Final perfect day

A report from the conclusion of the RORC's Red Funnel Easter Challenge

The third and final day of the Red Funnel Easter Challenge and the competitors could not have asked for better weather - a south westerly breeze of 10-15 knots with clear skies and wonderful sunshine. The final two races of the series were windward leewards in an area between the Brambles Bank and Southampton Water.

Throughout the weekend the competitors have enjoyed some marvellous and well organised racing and thanks should go to all members of the race committee led by Principal Race Officer Jamie Wilkinson. A special mention to the committee boats Atlantis (Andy & Fiona Bristow); Condor (Bill Oakley and Tony Harvey) and 3C’s (Alec Cokes and Mike Scott).

IRM

Race 6: The penultimate race was won by Jerry Otter and his Farr 45 Werewolf after a tight battle with their sister ship Audacious helmed by Jon Pegg. At the line Werewolf won it, but only by a boat length. In third place was Farr 45 Rebel owned by David Franks.

Race 7: Shaun Frohlich’s Exabyte 4 won the last race of the day and in second place was the Farr 45 John Merricks crewed by Volvo RYA Keelboat sailors, their first podium finish of the regatta. Jerry Otter’s Werewolf was third. It has been fantastic sailing for the IRM class and going into the last race the winner was still undetermined.

In the end Werewolf did just enough to win the class by a single point from Exabyte 4. Jerry Otter, owner of IRM class winner Werewolf commented: “All the sailors out there this weekend learn a lot from people like Jim Saltonstall and Mike Richards coaching. The key lesson we have learnt is to keep looking at the sails all the time, constantly adjusting them and getting the weight of the crew in the correct areas is also very important. That goes for all of the crews, professional and amateur included. They can learn more in three days here than in a month of sailing without them.”

Jon Pegg driving Audacious will be satisfied with a third place against some good competition. This season should see as many as ten Farr 45s ripping up the Solent. It would be nice to see more Farr 40s doing the same.

IRC Super Zero & Zero:

Race 6: Benny Kelly’s TP52 Panthera continued their winning form by posting yet another win in the big boat class. Ger O’Rourke’s Cookson 50 Chieftain, named after his construction company, was second and it was great to see John Shepherd’s Ker 46 Fair Do’s VII making her debut with a third, pipping Kit Hobday’s Bear of Britain by three seconds after correction.

Race 7: Panthera smoked the last race winning by well over two minutes from debutante Ker 46, Fair Do’s VII. Erivale III’s Mike Greville had a good end to his weekend with a third in the last race.

IRC1

Race 6: Eamonn Rohan’s Corby 37 Blondie was absolutely unstoppable winning the race by four minutes on corrected time but significantly in second place was Dominic Chappell’s IMX 40 Maverick 2, pushing Jump Juice, the Ker 37 owned by Conor and Denise Phelan into third place.

Race 7: Eamonn Rohan’s Blondie continued their winning form beating Jump Juice by the biggest margin of the series. Ian Maclean’s Software Mistress had a good end to their regatta taking third place.

Designer John Corby gave his views about the Corby 37: “She is on the pace and I am also extremely relieved. We haven’t talked the boat up at all but there have been some negative comments in the press and perhaps this regatta has answered those criticisms. We’ve just been getting on with it quietly in the background.”

In second place overall was Conor and Denise Phelan’s Ker 37 Jump Juice and this is just the first installment of what should be a fascinating encounter between these two yachts this season. In third place overall, another Ker, Ian Maclean’s Software Mistress had an excellent second half of the regatta. All three of these boats should feature in major RORC events this season. At the moment, it looks like Blondie is just edging it but at this early stage in the season there will be opportunities for other boats to gain peak performance.

IRC2

Race 6: No Naked Flames, the Irish J/109 owned by Andrew Allen continued their sparkling form with a bullet, with Commodores’ Cup hopefuls Chris and Hannah Neve racing their Beneteau 34.7 No Doubt in second place. Third was Jim MacGregor in his Elan 40 Flair IV by only two seconds.

Race 7: Chris and Hannah Neve in No Doubt got the gun by one second on corrected time from No Naked Flames with Peter Rutter’s Quokka in third.

