First showing for Brewin Dolphin Commodores' Cup triallists

Special class was set up this week at the Warsash Spring Championship

Although not an official trial for those wishing to compete for places in the teams to represent England in the Brewin Dolphin Commodores' Cup this summer, Warsash Sailing Club created a class in their Spring Championship weekend series especially for the England team triallists. And what perfect training conditions the competitors enjoyed.

Three races on Saturday in 10-18 knots of wind and two races on Sunday starting in 12 knots and increasing to 22 were sailed on perfect windward-leeward courses. The Commodores' Cup fleet were split into two classes, but started together to replicate what they would experience in this years Brewin Dolphin Commodore's Cup with all boats on one start line, whereas in previous years the classes have been split into three with separate starts.

Winner of the CC2 fleet and the most consistent of all the triallists was Jim Macgregor in his Elan 410, Premier Flair. "It was a great weekend's practice and a good opportunity to test our speed against our opposition in the upcoming Brewin Dolphin Commodores' Cup trials," said Jim who is father to Lucy and Kate Macgregor, part of Team GBR's Women's Match Racing team going to the London Olympics. "Congratulations must go to Warsash Sailing Club for this initiative. We had great competition from Mike West in Eaujet and Nicholas Gaumont-Prat in Philosophie IV and it was good to start with the big Ker 40s, Keronimo and Magnum".

The two Ker 40s came out on top in CC1 with Jonathan Goring in Keronimo first ahead of Andrew Pearce's Magnum III. It was windy enough for the Ker 40s to get up and plane downwind and these two speed machines had a great match race all weekend.

On Saturday, the CC1 and CC2 classes were started together and raced the same course and also scored together to give the teams an indication of the overall result. Mike West's Eaujet was the best with a 1, 2, 6 just 1½ points ahead of Neil Kipling's J/122 Joopster with a 2.5, 5, 3 and Keronimo third with an 8, 3, 2.

The Brewin Dolphin Commodores' Cup trials officially start with the RORC's Morgan Cup offshore race on the 5th May followed by the Vice Admiral's Cup on 18-20 May.