Contessa 32s in the Solent

Report and results from the first Inshore Series Regatta

After three races at the Royal London Yacht Club over the weekend of 22-23 May, John McCann’s Cosantes, last year’s National Champion,and Ray Mitchell’s Confusion, winner of the Contessa 32’s first Inshore Series Regatta of the season at the Royal Southern Yacht Club over the weekend of 8/9 May, were tied on equal points. Both boats had scored a 1st, a 2nd and a 3rd so the tie was broken by the last race, which Cosantes won, giving her first overall.

The Saturday saw two back to back races, the first starting at 11.30 with a beat to Navigators & General, Clipper, South Brambles, Hill Head, Air Canada and finish at the ODM. In a fleet of 14, the typically competitive start saw three boats over the line. The rest made a good start on starboard, then tacked onto port – accompanied by Beken out photographing the fleet. By the first mark the normally quick Blanco lead from Confusion and Seb Gardner’s Polar Star.

But there were plenty of passing lanes, and after a reach and a run, by South Brambles Confusion had got ahead, from Blanco, Cosantes, Polar Star, Fresh Herring and Contessa Catherine. By Hill Head, Polar Star was in the lead and the race finished with Seb first, followed by Confusion, Cosantes and Blanco.

The start of the second race was postponed firstly to let the Prima 38s through the line, secondly for the dismasting of a Sigma 33 in their pre-start manoeuvres and lastly, just after the 4 minute gun, as either the ODM or the Committee Boat was dragging.

Finally away just before 2.00pm on a course to Clipper, Navigators & General, West Ryde Middle, Fastnet, Gales HSB, Seascope, Snowden and finish off Cowes. In the early stages the front pack of Confusion, Fresh Herring, Polar Star and Blanco were again all tightly bunched, but in a dying wind there were some major place changes to be had on the cross-tide legs. There were also some retirements, most notably Gualin who did well to keep their rig when their backstay parted from the hydraulic tensioner.

Confusion established a controlling lead, but behind her Cosantes and Contessa Catherine chased to the finish.

Saturday night in Cowes was enlivened by Gualin’s rum punch party and the hospitality of the Royal London. Sunday dawned sunny but calm and Race Officer Jamie Clark spent some time chasing zephyrs over on the mainland shore before getting the fleet away on a basic windward/leeward course between Hill Head and Royal Southern.

The race hinged entirely around reading the shifts and finding the wind on the beats. After the first beat, Polar Star, who had gone up the middle, lead from Contessa Catherine, Cosantes, Drumbeat, Confusion, Fresh Herring and Chris North’s Andaxi.

At the end of the second beat Cosantes, led Polar Star. And by the finish, those who went left on the last beat had wrapped it up. Early leaders like Polar Star were out of contention and Andaxi managed to drop four places in a leg. At the finish it was Cosantes, Contessa Catherine, Confusion and a frustated Polar Star, in that order.

It was interesting to see some of the new boats in the fleet - David Hall's Zenith and Alcyone - getting up to speed, and of course Confusion has already got into winning ways in only her second season.

David Hall with a family crew, new to racing, did extremely well, with boats like Fresh Herring and Blanco behind him at various times during the second and third races, only to be piped to the line by both. David is still preparing his boat for racing and the crew are keen to learn. But it goes to show that, while you may need the latest sails, an experienced crew and good tactics to be at the front, you don’t need them to have a fair chance to compete in the Contessa 32's inshore points series.

14 boats were out at the weekend and Jamie Clark, the Royal London race officer, was ably assisted by such notables as Bob Milner, in setting some good testing courses in light air.

	Name	Race 1	Points	Race 2	Points	Race 3	Points	Total Points
1	Cosantes	3	3	2	2	1	1	6
2	Confusion	2	2	1	1	3	3	6
3	Contessa Catherine	6	6	3	3	2	2	11
4	Blanco	4	4	5	5	4	4	13
5	Fresh Herring	5	5	4	4	5	5	14
6	Polar Star	1	1	8	8	7	7	16
7	Equator	7	7	7	7	12	12	26
8	Zenith	DNF	15	6	6	6	6	27
9	Drumbeat	8	8	11	11	8	8	27
10	Andaxi	9	9	9	9	13	13	31
11	Corafin	10	10	DNF	15	10	10	35
12	Cantata	11	11	10	10	14	14	35
13	Alcyone	OCS	15	12	12	9	9	36
14	Gualin	12	12	DNF	15	11	11	38