Round The Island race?

[Barton Seagoon]

The forecast on Windy seems to indicate the wind will be blowing from SSW, so I expect most boats will try to head into the N end of the line on starboard tack, and then tack to port about 30 sec before the gun, hoping to get clear of boats on starboard. Does anyone agree, or have I read that wrong?

 

[flaming]

The forecast on Windy seems to indicate the wind will be blowing from SSW, so I expect most boats will try to head into the N end of the line on starboard tack, and then tack to port about 30 sec before the gun, hoping to get clear of boats on starboard. Does anyone agree, or have I read that wrong?

Assuming you mean the S end of the line... Then yes. That's what I'd expect.

Start will be stressful this year, as with that wind direction it's going to be pretty obvious that you want to be tucked in close to the island. So it'll be busy. The exact angle will determine if people are starting on port, or starting on starboard and looking to tack on to port asap. Broadly speaking if you can cross the line on starboard, then do that and then pick your moment to tack. If you can't then look to be on port with about 30s to go and keep a close eye out for boats still on starboard.
No doubt in my mind that the leading boats at Gurnard will have come from those pushing the Southern end of the line hardest.

If the starboard tack start is favoured but starboard tack only just crosses the line, then don't be afraid to be right up on the line with a minute to go. If you're not, then you'll really struggle to close the line in the final few seconds.

 

[wombat88]

There have been (and maybe still are) races around Hayling Island. Dinghies need to be well heeled or capsized to get under the road bridge.

 

[Barton Seagoon]

Assuming you mean the S end of the line... Then yes. That's what I'd expect.

Start will be stressful this year, as with that wind direction it's going to be pretty obvious that you want to be tucked in close to the island. So it'll be busy. The exact angle will determine if people are starting on port, or starting on starboard and looking to tack on to port asap. Broadly speaking if you can cross the line on starboard, then do that and then pick your moment to tack. If you can't then look to be on port with about 30s to go and keep a close eye out for boats still on starboard.
No doubt in my mind that the leading boats at Gurnard will have come from those pushing the Southern end of the line hardest.

If the starboard tack start is favoured but starboard tack only just crosses the line, then don't be afraid to be right up on the line with a minute to go. If you're not, then you'll really struggle to close the line in the final few seconds.

Actually I did mean the N end, thinking that boats would want to start on port tack but want to avoid giving way to loads of others approaching on starboard. But your reply has made me realise that the N end is much further away from our objective, and also downwind. So if you start well at the S end then you will be ahead of other boats approaching you on starboard. I am glad I asked now ?
(It's a good thing that I won't be determining the tactics on the day)

 

[capnsensible]

Looks impressive on vessel finder.

 

[Frogmogman]

Looks impressive on vessel finder.

Check out the Royal Solent’s webcam.

Royal Solent Webcam

 

[andy59]

Going well at the Needles

 

[dunedin]

Hope everybody had a great race.
Being a long way from the Solent, I suddenly took more interest in monitoring the race when ships boy sent a message from Cowes this morning saying he was “going along for the ride“ in a “little 31 footer“ - which I don’t think he had sailed before.
No expert in these things, but looks like he had a fast run round, as all ten of these little Cape31‘s were in the top 30 fastest elapsed times of the entire fleet, big or small and including the multihulls. Must have been a sleigh ride downwind.

 

[Frogmogman]

Hope everybody had a great race.
Being a long way from the Solent, I suddenly took more interest in monitoring the race when ships boy sent a message from Cowes this morning saying he was “going along for the ride“ in a “little 31 footer“ - which I don’t think he had sailed before.
No expert in these things, but looks like he had a fast run round, as all ten of these little Cape31‘s were in the top 30 fastest elapsed times of the entire fleet, big or small and including the multihulls. Must have been a sleigh ride downwind.

Cape 31s are really fast. For some bizarre reason, there was one in our class at Les Voiles de Saint Tropez last year.

in the generally light airs, we didn’t stand a chance against them in a 1972 S&S Swan 43.

 

[steveeasy]

To late to get an entry but woke up keen as punch. so joined in the fun. winds were great,so much fun tacking all the way through Hurst. great rollers around needles . Some stunning classic boats on the water with lots of sunshine.

Steveeasy

 

[mrming]

That was fun! Went reasonably well for us. Many beautiful classic boats indeed. Particularly enjoyed seeing Wavetrain roll past at 15+ knots.

 

[dunedin]

Cape 31s are really fast. For some bizarre reason, there was one in our class at Les Voiles de Saint Tropez last year.

in the generally light airs, we didn’t stand a chance against them in a 1972 S&S Swan 43.

