Season opener

Warsash Spring Series starts on 14 March

Now the New Year snow has moved on, spring, if not just around the corner, seems less far away. The Warsash Spring Series for keelboats starts on Sunday 14th March and there are savings to be made for entries received in the next four weeks, by 19 February 2010. Further reductions are also available for Warsash Sailing Club members. The entry details and the Notice of Race are available here.

As the premier early season event, the Warsash Spring Series and Spring Championship will be one of the first to use the update to Racing Rules of Sailing issued by ISAF in November 2009. Warsash Sailing Club will be sending out full details to skippers of all boats entered.

2010 also sees some changes to racing marks in the Solent. ‘Flying Fish’ has been moved some 400 metres south into slightly deeper water at 50-47.24N 1-15.90W. There is also a new mark, ‘Royal London’, at 50-47.67N 1-17.00W, midway between the Brambles post and East Knoll buoy. Many competitors at Cowes Week will have listened to the well-informed radio commentary supplied by Simon Vigar from the platform of the Royal Yacht Squadron. Simon’s friends decided he ought to get afloat somehow, so the former ‘B&G’ buoy off Hill Head will now be called ‘Simon Vigar’.

The Warsash Spring Series runs on six Sunday mornings, with a break for Easter, finishing on 25th April. Black Group (four IRC classes, J/109 and J/105) will normally be given one longer race each week. White Group, with a sailing area closer inshore, includes Laser SB3s, on a separate start line, as well as J/80 and Sports Boat Rule classes. They are scheduled for three shorter races a week.

The final two weekends will be busy as the Spring Championship adds racing on the Saturdays of 17th/18th and 24th/25th April. Selected Black Group boats (“Big Boats”, Class 40s, Farr 45s, J/109s, First 40.7s and 31.7s) enjoy up to 12 races over the two weekends. White Group (Laser SB3s, J/80s and SBR Sportsboats) have up to 14 races. There are no discards allowed in the Spring Championship which lends an added challenge to competitors. Quarter tonners join in on the penultimate weekend and Commodore’s Cup triallists on the final two days.

The race committee will be happy to arrange extracted results or separate classes for additional one designs, subject to minimum entry numbers.

After racing, Warsash Sailing Club extends a warm welcome to all competitors at Shore House in the entrance to the Hamble River. Hot food is available in the friendly events bar where you can watch the day’s results unfold and weekly champagne prizes are awarded to class winners present in the clubhouse. Provisional results are also emailed to each entry as soon as they are available.

Enquiries regarding the Warsash Spring Series can be made to Warsash Sailing Club on 01489 583575 or email admin@warsashsc.org.uk.