Saturday 23 April 2011
RORC Easter Challenge Day 2
Pulling the wind rabbit out of the hat
By James Boyd: editor and publisher, thedailysail.com
With a forecast indicating no wind on the Solent, the race committee and
competitors were blessed in being able to get two races in on the second day
of the RORC Easter Challenge, once again held in unseasonably summer-like
conditions.
While the first start was scheduled for 1000, a windless Solent saw racing
postponed for three hours. Competitors were kept occupied in the Cowes Yacht
Haven Events Centre with a valuable talk from Jim Saltonstall on race
preparation.
Early afternoon the race committee made the brave call to get underway on a
course off Hill head despite the apparent mill pond. In fact there was wind
off the water and a meaningful race was held. As women¹s match racer Josie
Gibson, helming the new Mat 1010 in IRC 3, observed: ³It was really good of
them to try and do it, because the alternative was to wait for the new
breeze. It wasn¹t totally unfair but it was just very very light. There was
an awful lot of shear. At the top we were getting 5-6 knots but it was
really glassy on the water.²
At the end of the first race the wind began to veer into the southwest as
the sea breeze prevailed and for race two, the wind picked up to an
unexpected 13-14 knots with the tide running left to right across the course
on the beat. From the first race, where crews were being sat down to
leeward, for race two they were up on the weather rail, fully hiking.
At the end of play, in IRC1 Mike Bartholomew¹s King 40 Tokoloshe now shares
the top spot with Rob Gray and Sam Laidlaw¹s Farr 50, Bob, the biggest boat
in the RORC Easter Challenge fleet.
³Sam sailed the first race and we got away quite nicely. She goes like a
rocketship in the light stuff,² recounted Gray of his Farr 50 which is
looking very smart with a new paint job and, for this season, a stiffer
mast, new indexsail and an enlarged asymmetric kite. ³We were sailing faster
than the apparent wind. Tokoloshe is sailing very very well. In the second
race today she was way to the right and was first to catch the new breeze.²
The two boats share the top spot due to Tokoloshe posting a fourth in
today¹s light opener.
In IRC Two, frustrating Andrew McIrvine in his second placed First 40 La
Réponse, Andrew Williams¹ Prima 38 Max ŚEd Out! holds the lead having won
both today¹s races, putting them two points ahead of the RORC Commodore.
Williams and his crew have made the trip up from Plymouth to compete. For
this season they have changed the name of their boat from Mighty Max III
after they enlarged the size of their biggest spinnaker by 35%.
³This is the first time we have raced her with the new rating and it has
made a tremendous difference,² said Williams. In today¹s ultra-light first
race Williams said it was all about keeping the boat moving. ³She is a 14
year old design and we have had three firsts and a fourth, which for a
scratch crew with a boat with a new sail configuration we¹ve only been out
once with - we feel quite pleased with the way she is performing.²
Chris and Hannah Neve¹s high experienced crew on the Lymington-based First
35 No Chance are slipping away in first place in IRC 3 after posting a 2-1
today. They lead Louise Morton¹s Mat 1010 by three points. The RORC Easter
Challenge is only Mat 1010¹s second competitive outing. The boat is being
sailed by Morton¹s all-female crew that normally race on the Quarter Tonner
Espada, with the exception of Volvo Ocean Race winning navigator Jules
Salter, taking time off from his latest campaign with Abu Dhabi Ocean
Racing. ³This morning was quite like Abu Dhabi,² quipped helm Josie Gibson.
IRC4 is the only class to have a run-away leader in Grant Gordon¹s J/97
Fever, now nine points clear of Paul Blowers and Nick Daniels Impala Patriot
Games, while in the J/80s Kevin Sproul made a good come back after
yesterday¹s rig issues to win both today¹s races.
Despite the light wind to start with today, the conditions once again proved
ideal for the on-the-water coaching provided by Jim Saltonstall, Barry
Dunning and their team. The RORC Easter Challenge is a Ścoaching regatta¹
and the competitors have been lapping up the advice during races as well as
the post-race video analysis ashore.
³Today was brilliant because you could concentrate on sail shapes and not
get too distracted. At least you aren¹t battling around in survival
conditions like you normally are,² commented Ben Jones, the index trimmer on
Mike Greville¹s Erivale of today¹s coaching. ³It is always nice to have a
view from outside of the boat and there are some good people there telling
you gently and sensitivity that you¹ve got it slightly wrong. We have
suffered from a bit of pressure. It is very useful.²
³It is really good to have it,² agreed Louise Morton of the coaching. ³We
enjoy going to the briefings and seeing on video how far forward we are for
the starts or not. You pick up one or two things every time. Just things
like trim and whether we should be sitting further forward on the boat. Jim
is very incite-full.²
A further two races are scheduled to start at 1000 tomorrow, the final day
of racing at the RORC Easter Challenge with a forecast similar to today¹s.
For more information, visit the RORC web site: www.rorc.org
ENDS/Š
Photo credit: RORC/Tom Gruitt - http://www.tom-gruitt.co.uk/
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