Catamaran cartwheel

Action packed day on the water at the Royal Southampton Yacht Club's spring series, reports Simon Forbes

The Royal Southampton Yacht Club’s Spring series held on Sunday 4 April saw two races held in a westerly breeze of around 20 knots with gusts over 25 knots.

The Race Management Team of Kirsteen Donaldson, Dave Giddings, Kay Abbott, Tina Scott, Tony Knight and Richard Ashford set the Committee Boat, Pyxis, near After Barn buoy.

All eight of the multihulls entered for the series came out. The first start was postponed due to an in-bound ship. The second start saw nearly all the fleet at the starboard pin end of the line on starboard.

Tim Wilson’s Dragonfly 800 Blue Minnell tacked off on to port and sailed up the right hand side of the course while Firebird led the fleet on the left side despite breaking the cover on the main halyard. John Fildes Firebird helmed by Grant Piggott was first round the windward mark of RSYC followed by Ian Loffhagen’s F25C Sheik Yerbouti with Sailrocket’s Paul Larsen crewing.

In a contrast to one of the earlier races of the series - Steve Hewitt’s F28R Triptych 2 sailed around with a small storm jib and full mainsail. Carbon Tiger II opted for a her fractional furling gennaker offwind while Strider Tigger still made full use of her masthead spinnaker.

The second leg was a run to Hovercraft 1 buoy then a beat to Hythe Ship Buoy 1 followed by a similar run to Hovercraft 2 and a similar beat to Hythe Ship Buoy 5. Brian Haynes’ Farrier 33 Carbon Tiger II helmed by John Downey lost ground by significantly overstanding the last windward mark.

Firebird was first to finish race one by 8 minutes 46 seconds from Sheik Yerbouti. On corrected time Firebird won by 4 minutes 7 seconds from Tim Wilson’s Dragonfly 800 Blue Minnell with George Burn’s Farrier F27 Smokey Bear third.

Race 2 saw a similar course set and Firebird return to start again so Sheik Yerbouti rounded the windward mark in the lead. Carbon Tiger 2 struggled on the first beat with Blue Minnell and Smokey Bear ahead. Firebird overtook Sheik Yerbouti on the run to Hovercraft 1 – after dousing her spinnaker in the bowsprit snuffer in preparation for rounding the mark Firebird was hit by a gust and pitchpoled in around 5 metres of water inevitably breaking her mast. Tigger and Scooby made navigation errors and Scooby broke the mainsheet traveller car losing contact with the leaders.

Sheik Yerbouti was first to finish three and half minutes ahead of Carbon Tiger II. Blue Minnell was first on corrected time from Smokey Bear with Sheik Yerbouti third.

RSYC Spring Double is on Saturday 17 April. RSYC Spring Series continues on 18 April. For more details contact Sailing Secretary, RSYC, Tel: 023 80 223352 or
email racing@rsyc.org.uk

PROVISIONAL RESULTS SPRING SERIES RACE 4 (1st race)

Corrected Time positions, Elapsed times
1 Firebird, Firebird – 0:38:16 – John Fildes, Grant Piggott, Anthony Haines
2 Blue Minnell, Dragonfly 800 – 0:50:55 Tim Wilson, Gonzo Haynes, Tony
Perkes
3 Smokey Bear, Corsair F27 –0:52:22 George Burn, Martin Leigh, Alan Scrase
4 Tigger, Strider 24 – 0:52:42 Ben Goodland, Mike Yates, Gary Smith
5 Scooby III, Dragonfly 800 – 0:53:09 Simon Forbes, Emma Little, David
Crawford
6 Sheik Yerbouti, Farrier F25C – 0:47:02 Ian Loffhagen, Simon Burt, Paul
Larsen
7 Carbon Tiger II , Farrier F33 – 0:50:48 Brian Haynes, John Downey, Keith
Bliss, Alex Haynes
8 Triptych 2, Corsair F28R – 1:02:26 Steve Hewitt, David Saph

PROVISIONAL RESULTS SPRING SERIES RACE 4 (1st race)

Corrected Time positions, Elapsed times
1 Blue Minnell, Dragonfly 800 – 0:50:50
2 Smokey Bear, Corsair F27 –0:54:04
3 Sheik Yerbouti, Farrier F25C – 0:46:42
4 Tigger, Strider 24 – 0:56:08
5 Carbon Tiger II , Farrier F33 – 0:50:14
6 Scooby III, Dragonfly 800 – 0:59:09
DNF Firebird, Firebird
DNF Triptych 2, Corsair F28R