With a very light and variable wind forecasted for the second round of the Solent Super Series things were looking very tricky this past weekend for competitors and Race Committee alike.
Island Sailing Club Race Officer Rich Palmer elected to delay racing by 2 hours on Saturday morning allowing tidal conditions to be more favourable for sending the fleet to the East. At 12:30 the fleet got underway in 4 to 6 knots of breeze starting between the MarkSetBot and West Knoll buoy in the central Solent. Once started the little wind that got racing underway decided to disappear leaving the fleet drifting on the tide. No boat reached the first mark after 40 mins of racing so the decision to abandon was taken.
As the fleet motored East some wind was detected by the Race Committee who quickly set up the next start at Browndown – 5 knots of wind and favourable tide got the fleet underway with the JPK 1030 Insert Coin and Sun Fast 3300 Kestrel leading the way. A big split between both boats, one favouring the mainland shore with an asymmetric and the other on a symmetrical spinnaker. Insert Coin hunted the pulses of breeze further away from the land came out on top at the leeward mark going on to take the win by three and a half minutes. A great fleet achievement for all boats to finish, with much of the racing in the Solent cancelled.
Round 2 was supported and hosted by BOATFOLK Haslar Marina, teams welcomed aboard the impressive Light Ship [a landmark in Portsmouth Harbour] to enjoy a warm Winter Pimms to watch the final sun set of British Summer Time. Teams recounted the day’s challenges and stories over dinner at the marina’s bar and restaurant ‘The Creek’, reviewing the days race data from the GeoRacing tracking and looking ahead to what Sunday had in store.
With an extra hour in bed/bunk (A benefit of autumn racing) the conditions were surveyed over a bacon sandwich and coffee, and once again it looked light. However, with 5 to 6 knots of wind the start line was set and ‘the race was live’, this time between the MarkSetBot and Gleeds, near Spitbank Fort. Race 2 of the Round got underway at 09:30 with tide underneath the fleet, two boats getting caught out and being called OCS returning to clear themselves slowly against the West going tide.
By the second Mark of the course Kemps Quay, just to the North of Ryde Pier the wind (as per the forecast) started to become very patchy with the fleet stretched out. After 2 hours of racing and the impending change in the tide making life very slow (Boats making 1 knot over the ground) the decision was made to shorten the course at Peel Bank and send competitors home for early showers. Kestrel taking the win by 18 seconds over Insert Coin with the Dehler 30 One Design Black Betty in third place.
With 2 races completed for Round 2 the Sun Fast 3300 Kestrel takes the Round win on countback with a 2, 1 – the JPK 1030 Insert Coin in second with a 1, 2 and completing the podium the double handed Sun Fast 3300 team of Atomic with a 3, 4 scorecard.
Next up is Round 3 on the 9th/10th November which will take the fleet to the Western Solent with race organisers and competitors hoping for some good conditions to get the 3 races in and a night out in Yarmouth.
More information about the Solent Super Series, results, tracking and images head to the event webpage: www.fourthcape.com/solentss
