Saturday, October 15, 2011

THE Winter Series Opens With a Bang!

(Hamble, England)-  This weekend saw the Garmin Hamble Winter Series get underway, with some exciting, blustery conditions to see in the start of the event’s 30th anniversary.  Perhaps one might refer to this eponymous event as "THE Winter" Series as it has always enjoyed an immensely popular following amongst knowledgeable and enthusiastic sailors over time.  Like some other events across Europe and the America's, it does assume a bit of a "Goodwood-type" or "Woodstock-like" pilgrimage from the cozy confines of the tree-lined squares in London and surrounding suburbs down to the sleepy little seaside town alongside the Hamble River just north of the boisterous and, sometimes, sublime "river" of water known around the world as simply "The Solent".


BLACK FLEET Report- The first weekend, Sunday, also saw the first day of racing for the Black Fleet in the main series, with two races scheduled. PRO Jamie Wilkinson set a range of windward-leeward courses for the different classes. At 1045 the wind shifted left by 20 degrees, causing some bigger boats to overstand their windward mark. This first race saw 17-20 knots of breeze and a classic wind-over-tide chop which made for some impressive surfing on the downwind leg. By the second race, the wind, now in the south-west, was building, with regular gusts of 25 knots.

In IRC Class 1, Dr Ivan Trotman’s J/122 JOLOU leads the fleet, yet another fresh face amongst the leadership in IRC I with a 1-4 for a total of 5 points.  Ken Lowe is sailing his J/122 GHOST and lies 7th after collecting a 9-8 for 17 points.

For more Garmin Hamble Winter Series sailing results.   Sailing photo credits- Eddie Mays