The Yachting Year 2018

56 | THE YACHTING YEAR 2018

Sabrina’s wining team

The Island Sailing Club Handicap had 701 entries.

Sabrina was placed sixth overall and won the Family

Trophy. From left: Craig, Jack, Molly and Kate, with

Helena Lucas MBE, Paralympic Gold medallist, centre.

SABRINA

DESIGNED

Harrison

Butler

TYPE

Yonne class

BUILT

1935

LOA

26ft (7.9m)

BEAM

8ft 7in

(2.6m)

DRAUGHT

4ft 6in

(1.3m)

sands, which would keep us out of the deeper water with

the stronger current and reduce the distance we had to

sail.

Of course we used our friendly echo sounder in the

shallower water – it is highly strung and gets very excited

when the depth gets within a metre of the keel!

e notorious Ryde sands were there to catch the

unwary and as we skirted round the edge I was concerned

about grinding to a halt. ere were many other boats

trying to make a jump on the rest by doing the same. We

were still going well and a J105 with her crew all leaning

out on the rail couldn’t get past us, sailing in our wake

because their keel was too deep to go closer to the bank to

clear their wind. e task ahead was made simpler by a

line of yachts that had strayed on to the edge and stuck

fast, heeled over with sails pushed out and crew sitting on

the booms. ese became our depth markers as we

estimated their size and dra.

It was mid-aernoon and we had been racing for seven

hours. ere was a healthy sea breeze pumping down the

Solent and the tide would be against us all the way to the

nish. We were on the nal leg, but a good two hours of

beating lay between us and Cowes.

We kept into the island shore, passing close to Ryde pier

and tried to keep our tacks neat and tidy to not lose too

much speed. Every now and again a tack would go really

well – the sheets for the headsails would release and not

snag as the sails apped across the foredeck and I would

let the bow steer through the wind without using too

much rudder. Sabrina would settle onto the new tack, her

headsails cleated with an inch of ease as she got back up to

full speed, then tweaked in to allow us to steer as close as

we could to the oncoming wind.

Keen to finish

We were keen to nish and sensed we were doing well.

Molly and Jack decided to give us an extra edge as they

dangled their legs over the weather side, a bit more

stability for Sabrina and a comfy viewpoint for them to

enjoy watching the boats around us. Kate and I tacked the

boat from the cockpit, while Jack and Molly giggled and

wrestled their way across the coachroof to the new

weather side. We zigzagged WNW, picking a route

between the stronger adverse currents further out and the

dastardly wind shadow nearer in.

As well as these pressing considerations, there was the

small matter of many, many boats also going this way and

beating to the nish. Among them a RIB hove into view,

good friends of ours wishing us well and looking forward

to seeing us aer the race. ey appeared impressed that

our race was nearly done, but we still had to get through

Osborne Bay and past Norris, and then the nal little bit to

the nish. ere were two nish lines and we checked the

instructions again to ensure we would not go through the

wrong line.

We nished at half past ve, with an elapsed time of

8hrs 49mins and 3secs. We had raced our little old boat

around the Isle of Wight without hitting anything and

averaged 6.1kt for over 50nm, and were ready for a drink.

On board we were really pleased and happy to be over the

nish line! We signed o using our mobile phone, then

dropped and tied up the sails before we motored back to

our berth in Cowes.

Our friends in the RIB were very excited about how

early we had nished and on a lovely sunny aernoon they

were popping corks by the time we had come alongside

and moored up. We had a great time with a glass in hand,

recounting little adventures and highlights from around

the course – even the odd error was admitted to in the

pleasure of the moment.

We huddled and laughed together and I felt very fond

and proud of Kate, Jack and Molly and relieved that

Sabrina had gone well and brought us around safely. e

results were being posted on the internet and there was a

regular frenzy of mobile phones being held alo, between

drinks, to get reception and receive the news. And when it

came through, what news it was! In the Island Sailing Club

Handicap, there were 701 entries and Sabrina was placed

sixth overall and we had won the Family Trophy. What a

day. We raised our glasses again.

TYY4 Round the island.indd 56 04/12/2017 15:19