Gigi on countback

Jeremy Rogers wins big conditions Contessa 32 Nationals

The Royal Southern YC's final Championship of the season was to host the Nationals for the Contessa 32 class. The planned schedule of racing over three days was wisely shortened to just two days. With gales forecast to sweep across the Solent on Friday P.R.O. David Arnold made an early decision to cancel that day’s racing and delay the start of the first race until mid-day on Saturday.

By then the wind had moderated to southwesterly Force 5-6 with gusts up to the mid-30s. The fleet were set a windward-leeward course and apart from a couple of retirements due to minor breakages everyone else coped well with the conditions. Eldred Himsworth, Drumbeat, took the win just ahead of Nick Bradley’s Merak II, who broke their spinnaker pole and had to finish the race under white sails only. Jeremy Rogers helming Gigi took third ahead of Ray Rouse's Blanco. With no sign of the conditions moderating further, the fleet were sent back to the Hamble.

With two races to complete on Sunday everyone was pleased to see that conditions had lessened overnight and, although the morning was very overcast, there was a steady westerly 12-15 knot breeze. With the tide keeping the fleet back from the line only yesterday’s winner Drumbeat mistimed her run into the start and was recalled. A long reaching leg to Air Canada followed the short beat to a laid windward mark. Merak II held a small lead over Gigi at this point and the first few boats all sailed high. Blanco sailed low but was still the first to try her spinnaker and she made some gains on the front-runners. The positions stayed more or less the same on the run down to Universal Marina but it was on the long beat back against the tide that the distance between the front and the back of the fleet increased. Merak II and Gigi slowly pulled away from Seb Gardner’s Polar Star. Blanco firmly established herself in fourth place just ahead of Drumbeat, who had made considerable progress through the fleet having had to restart. On the final tack to lay Air Canada Merak II tore her headsail and the crew were glad to round the mark 50 metres ahead of Gigi. The run back to the finish line at Royal Southern was a nail-biting affair with Gigi slowly closing the gap. They failed by less than a boat’s length and this gave a points advantage to Merak II going into the final race.

Running repairs at the top of Mary Rose Tudor’s mast meant she was late for the start of the final race, as was Geoff Palmer’s Shardik and neither of them were able to recover from this disadvantage. Blanco was caught OCS and was recalled and this appeared to ruin their chances of taking the title. On the first beat Merak II loosely covered Gigi and reached the laid windward mark with a small lead. This time the next mark was West Ryde Middle and again the leaders tended to sail high before setting their spinnakers but Blanco sailing a lower course was the first to hoist her spinnaker and with some effort managed to make it pay, just laying the mark. Merak II gybed at the mark and continued to fly her spinnaker and this was a fatal mistake. Everyone behind her rounded the mark and hardened up to lay a true course back to pass Flying Fish to port. In the space of two minutes Merak II had slipped back to fifth place and had to fight her way back to windward. Gigi was now in the lead and it wasn’t until the boats came on the wind for the beat up to West Knoll that there were any significant changes in the order. Blanco had the best of the leg and took the lead, which she kept on the reach across to William but a poor beat to the finish at Coronation let Gigi back to take the gun. Merak II, nursing’ her repaired headsail, climbed back to third and this left her with exactly the same scoreline as Gigi. With no discards allowed the overall victory went to Jeremy Rogers’ Gigi.

The Club’s next major event is the September Regatta in a fortnight’s time, when both the J/109 and the Level Rating Series conclude, as well as the other classes will be decided.

Overall Results:

1st 771 Gigi Jeremy Rogers 6 pts
2nd 401 Merak II Nick Bradley 6 pts
3rd 682 Blanco Richard Vanner 10 pts
4th 651 Drumbeat Eldred Himsworth 12 pts