Hill stamps his authority

Dave Cheyne reports on the Laser SB3 racing at the Spring Championship

Jerry Hill sealed victory in the first class event of the season at the Spring Championships, with a devastating three firsts and a second in the very tricky breeze on the day 3 of the 4-day event. The scrap was then on for second place, held from the first weekend by Peter Kennedy in the Irish boat, from Jon and Ben Shelley from oop north, Peter Harrison in Stressed Out About-to-get-Married Bunny, David Evans in Distinctly Minty and Martin Head and Hugh McAdoo in Bandit. Unfortunately the Simonds clan of J/24 and Seaview One Design fame were unable to follow up their steady performance of the first weekend, as they defended a trophy on the Saturday that they won at another event last year.

The Race Team were set a real challenge on Saturday, with a very light wind, and a strong tide pushing over at the pin end. Dave Evans followed Jerry Hill in, in second, with the Shelleys closing the gap in third, though it was Peter Harrison in Stress Bunny who had the best day, apart from Jerry, with ever improving scores of 4,3,2,1 for the day's 4 races. Peter Kennedy in Whirl'n Dervish had a difficult day, with 9,3,4 and 7, to drop into the pack chasing second spot. All in all a tricky day, with application of suncream being the most important tactic of the day. Newcomers Mark Stokes and Simon Brown in Eau No! had a terrific third in the final race of the day, which together with a 6th in the last race on Sunday, will no doubt see them in the hunt in future events.

The main entertainment came on the final Sunday, as the fleet were swelled with the arrival of the Sunday Series boats, with 20 boats on the Start line. This, along with a load of extra 1720s, 707s, a gaggle of Mumm 30s, and a tide pushing over the line in a light F1-2, led to some exciting multi fleet racing. To their credit the Race Team kept the fleets apart, running 4 courses off the same start line, with several general recalls, and restarting each race within minutes of the previous finish. Only on a few occasions did the 707s run down through the upwind SB3s, and a few of the 1720s adding to the challenge of the leeward mark roundings.

Yet again one of the 1720s came of the worse for a tangle with an SB3, following last year's dismasting of Oi! as it tried to sail through the SB3 start line. Trying to tangle with the smaller but equally determined SB3s, one 1720 tried to uproot Tony Kilby's Short and Curlies, bouncing the little fella sideways at the mark, only to find it's kite fell to pieces with the effort. When will they learn, size really is unimportant.

Colin Simonds finally showed up on Sunday morning, obviously having decided to read the Sunday papers, safe in the knowledge that the conditions would bring a 20 minute delay following a general recall, thus allowing him an extra cup of tea. The veteran America's Cup tuner and Soling campaigner arrived bang on the gun from a long way back on port tack, to be in the lead group at the first mark, a lesson to all up and coming wannabes. Not to be outdone, Stewart Hawthorn squeezed through a phenomenal port tack cheeky in race 2, to earn a round of applause from those on starboard tack, as they rafted up in bemusement, only to find he'd overstood the windward mark from the pin end! The Irish boys set of from mid-line, planning to tack immediately, but were also so stunned by Hawthorn's start that they forgot to tack and they too overstood the first mark! Peter Harrison continued the his terrific comeback by winning all four of the last races in the Championship, as Stewart was only entered in the Sunday Series.

The Shelleys meantime were having mixed luck and started to drop back, as David Evans started to claw back with some impressive results on the final day. Past World Laser Champion Glenn Bourke returned from a 3 week break to score 2,5 and 1, though he too was not entered in the Spring Championship.

Finally some people started to beat Jerry Hill, and with ease it appeared, in the last race, as the 3 Sad Old Blokes flapped their jib carelessly up the middle of the last beat. Not even Stewart Hawthorn realised what he was up to, until he found Jerry parked upwind of him and realised thet Jerry needed Stewart to finish lower than 8th to take the Sunday Series.

So Jerry finished the Sunday with both Spring Championship crown and that of the Warsash Spring Series. Irish blow-ins Peter Kennedy, John Patterson and Dave Cheyne finished second after regaining their composure with three 2nds, to frustrate Peter Harrison in 3rd with his late run of firsts, not enough to make up for the previous weekend's time spent looking at his lovely shiny keel. Certainly makes for interesting points scoring when two events run within each other.

The next event is the opening round of the Eurocup series starts in Brest in Brittany, with a 9 race series over 3 days featuring 27 boats and all the usual suspects.