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Greyness and showers for RORC IRC Nationals competitors

Weather conditions had abated from the previous day, giving a southwesterly gradient breeze of 10 to 15 knots. A fine grey mist shrouded the Solent and rain showers added to the poor visibility for the competitors at the RORC IRC Championships racing on day 2 of the regatta. The wind shifted slightly to the south and built during the day, reaching a top wind speed of over 20 knots, but the fresher air lifted the grey skies, bringing far more pleasant conditions.

The race committee chose a race area in the eastern and central Solent, using a mixture of windward leeward courses and tight reaching legs.

IRC Super Zero

Race 3: After two days of boat breakages that would have left most yachts in the marina, Colm Barrington’s TP 52 Flash Glove romped to victory by two minutes on corrected time over Paul Winkelmann’s TP52 Island Fling. Charles Dunstone’s TP52 Cockburns Red was in third place.

Race 4: Flash Glove sparkled again, winning by a big margin of over three minutes on corrected time. Benny Kelly’s TP52 Panthera was second but only 23 seconds ahead of Cockburns Red.

Flash Glove tactician, Rob Greenhalgh, commented after racing: "Obviously we had a much better race today. She is great fun to sail and it is a really exhilarating ride, but it is very early on in the boat’s development and there is a little more speed to get out of her yet."

Race 5: Island Fling ended the day on a high, taking the gun and winning on handicap by over two minutes. Flash Glove were second and Panthera third.

Going into the last day, the four TP52s in this class are only two points apart, meaning any one of them could win the class title.

Swan 45

Race 3: This first race this morning saw some of the closest racing in these championships. Less than a minute separated the top four boats after over two hours of racing. Glynn Williams held his nerve at the helm of WISC beating Alex Roeper’s Plenty over the line by less than a boat length. Charles Swingland’s Piper at the Gates of Dawn was only 20 seconds behind in third.

Race 4: Tony Mack, helming McFly, won the race in style by well over a minute from Massimo Ferragamo’s Bellicosa. WISC continued their consistent form, posting a third place finish.

Race 5: McFly finished off a great day on the water winning the last race, with William Douglass helming Goombay Smash in second place and WISC third.

With two more races scheduled, WISC is currently the class leader but McFly and Goombay Smash are hot on their heels. Dick Weisman’s Vixen isn’t out of the running either. Tomorrow should see some fantastic racing to decide the class.

IRC Zero

Race 3: Three longstanding RORC members battled it out for the top three spots. Gery Trentesaux’s Beneteau 44.7 Courrier Du Coeur winning by a mere nine seconds on corrected time from Mike Greville’s Ker 39 Erivale III. John Shepherd’s Ker 46 Fair Do’s VII was in third place.

Race 4: Courrier Du Coeur continued a string of bullets with a comfortable victory on corrected time. Rob Bottomley’s, Pacific Interiors Sailplane was second with Fair Do’s VII in third.

Race 5: Fair Do’s VII won the last race of the day, managing to pull away from Courrier Du Coeur by just enough to win on handicap. Nick and Annie Haigh’s DK46 Dark & Steamy was first to finish, but were awarded third on corrected time.

Going into the last day Courrier Du Coeur must be favourite for an overall class win, but Fair Do’s VII are still in with a chance.

IRC 1

Race 3: Tim Spalding’s Beneteau 40.7 Love Shack continued their impressive form with yet another win. John Michael Dean’s Swan 46 Lowly Worm was second. Paul McNamara and Tony Lowe’s Beneteau 40.7 Incognito and Willem Wester’s Rogers 36 STS Antilope could not be separated and tied for third place.

Race 4: Love Shack continued to dominate the class, with four races and four wins in a row. Lowly Worm posted another second place and Incognito made third place, this time on their own.

Race 5: Love Shack kept up a perfect score line at the RORC IRC Championships, with an emphatic win. Lowly Worm picked up another second place, rounding off an excellent day’s performance and Incognito continued their steady performance with a third. Love Shack are the overall leaders in the class with two races scheduled to go. Incognito lie in second place and STS Antilope in third.

Love Shack’s owner, Tim Spalding, commented at the end of day two: "We have a great crew on board and they were invaluable on the windy first day. Several essential running repairs kept us racing on several occasions. She is a brand new boat this year and we are delighted with her so far."

IRC 2

Race 3: Eamon Crosbie’s Irish Ker 32 Teng Tools managed to hold off Mike Eaton’s Scottish Seaquest RP36 Spirit of Juniper. Radboud Crul’s Dehler 36 JV, Rosetta from the Rocks had their best race so far, coming in third.

Race 4: Teng Tools took their third victory in a row by a healthy margin from Mike Ewart-Smith’s J/109, Zelda. Peter Morton grabbed his first podium position of the regatta in his new Beneteau 34.7 Salvo.

Race 5: Teng Tools ended the day in fine style winning the last race, but Dutch entry Rosetta from the Rocks was less than a minute behind on corrected time. Zelda finished in third place but a Z Flag penalty added three points to her result.

The clear leader in this class is Teng Tools. Barring a major upset, Eamon Crosbie and his all Irish team should win this class tomorrow. There is a great battle for second place with Spirit of Juniper a slender half point ahead of Rosetta of the Rocks.

IRC 3

Race 3: Mike Tattersall’s X-99 Electra won Race 3, but they had to work hard for the victory. John Pollard’s X-99 Xcellent got line honours by over three minutes, but lost out to her sistership on handicap by an agonising 18 seconds. Ian Braham’s MG 346, Dean & Dyball Enigma, were in third place.

Race 4: Xcellent won their first race of the championship by over a minute from Electra, with Dean and Dyball Enigma again in third place.

Race 5: Xcellent won the last race of the day by two minutes on corrected time and by nearly four minutes on the water. Neil Vardy’s Elan 333 Esprit was second and Jackie Welch’s Elan 333 Elusive in third.

After three races today Electra has been toppled off the class lead by Xcellent. Elusive and Esprit are still in the hunt for the class title, especially as the top two are currently carrying high discard points.

Tomorrow sees the last day of the RORC IRC Championship with two races scheduled. Of the six classes, only two of them have clear overall leaders. There should be some tense racing on the water to decide class champions and the overall title of RORC IRC Champions. Presently, two boats have perfect score lines: Tim Spalding’s Love Shack and Eamon Crosbie’s Teng Tools.