and
Sam looks crestfallen. In the manner of all
these situations, there’s a blizzard of
suggestions: fly the kite differently, steer
south where the wind is, stay on course,
get the mackerel lines out...
Eventually we harden up and the wind
meets us half way, but this is a different
wind altogether; shifting, sulky and
scolding, it oscillates across 30 compass
points.
“I’d harden up,” says Nik as the wind
shifts 20°. I pull in the kite, then the leading
edge collapses. As we both look up the
mast-head pointer whirrs round like a
loosened main spring.
With a three-knot tide carrying most of
the fleet well west of the Needles, it’s
important to compensate and head up
towards Goose Rock even though it’s an
act of faith to steer towards the rocks and
believe we’ll not hit them. We make good
round the infamous mark, but it’s painful
tacking into wind and tide after that.There’s a bit of relief from the tide by
going into the bay, but more wind
offshore. Poor Sam is torn, but we pick up
breeze and steer a middle path, finally
ridding ourselves of the Needles by 1245
when the kettle goes on and pork pies
come out.
Just in time it turns out, as the wind gets
up for our big-tack, bay crossing. You
shouldn’t spend much time looking back
in a race, but there’s still a lot of fleet back
there and we’re holding our own against
two Contessas, an extraordinarily well
sailed wooden classic and a couple of
well-specced racers.
You’re best to do what’s possible as well
as you can in these circumstances and if
our winch work isn’t of America’s Cup
speeds, we’re neat, quick and losing less
time with each progressive tack; singing
along in fact. Are we a team?NIK WILLIAMS ON THE ROUND THE ISLAND RACE
“I’ve sailed since I was a kid, mainly on
lakes. We used to go to a lake at
Rickmansworth every Wednesday night
and sail an International 14, the single
trapeze version. It was that boat that
Ruth had her first sail on.
“My Dad had joined a sailing club in
the early 1970s and thought that since
he liked it, we might, too and it was very
much in that spirit that we joined Hayling
Island Sailing Club, where we have now
been members for 20 years. We started
with a Wayfarer, then an RS200, a Solo
and an RS700. At one point we had a
fleet of six boats!
“We upgraded to a very cheap
Beneteau First 24 about four years ago.
Then two years later we bought Tantris.
I’ve always liked Contessas, they’ve gotlovely lines even though you don’t get a
great deal of accommodation.
“As for the RTI, basically it’s there... a
challenge. A bit like my cancer. And it
was a challenge that provided a focus
away from diagnosis and treatment.
“As for the crew, well I asked people
who’d enjoy doing it and I’d enjoy doing
it with. It was much more enjoyable and
less stressful than I thought it would be- even the tacking at the start, though it
helped to have enough people on board
to act as spotters for the other yachts. In
the end it was a lovely way to spend time
with people, with family, with friends.
Right now I wish I could do it again...”
Tantris owner Nik Williams: “RTI was a
lovely way to spend time with people...”Team tactician Sam Nicholls ponders
winds and tides
‘Ridding ourselves of the Needles, the kettle
goes on and the pork pies come out’
LEFT Well heeled
and honking along
the south coast of
the Isle of Wight