Andrew Allen owner of class winner J/109 No Naked Flames commented after racing: “We came to the Red Funnel Easter Challenge as the first event of what we hope will be a successful season and it’s great for all of the crew to start with a win.” Colm Moynihan, co-skipper added: “I would like to give a special mention to the on-the-water tuition that we have received this weekend, both from the coaches and in our case from North Sails. We were delighted to have Richie Hind-Smith on board who has a lot of experience and it’s a pity he can’t do the whole season with us.”

Peter Rutter’s Elan 37 Quokka, was in second place with her regular crew and is always well sailed. Peter Scholfield in his HOD 35 Zarafa did not manage to keep up his consistently good results and having led the class this morning, slipped to third place.

IRC3

Race 6: Dean & Dyball Enigma owned by Ian Braham notched up yet another win in class by nearly two minutes from Andy Johns Sigma 33 Shadowfax. David Riley’s elegant Corby 29 No Retreat was third.

Race 7: Ian Braham’s Dean & Dyball Enigma won the last race of the series from David Riley’s No Retreat with John Corden’s Contessa 32 Fresh Herring scoring a third.

The MG 346 Dean & Dyball Enigma won class 3 by a huge margin from Michael Tattersall’s Electra, the X99. David Riley’s Corby 29 No Retreat had a good day on the water and moved up to third place overall.

Ian Braham, Enigma’s skipper commented: “The regatta this year is at the right time to think about doing some proper racing. The boat’s based in Poole and unfortunately our race series was cancelled down there and the Red Funnel is a great alternative. At the moment we have an inshore programme but there is some discussion among the crew about whether we should do the Rolex Fastnet but I’m not convinced yet. There is the Bob Fisher view that to do the race you need a foot of boat length for every year of your life and as I am 42, we need a bigger boat. If we’re going to do the Fastnet, we will of course need to do the qualifying offshore races.”

The 15th Red Funnel Easter Challenge concluded with a prizegiving ceremony where Easter eggs and engraved tankards were presented to winners in all classes.

The Prix d’Elegance Trophy was awarded to Jump Juice owned by Conor and Denise Phelan and designed by Jason Ker. She will be part of one of the Irish Teams in the forthcoming Rolex Commodores’ Cup, and the Trophy will awarded at the RORC’s Annual Dinner in London in December.

Red Funnel’s Commercial Director Colin Hetherington who will be taking part in the Three Peaks Challenge on behalf of the British International Sailors’ Society later this year, commented: "With our long and outstanding maritime heritage, we are extremely proud to continue sponsoring this regatta and also to show our on-going commitment to sailing and events on the Isle of Wight. The regatta has always been a fantastic event and I am sure that with everyone’s hard work, it will continue to be known for starting the year’s racing season off with great success and enthusiasm.”

Summing up the regatta this year, RORC’s Racing Manager, Janet Grosvenor said: “What’s really nice about this regatta is that apart from the regulars who come year after year, we also see new people coming in and starting to race with RORC and we hope that some of them will go on to do some offshore racing with us. I have noticed that the standard of racing seems to improve year after year. The feedback that we have been getting from the competitors at the Red Funnel Easter Challenge is that the tuition is invaluable for all of the classes.”

Provisional Overall Results:

