Fresh set of winners

Jitterbug claims IRC 1 at the Helly Hansen Warsash Spring Series

By the end of racing each Black Group class in round two of the Helly Hansen Warsash Spring Series had a different a class winner compared to the first day of racing last week, showing there is some hot competition in the classes even if the temperature was distinctly cold.

 
Bar the lack of sunshine conditions were much as they had been last week with a NE to ENE breeze mostly 8-15 knots and oscillating to the right and back around 20 degrees or more throughout the day. For the second week in a row, all classes got away cleanly at the start so the recall flag has yet to be used.
 
Apart from IRC4, the Black Group start was on the south edge of the East Knoll bank. Courses involved a first windward leg to a laid inflatable mark inshore of Hamble Yacht Services buoy and then a series of running, reaching and windward legs between there and Cowes, finishing at East Knoll buoy. Although the tide was less strong than the previous week, wind and tidal tactics were often at a premium.
 
Mike Moxley’s HOD35 Malice finished seven and a half minutes ahead of David Greenhalgh's J/92 J’Ronimo in IRC3, but it wasn’t enough on handicap to stop J’Ronimo from taking the class win. John Barrett's Beneteau First 35 Stiletto was third in class.
 
In IRC4 Toby Gorman Sigma 33 Stan the Boat saw off Bernard Fyans' Mustang 30 MkII Erik the Red to take first place, with Barnaby Smith's Hunter Impala Imptish coming in with a third place.
 
Cornel Riklin's J/111 Jitterbug took first place in IRC1, with Frank Roger Bowden's King 40 Nifty in second and Christopher Daniel's J/122 Juno in third. Jitterbug and Nifty are leading the class overall. Tom Kneen's new JPK1080 Sunrise took first place in IRC2 with Bernard Olesinski's X-40 Xinska in second and the overall class leader the Relex 38 Fast-Tack Puma in third.
 
Simon Perry's Jiraffe is leading the J/109 class overall, but lost out in yesterdays race to David McGough's Just So which took first place, Owain Franks' Jynnan Tonnyx came in third
 
Racing in the White Group was tight, with the top half of the pack finishing just seconds apart bar the leaders; Mike Lewis' J/80 Jester in race four and six, and Andrew Barraclough's J/70 Jenga8 in race five, who both managed to pull away from the pack.
 
The White Group start was once again at Hamblewinterseries buoy with a combined class start for all three races.
 
Patrick Liardet's J/70 Cosmic is leading the Combined White Group and the J/70 class. He said at the prizegiving: ”Despite the wind shifts the start line remained square and the windward leewarcd courses worked well. Although it was a really cold day we had some good racing, particularly against Jenga8 who kept us on our toes.”

Mike Lewis' Jester won two of the three races in the J/80 class with Jon Powell's Betty only winning one. Betty remains at the top of the J/80 leaderboard with a seven-point lead, followed by Rachel & Robert Hunt's Jumblesail and Terence O’Neil's Aqua-j. Jenga8 won one out of three races and is lying second overall in the J/70 class. Flutter was the only SB20 racing.
 
There was a good crowd back in the clubhouse after racing to collect the winners’ champagne prizes and warm up with some hot food. Nifty won the Crewsaver Pro Auto lifejacket and Peter Rouse on Voodoo the Helly Hansen Salt Power Jacket in the prize draw.
 
The Helly Hansen Warsash Spring Series is sponsored by Helly Hansen and supported by race partner’s Crewsaver and Rolly Tasker Sails.
 
Class winners

IRC 1                                                      Jitterbug
IRC 2                                                      Fast-Tack Puma
IRC 3                                                      J’Ronimo
IRC 4                                                      Stan the Boat
J/109                                                     Jiraffe
White Group Combined                    Cosmic (J/70-Patrick Liardet)
J/80                                                       Betty (Jon Powell)
J/70                                                       Cosmic (Patrick Liardet)
SB20                                                      Flutter (Aron Wellbend)