Bembridge Redwing & One-Design Racing Competitions in Late August

Bembridge Redwing & One-Design Late August Racing

13-26 August 2024

Tuesday 13 August

At the meet time at the club, the wind had not arrived but it was forecasted to build during the morning from a South West direction. By arrival time at Under Tyne, the wind was starting to make an appearance around Bembridge Ledge from a SSE’erly direction. The committee boat was set up at Fitzwilliam, and a course was set for both classes initially to have Tara to port with Fitzwilliam as a leeward mark twice round, finishing at Under Tyne. After a 15-minute postponement, racing was started, and the wind had increased to a steady 10 knots by the start.

The Redwings were competing for the Mercedes Trophy for lady helms, with two entrants: Avocet, helmed by Jessica Speare-Cole, and Banzai II, helmed by Miranda Holbrook. At the start, both boats crossed the line simultaneously, with Avocet as the leeward boat. During the beat to Tara, Banzai gained a lead that they maintained. As the wind had not veered to the west as expected, the course was changed after the second beat to Tara to Janson as the leeward mark and finish at Under Tyne, offering a better beat to the finish. Miranda crossed the line 55 seconds ahead of Jessica to win the race.

The One-Designs followed the same course, with three boats competing and enjoying a competitive start. Commodore Susie Beart in No 5 crossed the line towards the Committee Boat end as the gun fired, while No 1, helmed by Russ Fowler, and No 6, helmed by Ashley McLucas, chose the pin end. After a tight beat up to Tara, No 5 rounded first, closely followed by No 1 and No 6. Susie extended her lead on the run to Fitzwilliam and maintained it until the finish at Under Tyne. The course remained unchanged for the One-Designs as their tacking angle was larger.

Susie in No 5 crossed the line at the same time as Banzai II, with Russ in No 1 finishing simultaneously with Avocet, and No 6 following a bit later.

Wednesday 14 August

There was little to no wind (Windfinder stating a maximum of 5 knots all day), resulting in a sad N over A.

Thursday 15 August

A stiff breeze (19 knots, not dropping below 16 knots) blew from a SW direction at the start of Thursday morning’s race. Only two Redwings participated: No 113 Redwitch, helmed by Henry Thorpe, and No 5 Snowgoose, helmed by Jonathan Nainby-Luxmoore. The Committee Boat was positioned at Janson, and the course was set: Garland to Port, Ruthven to Port, Garland to Port, Fitzwilliam to Starboard, finishing at Under Tyne.

Both boats started the race on a Starboard tack up the port-hand side of the course. No 5 covered No 113 all the way to G. At G, No 10 had an 8-second lead that she maintained up to R. After rounding Ruthven, both boats utilized the starboard side of the course back to G. No 10 extended their lead during the beat. On the broad reach to Fitzwilliam, both boats flew their whisker poles, with no change in distance between them. On the short beat back to finish at Undertyne, the wind direction became more southerly, enabling the beat to be completed in two tacks, with Snowgoose crossing the line first, 1 minute separating the final times after a 58-minute race.

Friday 16 August

Friday morning conditions were remarkably different, with bright sunshine but light winds present for three Redwings and five One-Designs. The forecast suggested that the little NW’erly breeze would diminish until later in the day, prompting both classes to start at Undertyne. The Redwings opted to head to Britten, while the One-Designs went to Footprint, with Footprint designated as an intermediate mark before reaching a leeward mark and returning to the line with the option of two rounds if the breeze held, which it did not.

After the start, Colin Samuelson in Toucan and Rupert MacInnes in Avocet tacked much earlier than Andrew Eddy in Plover, putting them in front, although by a small margin. Toucan led them to Footprint, covering Avocet as they beat back to the line where the race was finished. Subsequent attempts to commence another race proved futile, and a second race was ultimately abandoned.

The five One-Designs made slow but steady progress to Footprint, with Martin Bonham in No 2 rounding just ahead of Simon Allocca in No 1; John Suffield in No 4 and Penny Stanley in No 9 followed closely behind, with young Jemima Cottrell in No 11 further back. Despite initially appearing to stay on course towards the leeward mark, they eventually went well inshore. John rounded first, closely followed by Martin, Simon, Penny, and Jemima, but after 20 minutes of stagnation and the Redwings already returning to the moorings, the race was abandoned, and the order at the leeward mark was used to declare results.

Saturday 17 & Sunday 18 August

See: www.yachtsandyachting.com/news/278438/Bembridge-Sailing-Club-J70-Regatta

Monday 19 August

With five Bembridge One Designs in the starting area at Janson under a fresh 15-17 knots blowing from the South, crews opted for two short races. The first race course involved a beat from the start line at Janson to Undertyne, running back to Janson, repeated twice, finishing with a run at Janson.

On the first beat, all competitors chose the left side and were together at Undertyne and when returning to Janson. D Orange in No 8 led just ahead of Mark Grzegorczyk in No 10. The fleet divided on the second beat, with D going right while Mark went left. At the finish, Mark was 18 seconds ahead, followed closely by John Suffield in No 4 only 16 seconds behind. Martin Bonham in No 2 and Russ Fowler in No 1 finished shortly after, within 8 seconds of each other.

