Hamble Mid-Winters

Eddie Mays reports on the extra racing for some classes this weekend

In addition to the normal Hamble Winter Series racing Hamble River S.C. ran an extra day’s racing for the Prima 38 and IRM classes from the Black Group and for the 707s, the 1720s, Laser SB3 and Mumm 30s from the White Group. With predominately offshore winds for the whole weekend the beats into the northern shore were always going to make disproportionate gains, and losses, for some of the middle of the fleet sailors. Three races were planned for Saturday. This meant using two separate courses and four committee boats to enable the schedule to be completed.

The Prima 38s always enjoy close racing and in the first race Jon Perry ( Firestorm) finished less than 30 seconds ahead of the Army entry Longbow but things were even tighter in the 2nd race when David Riley & Andrew Yates’s Closing Time squeezed in 8 secs ahead of Jon Perry. These two reversed positions in the day’s final race with Mervyn Hughes having his best result of the weekend in 3rd place. Seven boats entered the IRM class but only four of them reached the start line on Saturday. John Shepherd’s Ker 11.3 Fair Do’s V won the first race and then dead-heated on the line with Nick & Anne Haigh’s Farr 40 Too Steamy in the 2nd race. After time correction Too Steamy won by 13 seconds. The Haighs then went on to win the final race to have an overall lead overnight.

On the Sportsboat course only Mumm 30s raced and Offbeat (Ian Gill & James Ives) won races 1 & 2 with Moonshine (Jack Kelly) winning race 3. In the 1720 class Messers Swalwell, Vance & Cooper ( Oi!) started well winning race 1 but then Andrew & Jane MacLelland ( Splash Test Dummies) found their form and polished off the next two races. For once the largest class was not the Hunter 707s. That honour went to the newly emerging Laser SB3 with 17 entries. Each race produced a different winner but the best performance was by Ben & Jono Shelley with three 2nd places. In the 13 strong 707 class the points were evenly split between Ian Southworth & Nigel Smith ( Chilli Chaser), John Parker ( Miss Moneypenny) and Mark Gillett ( Pocket Battleship).

The results of Sunday’s racing were abstracted from the main Winter Series results. The only exception was in the IRM class where an additional race was run after the main IRC race to give them a five race series. Robbie Cameron-Davies (Ker 11.3 I-Site) won the first race but it was Nick & Anne Haigh’s victory in the 2nd race that gave them the overall title. Jon Perry won the Prima 38 class and the weekend. In the Sportsboats there were no discards allowed and with all races counting the McLellands 1st & 3rd was enough to take the 1720 class. Jerry Hill ( 3 Sad Old Blokes) won both Laser SB3 races and Southworth & Smith also had a double victory to take the Hunter 707 class with the best result of the weekend, 4 wins and a 4th place.

Prima 38
1st	Firestorm	Jon Perry	5 pts
2nd	Longbow	Army Sailing Assn.	13 pts
3rd	Closing Time	David Riley & Andrew Yates	15 pts
IRM
1st	Too Steamy	Nick & Anne Haigh	8 pts
2nd	Fair Do’s V	John Shepherd	10 pts
3rd	El Gringo	Nick Hartshorn & Hannah Hamwood	15 pts
Mumm 30
1st	Offbeat	Ian Gill & James Ivey	8 pts
2nd	Moonshine	Jack Kelly	10 pts
1720
1st	Splash Test Dummies	Andrew & Jane McLelland	9 pts
2nd	Oi!	Messers Swalwell, Vance & Cooper	11 pts
3rd	Back 2 Basics	John Shorrock	14 pts
Laser SB3
1st	3 Sad Old Blokes	Jerry Hill	21 pts
2nd	Baby Blue	Ben & Jono Shelley	23 pts
3rd	Bandit	Martin Head	25 pts
4th	maclarenbaby.com	Chris Blackburn	35 pts
Hunter 707
1st	Chilli Chaser	Ian Southworth & Nigel Smith	8 pts
2nd	Miss Moneypenny	John Parker	13 pts
3rd	Pocket Battleship	Mark Gillett	18 pts