Pos	Sail No	Boat	Type	Owner	Handicap	R1	R2	R3	R4	R5	R6	R7	Tot
		Super Zero + Zero
1	GBR1997L	Panthera	TP 52	Benny Kelly	1.328	1	2	1	2	1	1	1	9
2	GBR2R	Fidessa Fastwave	DK 46	Chris Brown/Peter Harding	1.209	2	1	2	5	2	5	7	24
3	IRL5005	Chieftain	Cookson 50	Ger O Rourke	1.319	4	4	6	1	3	2	6	26
4	GBR521R	Bear of Britain	Farr 52	Kit Hobday	1.32	3	5	5	3	4	4	8	32
5	GBR46L	Shockwave	DK 46	Nick Lutte	1.208	5	3	6	9	5	7	4	39
6	GBR124	Yeoman of Hamble	JV 44	David Aisher	1.168	7	7	3	4	6	8	5	40
7	GBR236R	Erivale III	Ker 39	Mike Greville	1.118	6	6	9	9	9	6	3	48
8	GBR4601L	Fair Do's VII	Ker 46	John Shepherd	1.187	9	9	9	9	9	3	2	50
		IRC 1
1	IRL3008	Blondie	Corby 37	Eamonn Rohan	1.083	1	2	1	2	1	1	1	9
2	IRL2007	Jump Juice	Ker 37	Conor & Denise Phelan	1.103	2	1	2	1	2	3	2	13
3	GBR1540R	Maverick 2	IMX 40	Dominic Chappell	1.093	10	3	6	14	4	2	5	43.5
4	GBR2740R	Mankie	IMX 40	Jack Pringle	1.093	7	6	3	11	6	4	9	46
5	GBR4639R	Lowly Worm	Swan 461	John Dean	1.087	3	18	7	3	5	11	6	53
6	GBR6513N	Longbow	Prima 38	ASA	1.082	6	7	12	8	7	14	4	58
7	GBR9308T	Seaquest	Seaquest 36	Hamish Mackay	1.078	5	11	8	5	9	6	14	58
8	GBR1381R	Mostly Harmless	Prima	Tom Hayhoe	1.083	15	5	10	4	10	8	10	62
9	GBR79R	Software Mistress	Ker 36	Ian Maclean	1.091	16	9	13	16	3	5	3	65
10	GBR7383R	Puma Logic	Reflex 38	Sailing Logic	1.069	8	13	4	12	8	12	8	65
11	GBR7207T	Playing Around	First 40.7	Peter Robson	1.061	4	10	5	26	13	7	7	72
12	GBR3093R	Joules Asterix	Mumm 30	Louis Browne	1.089	10	4	9	14	11	13	12	72
13	GBR6510N	Serendip	Prima 38	Paul King	1.081	12	19	18	12	14	9	15	99
14	GBR3935R	Hooligan V	Max Fun 35	Edward Broadway	1.1	17	8	20	17	18	10	13	103
15	GBR560	Simply the Best	Grand Soleil 43	Philip Wood	1.096	20	15	14	10	12	15	17	103
16	GBR38R	Bornslippy 2	Prima 38	Julian Bates	1.08	11	21	11	18	15	25	12	113
17	GBR6690R	Panther	Mumm 36	James Stableford	1.081	13	17	17	15	16	17	18	113
18	GBR7003T	First Crusader	First 40.7	Ric Searle	1.066	14	12	21	18	21	18	16	120
19	NED332	Heart of Gold	Mumm 30	Gary Shaffer	1.072	18	20	15	21	19	16	20	129
20	GBR8797T	Dragon of Hamble	First 44.7	Gwilym Evans	1.105	21	16	19	16	17	21	19	129
21	GBR9863	In X Celsis	X 119	Peter Jones	1.071	23	22	25	19	20	19	23	151
22	GBR7080T	Tarka	First 40.7	Guy Prest	1.061	26	14	16	25	25	25	25	156
23	GBR9389	Tiger	Reflex 38	Steven Winstanley	1.069	19	23	22	25	25	20	22	156
24	GBR7386R	Lynx	Reflex 38	Anna Rockall	1.064	22	24	25	20	25	22	2	159
		IRC2
1	IRL11109	No Naked flames	J 109	Andrew Allen	1.034	9	1	3	8	1	1	2	25
2	GBR1037L	Quokka	Elan 37	Peter Rutter	1.035	1	2	6	1	9	6	3	28
3	GBR7712R	Zarafa	HOD 35	Peter Scholfield	1.036	4	3	4	4	2	7	5	29
4	GBR1404R	Flair IV	Elan 40	Jim Macgregor	1.04	2	18	1	2	6	3	4	36
5	GBR7714R	White Knight of Wessex	HOD 35	Mark Neville	1.033	5	7	2	14	8	5	8	49
6	GBR9487R	Jumunu	J 109	Iain Fenna	1.03	6	11	7	7	5	4	9	49
7	GBR1347R	No Doubt	First 34.7	Chris and Hannah Neve	1.021	12	6	13	15	4	2	1	53
8	GBR7031T	Sanguma	Ker 31	Chris Walmsley/Thoms	1.041	3	12	5	6	3	12	12	53
