Sunshine Racing @ North Sails May Regatta

( Hamble , England )- The Royal Southern Yacht Club’s  2022 Summer Series is off and running with the North Sails May Regatta held 7-8 May on The Solent . The race management team, led by Principal Race Officer Peter Bateson and Race Officer Peter Saxton, provided 60 teams with great racing in seven different classes. Black Group had six races, on a mixture of windward-leeward and tight round the cans courses. While White Group had ten short, sharp windward-leeward races.

As with all of the Summer Series regattas, superb après-racing social events are organized at the club’s purpose-built facility on the banks of the River Hamble . The North Sails coaching team was out on the water, and after racing on Saturday, their experts Jeremy Smart and  Ruaridh Wright presented a debrief, including a detailed drone video and top tips from specialists including double-Olympic sailor Chris Grube. Hundreds of sailors enjoyed a great regatta, in sunny light to medium conditions. The North Sails May Regatta Prize Giving was held at the Royal Southern YC Clubhouse with North Sails jackets, books, and sail bags for the winners.

In IRC One Performance 40 class, Derek Shakespeare’s J/122 BULLDOG took 3rd place with all top-five finishes. 

J/Teams had a very strong showing in IRC 2 class. Winning was the J/112 HAPPY DAIZE, skippered by James Chalmers with his Knight Build crew, who scored all podium finishes, including three bullets to win the 12-strong class. Mike Yate’s J/109 JAGO was second, also including three bullets in their tally. Kevin Taylor’s J/99 JUMP 2 IT took 4th averaging about 5th place. Just one point behind them was Gordon Craigen’s J/105 JACANA.  

IRC Three class saw nip-and-tuck battles all regatta with half of the ten entries scoring race wins. In the end, David Greenhalgh’s J/92 J’RONIMO placed third after countback, while Libby Finch & Jacks Banks J/92 NIGHTJAR was 5th and Becky Walford’s J/92S BRENDA’S J took sixth. 

With eight one-design J/111s, there was hot racing for the class. Paul Griffiths’ JAGERBOMB scored three race wins and two second places to win by just two points from Sally and Tony Mack’s McFLY. Cornel Riklin’s JITTERBUG was third, just two points ahead of Dirk & Dianne van Beek’s Race 3 winner, SABRIEL.

Paul Ward’s notoriously well-sailed EAT SLEEP J REPEAT romped home scoring nine bullets in ten races. Ian Poynton’s POWDER MONKEY scored their first podium finish in the J/70 UK Class coming second overall and was the top J/70 with an amateur crew. Paul Barnett’s Scottish team racing PANTHER in their first season also made the podium for the first time and was only a point behind POWDER MONKEY after nine races.

Ian Poynton lent POWDER MONKEY to his friends Hannah Muskett and Ross Perchard, who raced with Fran Evans and 15-year-old Freddie Denton. “We have done very little J/70 sailing in the past and not since last September!” commented helm Hannah Muskett. “Ian is the kindest man in the world to let us race POWDER MONKEY for the series at the Royal Southern. Racing J/70s takes us back to our student days racing J/80s. A J/70 is incredibly tweaky, so it took us a few races to get going and watch Paul Ward, we learned so much, especially being soft on the controls in light air. It was a fantastic weekend with incredibly well-run race management.”

“We have a fantastic season of racing planned for the Royal Southern, and many thanks to North Sails for supporting the May Regatta and also to the race management team that produced first-class racing on both courses,” commented RSrnYC Rear Commodore Sailing Paul Ward, who also won the J/70 Sprint Series event at the regatta. “Having coaching from North Sails experts is a wonderful way to start the series. I am sure all of the teams have benefitted from their help, which will boost the standard of racing for everybody.”

The next regatta for the Royal Southern Summer Series will be a special occasion at the prestigious club. The Champagne Charlie Platinum Jubilee Regatta will be held 4-5 June, celebrating the Platinum Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II. The regatta is supported by Charles Heidsieck Champagne and is an open event for club members and visitors to the Royal Southern YC. A Crew Ball will be held at the Clubhouse during the regatta. 

Thanks for the report from Louay Habib. Sailing photo credits- Martin Allen/ Paul Wyeth  For more Royal Southern YC Summer Series sailing information  For more Royal Southern May Regatta results