CLUBS & CLASSES
CLUBS & CLASSES
CLUBS CLASSES
Despite the coldest and darkest months starting to bite, iconic winter
events have been enticing sailors onto the water. Paula Irish reportsA fresh and bracing nale for the
Hamble River Winter Series tested crew
work, sail choice and tactics. e Yacht
of the Series was owned and sailed by a
lad from Tyldesley, near Bolton; Chaz
Ivill brought his new J 112e Avanti Tyres
home in rst place on the eighth and
nal day, making it six bullets, a second
and a third in IRC Class 1. Richard
Patrick’s First 40 Dusty P was second.
In IRC Class 2, HRSC stalwarts, Robbieand Lis Robinson of First 35, Hot Rats,
just missed out on second overall, with
Simon Perry’s J109 Jira e winning the
nal race to claim the runner-up spot
behind class winner Malice HOD 35,
Mike Moxley. In the 19-boat IRC
Class 3, Robin Stevenson’s J92s Upstart
won the last two races, but Blackjack 11,
J97, sailed by serial winners Annie and
Andy Howe, had enough in the bank
to take it by one point.IRC Class 4 with 23 entries saw Stuart
Danby, Mustang 30 mk2, Respect, run
away with the series while Toby
Gorman’s Sigma 33 Stan the Boat took
second. e J88s raced in class and Avia
Willment in 2688 cleaned up from
Tigress, Gavin Howe, and Raging Bull,
Tim Tolcher. e series and its three sub
events, including the new Spinlock IRC
Autumn Championship, saw 143 yachts
entered in 16 classes contesting 108 races.Bolton man claims Hamble win
HAMMO THORNYCROFTTIM OLINWinter Series opening event
Reigning Phantom national champion, Andy Couch won the opening
event of the GJW Direct SailJuice Winter Series, becoming the rst
double victor of the Fernhurst Books Draycote Dash. It was a light airs
contest, with 13 di erent classes lling the top 13 places. Conditions
suited the slow and medium handicap boats in the 92-boat eet. Over
four races, Couch set the handicap pace with two wins. ere were also
wins for Andrew Snell’s K1 and RS200 team Andrew Brown and Alex
Sutcli e. Sunday’s pursuit race was won by local Solo sailor Chris Brown
with Leigh & Lowton sailor Couch catching up to take second for the
overall win, counting two rsts and two seconds – and proving himself
to be incredibly versatile, having won the Draycote Dash two years ago
in extremely windy conditions crewing for Tom Gillard in a 505.
Snell claimed second overall from Adrian and Tracie Padro’s
Comet Trio on countback, with Stuart Hydon and Ann Biglin in fourth
place two points further back.JOG season review
A total of 658 entries took
part in the Junior O
shore
Group season, split
approximately 33 per cent
for the o
shore Cat 3 races
and 66 per cent for the
inshore Cat 4 series. The
overall winners were: Class
3 – Cat 3, Assassin, Mark
Brown & Justin Leese/Cat 4,
Bellino, Rob Craigie; Class 4- Cat 3, Just So, David & Will
McGough/Cat 4, Elaine, Mike
Bridges; Class 5 – Cat 3,
Longe Pierre, David Cooper
& Paul England/Cat 4,
Shades of Blue, Ed Holton;
Class 6 – Cat 3, Raes,
Peter Cover & Mat Stiles/Cat
4, Two Frank, Olly Love &
Sam Flint; Double Handed - Cat 3, Double Trouble,
David Thompson/Cat 4,
Bellino, Rob Craigie.
Seaside finale for RS
Aero End of Seasons
The RS Aero End of Season
championships were at
Lee-on-Solent SC after a
change of venue due to low
water at Queen Mary.
A 35-strong fleet sailed
through a variety of
conditions and included Ken
Fowler of Race To Scotland
taking part in his first event
in his high mileage RS Aero!
A fourth in the final race for
Steve Cockerill gave him the
overall win on a tie break
from Peter Barton with
Steve Norbury (Warsash)
third overall. Top Youth was
Willis; first Lady Sarah
Cockerill; first RS Aero 5,
Andrew Frost.
It was the final event of 10
in the Magic Marine RS Aero
UK Southern Circuit. Tim
Hire (Royal Lymington) was
top Youth/third overall. Ben
Rolfe (Burghfield) was
second overall and Peter
Barton (Lymington Town)
was first overall.Submit your event reports to [email protected]
90 Yachts & Yachting February 2018 yachtsandyachting.co.ukCLUBS_CLASSES AC_GC-hgTH.indd 90 18/12/2017 15:46