9	GBR9040T	Eye2Eye	Dehler 36	Ian Hayes/Christine Simpson	1.031	7	20	9	13	14	8	7	78
10	GBR979R	Malice	HOD 35	Mike Moxley	1.034	10	8	25	5	23	11	6	88
11	GBR709R	Jo Jo Gunne	J 109	Richard Creer	1.007	13	15	13	11	15	10	14	91
12	GBR4809R	Jacob's Ladder	J 109	David Hunt	1.031	11	10	15	12	17	9	19	93
13	GBR2L	Beth	J 109	James George	1.028	15	16	14	18	7	14	10	94
14	GBR6895T	Xcitable	X 362	Peter Hodgkinson / Sarah Bailey	1.027	14	13	11	19	10	16	11	94
15	GBR4709R	Jambo	J 109	Nick Fry/Kate Buckingham	1.033	19	5	16	16	13	15	17	101
16	GBR9205R	Diablo J	J 105	Nick Martin/Cressida Robson	1.013	8	22	15	8	20	18	16	107
17	GBR9694T	J2eau	J 109	Steve Maine	1.036	25	4	22	14	12	21	13	111
18	GBR5203R	La Bayadere	First 36.7	Muller von Blumencron	1.032	21	19	18	21	11	17	15	122
19	GBR4909R	High Tension	J 109	John Cronk	1.032	22	14	19	23	19	13	18	128
20	GBR6909R	Jugular	J 109	John Pickles	1.031	18	21	12	22	16	20	21	130
21	IRL1090	Blondie	J 109	David Whitehouse	1.035	17	9	25	22	21	19	20	133
22	GBR4811R	Leo Lady	Elan 40	Graham Nixon	1.042	23	24	21	15	18	22	22	145
23	GBR7707T	Fay-J	J 105	Paul Griffiths	1.019	16	17	20	20	25	25	25	148
24	GBR9129T	Tigger 2	First 36.7	Adrian Ross	1.029	20	23	25	24	22	23	2	160
		IRC3
1	GBR4365T	Dean and Dyball Enigma	MG 346	Ian Braham	0.952	2	4	4	2	1	1	1	15
2	GBR9887	Electra	X-99 MOD	Michael Tattersall	0.963	1	7	1	1	2	5	7	23.5
3	GBR2912R	No Retreat	Corby 29	David Riley	0.987	3	1	12	4	3	3	2	28
4	GBR9395R	Elusive	Elan 333	Jackie Welch and Robert Dobson	0.977	5	2	5	3	6	4	4	29
5	GBR4503	Shadowfax	Sigma 33	Andy Johns	0.925	4	3	6	9	7	2	5	36
6	GBR5678T	Scarlet Jester	SJ320	Jamie Muir	0.998	6	7	8	8	4	6	8	46.5
7	GBR8500R	Brightwork	X332	Bob Baker	0.995	7	5	2	17	5	7	10	53
8	GBR9648R	X Ploiter	X 332	Steve Blake	0.993	8	8	10	6	9	8	6	55
9	GBR3278	Fresh Herring	Contessa 32	John Corden	0.872	10	10	3	7	17	10	3	60
10	GBR1622T	Tangent Minus 1	MG 335	Paul Aisher	0.954	11	11	7	5	8	9	9	60
11	GBR3782R	Zebedee	Sunfast 37	Bill Howard	1.001	12	9	18	10	12	14	14	89
12	GBR9563R	Sonic Boom	First 31.7	Simon Brady	0.947	9	12	17	11	17	12	11	89
13	GBR7341R	Eilidh	Grand Soleil 34.1	Chris Bowles	1	14	14	13	12	10	13	15	91
14	GBR9140	Nazca II	OOD 34	Mike Wilkinson	0.949	17	17	12	13	13	11	12	95
15	GBR982R	Bombardier	Elan 333	Andrew Pickersgill	0.978	13	13	17	14	11	15	13	96
16	GBR2958	Corafin	Contessa 32	Robin Holland	0.872	17	17	11	17	17	17	17	113
		IRM
1	GBR745R	Werewolf	Farr 45	Jerry Otter	1.108	5	1	2	2	3	1	3	17
2	GBR4512R	Exabyte 4	Farr 45	Shaun Frohlich	1.107	3	4	3	1	2	4	1	18
3	GBR1445R	Audacious	Farr 45	Jon Pegg	1.103	4	2	4	3	1	2	4	20
4	GBR8448R	Rebel	Farr 45	David Franks	1.107	1	6	1	4	5	3	5	25
5	GBR98R	Creative Play	Farr 40	H2O Yachting	1.053	2	3	7	5	4	5	6	32
6	GBR5955T	John Merricks	Farr 45	Volvo RYA Keelboat Programme	1.104	6	5	5	7	7	6	2	38

Other Prizes & Trophies:

Red Funnel Easter Challenge Prix d’Elegance Trophy:
Yacht Jump Juice, Ker 37 owned by Conor & Denise Phelan