Clean sweep for the Beneteau 34.7s

Andrew Campbell reports on the RSYC doublehanded McGuigan Wines Round The Island

It was the crack of dawn as over 100 yachts gathered for the start of the RSYC McGuigan Wines Island Double from the Barge just off Cowes on Saturday 7 July.

The South westerly wind was better than forecast with 14 knots powering the fleet away under the blue sunny skies. The first of the five classes started at 0640 with the others following at 10-minute intervals. The first three starts got away cleanly but with 40 boats vying for the line in class 1, the down tide start caught 3 boats OCS.

The race committee radioed the sail numbers but only two returned. The wind picked up as the boats progressed down the Solent for the Needles channel.

The fleet converged at the Hurst narrows with all five classes now together tacking up the channel to round the Needles. A few boats stayed too close to the Island and got caught in the reverse tide. All but one rounded the Needles without incident to hoist their spinnakers for the leg to St Catherines.

One boat did hit the wreck and had to retire and return to the Hamble for repairs. As usual in Round the Island races, the fleet split some hiding from the tide by taking the inshore route and others staying out hoping for stronger winds. The inshore route seemed to have the advantage this year. Kites kept flying down to Bembridge ledge before the boats hardened up for the leg to the forts and Ryde Sands.

The boats that stayed inshore for this leg were protected from the east going tide. The winds were getting a bit unpredictable by this point changing directions 45 degrees and varying in strength from 6 to 28 knots. The main fleet had tide against them for the leg back to Cowes so the ones that stayed in the shallows close to the Island made the best progress. The favourable tides and class splits favoured the lower handicapped boats and the majority of the fleet finished together.

Class 1 saw Neil Martin and Robert Blackwell on their J133 Jammy Dodger take line honours but it was three First 34.7’s on the podium, Jamie Collins and Richard Allen in Salvo first, Chris and Hannah Neve in No Doubt second, Clemency Williams and Nick Bubb on Jos of Hamble third.

Class 2 had Philip Meakins on Festina Lente a Sigma 38 coming in first across the line but the class win went to Sundowner the Contessa 26 sailed by Jolyon Hutchinson and Rebecca Broomfield. Magnus Wheatley and Charlie Cruise took second in Hesperus the H-Boat and Google-Eye the Trapper 300 raced by Pat Stables and Nigel Hunt took third.

Class 3 line honours went to Mary Falk and Warwick Samuel in the one off QII’ but they had to settle for third on handicap as first went to Squander the Westerly Typhoon 37 of Bruce and James Ramsay and second to Jugular Vein, the J/80 raced by John Fowler and Warwick Samuel.

Class 4 was also close at the finish with Tigerfeet the Hunter 707 raced by Stephen Meyer and Ed Rogers taking line honours. The class win went to Fusion III William Bridge’s Gibsea 284, Green Kestrel the Westerly GK29 sailed by Jon Woolgar and Richard Davison took second and Nick Hodshon’s First 325 Aberlady.

The Multihulls traded places as they went round but Carbon Tiger, the Farrier 33 raced by Brian Haynes and Martin Harvey came through to take line honours and the class win. Ben Goodland’s Raider 30 Team Eberspacher was second and George Burn and Mark Griffiths brought the D920 Extreme Force X home third.

For more information on the RSYC doublehanded series see: http://rsyc.org.uk