B14 fleet at Lee-On-Solent

First event with all new carbon masts

Fourteen B14’s gathered for the fifth open meeting of the year. This was the first outing of the fleet's new carbon masts and five boats arrived sporting the new kit. The weekend was to show that the alloy rigs are competitive in the race though.

The event was held at Lee-on-Solent Sailing Club. Saturday’s racing was held in a 12-15knot Southwesterly breeze and choppy sea which provided good racing, if a little cold for the time of year. Matt Searle and Andy Ramus showed superior boat speed in the conditions and led the fleet round the two laps until missing the gate going to the finish and having to return, so giving the bullet to Mark Barnes and Tom Pygall in Readycrest and second to Nils Jolliffe and Jon Branch in Boatracer.co.uk.

Race two saw a similar format with Searle and Ramus finishing correctly to take first from Boatracer.co.uk with Readycrest in third. In the final race Searle and Ramus got away to a controlling lead till the finish, with a dog fight ensuing between the following five boats (Don and Kate Forster, Readycrest, Simon Hadley and Peter Nicholson, Mike Robbins and Will Davies, Dan Willet and Stuart Philips). Hadley and Nicholson passed Don and Kate Forster and Readycrest to take second with the Fosters showing a return to form in third. At the end of the day, Searle and Ramus led with three first's Boatracer.co.uk was second with two seconds and a fourth and Readycrest in third with a first, a third and a sixth.

Sunday dawned with a lighter 8-12Knot breeze from the south southwest, and a flatter sea state. Race four started with Searle and Ramus leading out to the left and judging the lay-line correctly with the other leading combatants over standing the lay-line. Searle and Ramus rounded first ahead of Readycrest and Alan Davis and Alison Wilson. However, Readycrest showed superior downwind speed and closed up to the stern of Searle and Ramus at the leeward mark with Davis and Wilson and Will Davies and Mike Robbins in hot pursuit. Searle and Ramus again pulled out a 60 meter lead on the beat. The top three rounded the top mark as before, but this time Readycrest was closer to Searle and Ramus and hounded them on the run down the course to the finish. On the gybe to the gate Readycrest got on top of them and by the gate was clear ahead gybing to the finish and taking first place Searle and Ramus second and Davis and Wilson in third with the pack close behind.

Race 5 saw Searle and Ramus again get a clean start and were out on their own. Readycrest was towards the back with Boatracer.co.uk. So it looked as if it was in the bag. At the top mark, Searle and Ramus rounded first followed by Tim Fells and Sean Dwyer, Hadley and Nicholson, Davis and Wilson and Davies and Robbins. The fleet split left and right on the first run. Boatracer.co.uk and Readycrest showed good speed and made a charge. At the leeward mark Readycrest was up to third and Boatracer.co.uk fifth. However, Searle and Ramus were out in clear air. At the top mark, the two contenders were in hot pursuit but on the run the distance proved to great and Ramus and Searle got a well deserved win with Readycrest second and Boatracer.co.uk third.

Going into the last race, Searle and Ramus were on five points and Readycrest were on seven points. This meant that Readycrest had to win and Searle and Ramus had to finish sixth or worse for the count back to work. At the start Searle and Ramus and Readycrest hovered around the pin with the latter on the stern of the other. At the start both were buried to leeward of the fleet unable to lay the pin and were forced to gybe out and cross the sterns of the fleet. Searle and Ramus were back in the back half of the fleet going left but in bad air, with Readycrest leading the break to the right (less favored side). At the top mark Willet and Phillips led from Readycrest, Hadley and Nicholson, Will Davies and Mike Robbins and Searle and Ramus. The race had several place changes but Willet and Phillips held on to a well deserved win (their first TT race), followed home by Readycrest, Hadley and Nicholson, Searle and Ramus and Boatracer.co.uk.

Searle and Ramus won the event by one point from Readycrest and look good for the rest of the season.

Results:

1-Searl and Ramus - 3, 1, 1, 2, 1, 4 = 8
2-Readycrest - 1, 3, 6, 1, 2, 2, = 9
3-Boatracer.co.uk - 2, 2, 5, 7 ,3 ,6 = 17
4-Willet and Phillips - 5, 4, 4, 5, 4, 1 = 18
5-Hadley and Nicholson - 4, 7, 2, 6, 8, 3 = 22