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Royal Southern Yacht Club

Sailing / Yacht Club

Hamble, Hampshire, England

Latest news

J CUP 2008

@ Thu May 29 11:58:00 +0100 2008

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Eddie Mays

Racing continued through Saturday and Sunday for the 75 boats competing at the J-Cup 2008, which was hosted by the Royal Southern Yacht Club in Hamble. Racing took place in five classes, on two race areas, and the event also incorporates the 32 boat fleet of J/109s racing for their UK National Championship.

The J/109 Zelda, owned and raced by Ben Richards and Michael Ewart-Smith, had a monumental battle throughout the entire regatta with old adversaries Bruce Jubb, Jeff Dakin and Mike Flood on Johnny Blue II. At the end of the first day these two boats were tied on equal points, but Simon ‘Sling’ Ling and his team on board the RAF’s Red Arrow were just one point behind. Matt’s Boyles Shiva was lying in fourth. Zelda went on to have a blinding day on Saturday, revelling in the heavier conditions (20 to 27 knots from the North East) and clocking up a 2,1,1 scoreline, which extended their lead to four points from Johnny Blue II. Shiva sailed well and moved into fourth place with David and Kirsty Apthorp’s J-Dream in fifth place.

On Sunday the conditions had changed yet again: at 1100 instruments were reading seven knots from 220 degrees but by 1330 the breeze had swung round as far as 300 degrees and it was clear that light and shifty would become the order of the day. A total glass-out at the end of Race 7 meant that some unfortunates were swept past the line, unable to get back, and a number of boats (including Zelda) scored a DNF. That said, the team on Johnny Blue II had both tactical intelligence and a little bit of luck on their side and they went on to win the race from Red Arrow in second and J-Dream in third.

Going in to the final race of the series, Zelda had to discard their DNF and count an earlier seventh place and Johnny Blue II had a two point lead at the front of the fleet. Johnny Blue II could sail a safe and conservative race whereas Zelda were going to have to be a little more punchy. As it transpired, a risky decision on the final upwind leg left Zelda some way down the pack. On the line it was Jonas Grander in his brand new boat Matador in first place. Shiva was second, Johnny Blue II finished third which was enough to win them the 2008 J/109 UK National Championship. Zelda finished second overall followed by Shiva, Red Arrow and then J-Dream. Jonas Grander was awarded the North Sails Boat of the Day prize for scoring a bullet in his first regatta in his new boat.

The J/109s were the only fleet to have just two races scheduled for Sunday; all of the other classes had lost a race on Saturday, with the J/80s losing two, due to the heavy weather. The Race Management Team were keen to get full series away if at all possible and so there was plenty to play for on the Red course.

In Class 1 Stewart Hawthorn sailed a fabulous series in his J/133 Jump and extended his points lead each day. The J/122 Jinja, owned and raced by Ian Mathews and family narrowly pipped Chas Ivill’s J/133 JB3 into second by just one point. Duncan MacDonald, Charlie Wise and Phil Thomas raced in this class in their J/90 and deserve special credit for scoring to wins across the series; it’s never easy racing much bigger boats, beating against the tide. Jonty Layfield won the final race of the series in Sleeper his J/39. Sleeper was not only the oldest ‘design’ at the J-Cup this year but was also the only boat with a symmetrical kite; this bullet secured him the North Sails Boat of the Day prize for Class 1.

Who’s to No, the J/92 of Richard Sparrow and Neilson Redeye the J/92 S which belongs to Pete and Pip Tyler were tied on eleven points going in to the final day of the regatta. For the last three races, Who’s to No racked up a 1,2,5 score but were able to discard the fifth place. Neilson Redeye on the other hand had a 4,4,1 but even with their discard being a fourth place they finished one point shy of Who’s to No. In third place overall were Andrew Roberts and Stephen Etheridge from Lymington racing their J/92 S Just in Time. Colin Wall and his team slipped from third overall to fourth on the last day, having to discard a DNF in His J/92 S True Love. However, he was awarded the North Sails Boat of the Day prize and included two wins in his regatta scratch sheet.