I am not close to the current racing on the South coast, but was amazed to see a 31 footer, even a fast one, in IRC Class 0 - and the entire fleet in the top 30 of all boats line honours (including the multihulls), and monohull line honours set by a 42 footer.
Are there no IRC rated 50-60 footers, TP52‘s let alone IRC maxis bothering to turn out for things like the RTI these days? Are they all racing in the Med in the summer?

 

[matt1]

What a cracking day. I'm sure Flaming was hoping for more wind but it was perfect for us ;-)

Happy with the result too; 7th in our division and 53rd out of around 580 in ISCRS, which with a novice crew and all the cruising clobber on board certainly exceeded our expectations. Same again next year please

 

[jaminb]

Brilliant fun, 490 for us and last in class! Only the 8 attempted hoists of the cruising Shute and then a spectacular wrap off Ryde. The two of were exhausted last night, stayed up at the Folly and avoided the party. This morning a F5 /6 beat up to Berthon for a well earned nap after lunch. Great weekend

 

[RobbieW]

Are there no IRC rated 50-60 footers, TP52‘s....

The TP52s are in Cascais having a world championship and complaining about lack of wind

 

[Ian h]

did see 1 boat stranded off Ryde got it a bit wrong on navigation

 

[ridgy]

did see 1 boat stranded off Ryde got it a bit wrong on navigation

Also a dismasting a bit before Yarmouth. Both incidents gave the waiting lifeboats something to do.

 

[flaming]

Well that was fun!

Had our best ever result, 3rd in class and 5th in group, 35th overall. Yet somehow also came away thinking we blew it... We had a great start just off the castle and essentially lead the Blue fleet all the way to the needles, with us and 2 J109s duking it out at the front. Felt pretty good about things at that point though, as we expect to be a lot faster than the 109s on a reach.
At the needles we went wide, and Winsome a 39 foot 1970s S&S that we have a long history of racing against, went inside the wreck and popped out just in front.
Decided to go low after the needles and popped the A5 and headed inshore for less tide, then dropped and reached along the beach just outside the ledges with the jib, definitely in less tide than those further out. Initially this looked really good and we sailed right around Winsome to be about 1/4 of a mile in front, and just to leeward. But then on the approach to St Kats, the wind headed about 40 degrees, going as far left as 160, and we started struggling to lay the headland and having to go full upwind where the guys offshore were still reaching, then horror of horrors we actually failed to lay it and had to tack out... This cost us about 1/2 a mile and let Winsome, a J105 call Jin Tonix and another JPK1010 called Joy through. We then hoisted our Code sail and quickly passed Joy who didn't seem to have one and who hoisted an A5. At Ventnor we peeled to the S4 and set about chasing down Winsome, who we passed about 2/3 of the way to Bembridge. That was the most fun leg with a few surfs. Gybe at Bembridge and then roll over an XP46. Which was a surprise... Jin Tonix were just gone at this point, but we felt we had enough of a gap to Joy (who rate lower) and the other following 105. Winsome probably were too close, but we were slowly pulling away. Peel back to the code at Ryde and set off back up the Solent.
Weighed up the less tide vs more wind conundrum at Norris, and plumped for the less tide. Which was an error. We basically stopped in our own private wind hole and Joy and Winsome came right up to us by staying outside. Which was a pain, but we made a choice and they made the other choice and they got it right.
What was annoying was Jacana, the other J105 followed us exactly on our line and never slowed down, closing from "couldn't see them" to close enough to beat us on handicap. That really felt a bit unfair on the part of the wind gods....
Jin Tonix sailed a brilliant race to win the class and group, especially on the beat to the needles, when they were significantly closer to us than I was expecting to see a J105...

Overall, and speaking to one of the Cape crews, it seemed like they had significantly more breeze round the back of the island than we did, even less than an hour later. The most we saw after the needles was about 18 knots. So we never quite got the "full send" conditions we were hoping for. Still, an awful lot better than the light wind nonsense that has been the case in recent years!

 

[flaming]

Are there no IRC rated 50-60 footers, TP52‘s let alone IRC maxis bothering to turn out for things like the RTI these days? Are they all racing in the Med in the summer?

Not really, no....

There just isn't really enough racing for that sort of boat to justify keeping something of that size in the Solent.

 

[mrming]

Well that was fun!

Had our best ever result, 3rd in class and 5th in group, 35th overall. Yet somehow also came away thinking we blew it...

Good job. Sounds a bit similar to us. Crossed the finish line not feeling great about ourselves, however 3rd in class is also our best (albeit we’ve done better overall before). Once we had a couple of beers we decided we did okay. ?