The J/105s enjoyed fabulous one-design racing at the J-Cup. The early leader in this class had been Geoff Payne racing Jolene. However, it was Jelly Baby, owned and raced by William Newton, who found fabulous form half way through the regatta and clawed her way through to win the series. At the end of the regatta, Jelly Baby included three wins in her points total. Jelly Baby won the series with Jolene in second and Paul Griffith’s Fay-J was third. Fay-J also won the North Sails Boat of the Day prize on Sunday, having won two of the three races sailed.

The sixteen J/80s racing in Class at the J-Cup enjoyed fabulous racing and extremely close competition. Whilst Liz Savage and the Savage Sailing Team led the fleet for the first two days racing, Ian Atkins in Boats.com won both of the races on Sunday which put him just one point ahead of Savage Sailing. Third overall in the J/80s were newcomers to the Class, Seb Ripard and the boys and girls on SAO. This young team are racing a boat on charter from the UKSA and their regatta schedule includes the UK Nationals and the 2008 World Championships which takes place in Kiel later this year. They sailed a strong regatta and made friends everywhere they went, which is exactly within the spirit of competition that J/80 owners hold dear. They were awarded the North Sails Boat of the Day Prize on Sunday.

So… after three days of intense competition on the water, and two full evenings of après-sail socialising ashore in the bar, the J-Cup flotilla returned to the Royal Southern Yacht Club on Sunday afternoon and 450 people sat down for the J-Cup 2008 Gala Prize Giving Dinner. In addition to the prizes for the 2008 J/109 UK National Championship and each individual J-Cup points series, a number of other prestigious prizes were awarded.

The evening commenced with the J/109 UK National Championship presentation. For the team on board Johnny Blue II, Bruce Jubb, Jeff Dakin and Mike Flood, the new Nat Champs, the long walk up to the podium had a familiar feel to it. Having won the event in 2007 in a borrowed boat, they were defending their title this year, and the very fact that this team put together such consistent programmes makes their achievement all the more poignant.

The B&G prize, a set of Deckman software and a branded coastal jacket, was presented to Chris Jones of the J/105 Journeymaker 5. Chris races at all of the one-design events for the J/105 class and is a huge advocate and supporter of the Class. His boat was originally bought to enable him to compete in the Three Peaks Race and in 2007 won the Tilman Trophy at this event. He knows a little bit about computers does Chris; he was a popular winner and will no doubt put the prize to extremely good use.

Dubarry have supported the J-Cup for several years now and this year they offered two significant prizes. The Dubarry Boot for Endurance was a new trophy for the 2008 event. It was presented to two gentlemen from Brighton who have raced virtually every model that J Boats have sold in the UK over the last thirty years. In their time they have won National Championships, the J-Cup, the Black Group at Cowes Week as well as many other events. This year they were competing in their J/92 J’Ronimo. David Greenhalgh and John (JT) Taylor; well done, we’ll see you again very soon!

The Dubarry Boot for Outstanding Achievement went to Simon ‘Sling’ Ling and the team from the RAF’s J/109 Red Arrow. These guys cannot possibly sail together, with the same team, every single week because their work commitments within the RAF would never allow it. They have worked hard to get to know the boat whenever the opportunity arises and the fact that this team, skippered by Sling, finished fourth in the J/109 UK National Championship made them the obvious choice for this award. This was an outstanding result for sure.

The Elvstrom Sobastad Best Newcomer Trophy was awarded to William Newton and his team on board the J/105 Jelly Baby. The J-Cup was the first time that William had really raced one-design against the other J/105s in heavier airs and his class win was all the more impressive for this reason.
Another new prize at the J-Cup 2008 was the two boat team event for which the Musketeer Trophy was donated and also presented by Gary Fry of J/109 Mojito and Nick Martin from the J/105 Diablo-J. This pair of handsome, swashbuckling city boys bought the J/105 between them a couple of years ago and Gary and his wife Sasha now also own the J/109. They still race together, on either boat, whenever they can. They perform well and are always to be found in the thick of the party. Dressed to impress in full Musketeer costumes, complete with big swords and thigh boots, the trophy was presented to the winning team of the J/109 Johnny Blue II and the J/80 Boats.com

The J-Cup itself, the trophy from which this event takes its name, is awarded each year by the team at J-UK. It does not necessarily go to the boat with the lowest points score. This year the J-Cup was presented to Michael Ewart-Smith and Ben Richards of the J/109 Zelda. These two gentlemen co-owners have been absolutely instrumental in driving and protecting the development of the J/109 UK One-Design Class. The fact that there were 32 boats racing one-design at this event, the largest fleet of J/109s anywhere in the world, ever, is testament to this fact.

J-UK would like to thank every single competitor at the event for their sportsmanship, energy and enthusiasm. How could the J-Cup possibly happen without you?

Thanks must also go to the whole army of people at the Royal Southern Yacht Club who got behind this event in a way that exceeded all expectations; everyone from the bar staff to the bosuns, the sailing secretary to the chefs, worked tirelessly throughout the weekend. The Race Management Team, headed by Tony Lovell on the Green line and Peter Bateson on the Red, delivered precisely what the competitors at the regatta had hoped for.

Finally, J-UK would specifically like to express enormous gratitude to the three principal regatta sponsors; B&G, Dubarry of Ireland and North Sails. All three of these companies have been involved with the J-Cup for several years, during which time the event has grown and developed to its current size and status.

In addition to the above, J-UK would like to thank the following prize sponsors:

Bonne Bouche Deli
The Daily Sail
Dolphin Sails
Elvstrom Sobstad
Frontline Image
Grapefruit Graphics
Harken
Hyde Sails
Seapower
Quantum Sails
Yacht Catering Company


LAUNCHED! SB3s at the Southern

Eddie Mays @ Mon May 21 18:29:00 +0100 2007

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Volkswagen Touareg Laser SB3 Grand Prix

Royal Southern Y.C., 19th & 20th May 2007

All those taking part in this event will remember it for the weather, the exhilaration and fear of Saturday’s wonderful Southwesterly blow and then the frustration of Sunday’s fickle Southerly.

Only two races were completed on Saturday but within those few hours there was a near sinking, three dismastings and enough broaches to fill the display window of a Bond Street Jeweller. The day started quietly. Random safety inspections had found a few minor transgressions amongst the boats and these were penalised by having a place penalty on their finishing positions in each race.

Once afloat a good stiff Southwesterly breeze and a typical short Solent chop greeted the competitors. With a forecast of increasing winds during the day P.R.O. Tony Lovell set a starting line off the Hill Head shore. Most of the fleet coped well with the conditions, the beats were bearable, the reaches furious and the gybes frenetic. It was on the last second downwind leg that the first dismasting occurred. At the front of the fleet Volvo CEO Glenn Bourke helming ‘Musto’ had established a solid lead from Simon Blake on ‘Sworded Fish’ and Geoff Carveth with ‘Palava’.

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A collision during the starting sequence of the second race caused a further postponement. Ian Hunt’s ‘Ship 4 Brains’ suffered major structural damage and with the help of the support boats and the RNLI was put ashore at Lee-on-Solent and returned to Hamble by road. By the time the race did start the wind was starting to build and with the tide turned the waves were becoming distinctly unfriendly. Glenn Bourke again seemed impervious to the conditions and quickly gained a commanding lead. Behind him the next few boats, including Russell Peters, Craig Burlton, Jerry Hill, Daniel Geoghegan and Geoff Carveth, were also enjoying the ride. For many of the others each gybe seem to be a trip into the unknown, very few managed it without a broach of some sort and a third of the fleet decided to seek the comfort of the clubhouse. With gusts of 30 kts being recorded on the Committee boat it was time to call it a day and hope that more moderate conditions on Sunday would allow extra races to be sailed.


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Overnight the weather pattern changed completely and Sunday morning dawned bright and sunny with clear blue skies, and no wind. By 11:45 Tony Lovell had found enough Southerly breeze off the Meon shore to set a course and the fleet started cleanly.

By the top mark Russell Peters held a small lead over the rest of the front-runners. The main priority on the run back was to keep clean air and sail the angles correctly. Peters went to the starboard hand gate buoy and everyone followed him. The resultant bunching left many boats at a distinct disadvantage starting the beat back. Duncan Pryde sailing ‘3-some’ spotted the problem and went to the port hand gate, got clean air and a lee-bow tide and went from the 30s to 15th at the top mark.

On the 2nd lap the wind, such as it was started to fade, and, as always, those in front extended their lead. Overnight leader, Glenn Bourke, chipped away at those in front and finished 5th but some distance behind Peters. Very frustratingly many boats did not manage to beat the time limit as they struggled to find any movement at all. At 13:10 with no sign of any breeze anywhere in the central Solent all racing was abandoned for the day. Glenn Bourke’s 5th place was enough to secure him the overall win ahead of Russell Peters.

The full results can be found on the club’s website, www.royal-southern.co.uk. The next round of the Touareg Grand Prix series is at Seaview on the Isle of Wight in a fortnight’s time.



Nail Biter at the Southern

@ Fri Apr 06 07:27:00 +0100 2007

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Hosted by the Royal Southern Yacht Club
BUSA National Championships
2nd – 5th April 2007


Nail biting finish

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“There are few student championships that can rival this any where in the world, I have coached many of these highly talented sailors and the standard of boat handling is very good indeed.”

Commented Olympic and world championship sailing coach, Jim Saltonstall during his daily debriefing to well over two hundred and forty competitors who were accommodated in the largest of the Royal Southern’s function rooms.

Students competing at the Royal Southern Yacht Club where highly impressed by the facilities provided for by House Manager Paul Ransome and his team. As Matt Greenfield competing for Bath University explained;

“I have to say the Club has made us really welcome from bacon rolls in the morning to a hot meal available in the bar straight after debrief. They even laid on a pool table for us, some of the lads even took advantage of the tables in the bar to catch up on course work!”

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Three days of brisk north easterlies gusting over twenty knots provided for some challenging conditions on predominately windward leeward courses. Starts were tense and with thirty-one identical boats jockeying for position restarts were bound to happen. Chief Race Officer Tony Lovell

“We managed to keep disqualifications to a minimum through the use of the Z flag but also by running a committee boat down the start line to act as a deterrent to the over eager and a guide to the competitors of where the line actually was. I would add that the standard of racing was first class, we would be delighted to see these competitors back at the Club in the future.”

Whilst air temperatures were above the seasonal norm, sea temperatures were below nine degrees as Nicki Linscott found out. Shortly after hoisting the spinnaker downwind, the team from Brighton and Sussex University broached, propelling Linscott into the freezing water, luckily she was picked up almost immediately by a spectator RIB and Jury officer Philip Gage rushed to assist, fortunately Nicki was no worse for wear after her ordeal.

By the end of day three two teams had emerged as challengers for the British University title; Solent University helmed by Sam Pearson was in pole position but only two points ahead of Southampton University with Nick Cherry at the wheel. Guy Breary’s Southampton 2 team were in third and Hannah Stodel’s Loughborough team lead the chasing pack.

Going into the last day with two races scheduled the Southampton 1 team knew they would need to beat Solent B in both races to overhaul them. Clear blues skies and bright sunshine made for a beautiful view from the Royal Southern Yacht Club but the warm weather created a sea breeze which negated the gradient wind causing a postponement adding to the tension between the two leading boats, other competitors chose to amuse themselves during the delay with some hi-jinx including games of hide and seek and swimming the latter of which is not really advisable ask Nicki Linscott.

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The Race committee managed to get one race in and it was high drama with the championship being decided on the last leg. Solent B led for most of the race but Southampton managed to get passed them on the last run. They were some distance ahead but winning the final race by a place was not going to win the regatta. So at the penultimate mark Southampton 1 lay in wait hoping to luff up Solent B and put two boats between them. You could cut the tension with a knife as the regatta moved to a dramatic conclusion but the trap failed as Solent B passed Southampton 1 who were unable to manoeuvre above a snails pace in the light conditions.

At the prize giving held at the Royal Southern Club House, Solent University were crowned BUSA National Champions winning the right to represent England at the World Championships in La Trinité later this year.

Solent trimmer Shane Hughes commented; “It has been a great regatta and obviously we are delighted to have won but there are some great sailors on the other teams and credit must go to them as well. The regatta also gives you the opportunity to sail with your mates and we have had a lot of laughs over the four days.”

The next racing event in an impressive and busy schedule at the Royal Southern Yacht Club is the Hamble Yarmouth Cup starting on the 24th April followed by the May regatta incorporating the J80 Southern Area Championships and Contessa 32 Class.

For more information visit the Royal Southern Yacht Club web site:
http://www.royal-southern.co.uk


For a gallery f pictures from the event visit the new Bang the corner service; Bang!Pics.
Cick on the nav.bar orhttp://pics.bangthecorner.com/


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