The second race was over the same course but finished on the upwind leg at Undertyne for the second time. As a strong tide flowed west to east under the boats approaching the start line on starboard, both Penny Stanley (now helming No 8) and Mark miscalculated the tidal flow, arriving at the pin end too early and had to “bail out.” Russ had a flying start, comfortably leading at Undertyne the first time and upon returning to Janson. On the second beat, the fleet split left, right, and down the middle. With significant windshifts nearing the finish line and boats approaching from various directions, determining the winner proved challenging. Ultimately, Mark crossed the finish line first, followed by Russ, Martin, and John (all within 45 seconds), with Penny finishing shortly behind. The events featured lovely sailing conditions and highly competitive racing.

Additional results were arranged for the Billy Fortescue Cup, which required all adult crew to be female. No 8, with D and Penny on board, was the only qualified boat, thus winning the cup.

Tuesday 20 August

With Joe Robertson as the only Redwing helm ready to race, he opted to do something else due to a lack of competition. This left two One-Designs, No 5 helmed by Susie Beart and No 8 helmed by Alexander Ross, competing for the Cartwright prize (a bottle of fizz) around an old Olympic-style course. The F4 Westerly breeze provided ideal racing conditions between Undertyne, Garland, and a laid inflatable wing mark towards Bembridge shore. After a close start with No 8 slightly windward, both boats headed out towards St Helens Fort to approach Garland on starboard. Alexander led slightly after the first rounding but was closely followed. On the leg from the inflatable wing to Undertyne, No 5 closed the gap and was able to claim room when rounding the leeward mark. Susie managed to round Garland first and stay ahead for the rest of the race, even when Alexander decided to tack inshore on the final beat in hopes of a significant wind shift, leading to a nice race in challenging conditions.

Wednesday 21 August

Although keen sailors arrived to sail, conditions were deemed too windy, resulting in N over A!

Thursday 22 August

The wind remained strong and wet, resulting in an early decision to declare N over A once again.

Friday 23 August 2024

Postponing racing until the afternoon allowed the wind strength to decrease slightly, enabling excellent conditions for the One-Design’s Jubilee Trophy. With Jos Coad managing the draw among the top four helms, the three-race series commenced from Fitzwilliam. Garland served as the windward mark, with Undertyne as the wing, and the first two races utilized an inflatable leeward mark, concluding at Fitz; the final race used Fitz as the leeward mark and finished at Undertyne.

In the first race, helms stayed in their own boats. With the pin end bias, Mark Grzegorczyk in No 9 gained an early lead with a port tack flyer. Once ahead, it was a matter of maintaining that lead, which he successfully accomplished. John Suffield finished second, with Russ Fowler in third, closely followed by Alexander Ross.

The second race was slightly delayed while the ‘change over RIB’ retrieved the boats. Despite resetting the Committee Boat, the start of the second race continued to be pin end biased, which Mark, Russ, and Alexander recognized. Russ managed to round Garland with a slight lead, holding on until the finish. Mark finished second, and Alexander was third.

The third and final race essentially determined whether Russ could win as he was one of the only competitors possible of beating Mark for the overall trophy. However, it wasn’t meant to be and Mark finished ahead again, with Alexander second and John in third place. Overall, Mark finished first, Russ second, and John and Alexander tied for third.

Two Redwings participated in an excellent race, starting at Fitzwilliam. Their first windward mark was Pepe, then Ruthven, Garland, followed by Fitz (to starboard), finishing at Under Tyne. Mike Toogood in Tara edged ahead of Joe Robertson at Pepe, but Joe regained the lead during the run to Ruthven and maintained it until the finish, which was moved forward upon rounding Fitzwilliam.

Saturday 24 August

After the scheduled morning racing (the Redwing’s Jeannie Cochrane final and the One-Design’s Margetson Trophy) was postponed due to no wind and heavy rain forecast, conditions improved by 13:00 with a steady breeze and the rain easing. The start line was established using Janson as the pin for three Redwings: Paroquet, helmed by Rory Morrison, Harlequin helmed by Xander Shaw, and Enigma helmed by Mark Downer. The course was Garland, Janson & Ruthven (twice), finishing at Undertyne. The start was uneventful, focusing on position immediately after the start. Enigma rounded Garland first, closely followed by Paroquet. The run to Ruthven and beat back to Garland saw no change in the order. With winds increasing and shifting to the NNW, the course changed to Tara, Nainby, and back to Undertyne. With nothing to lose, Paroquet opted for the inshore side, hoping to benefit from any subsequent wind shifts, but it proved ineffective. In the meantime, Harlequin and Enigma battled it out, with Harlequin ultimately winning the Jeannie Cochrane by five seconds.

Meanwhile, four One-Designs raced for the Margetson (family pairs) Trophy. Simon & Felix Allocca in No 1, Russ & Lottie Fowler in No 2, Sarah & Eleanor Marshall in No 7, and Alexander & Jasper Ross in No 8 started their first race (with parents helming) in a close and exciting manner. With Garland as their windward mark, the critical question was whether to tack early or head inshore. Like the Redwings, most headed inshore, which seemed beneficial. Alexander in No 8 rounded first, establishing a solid lead as they navigated to Janson and rounded an inflatable mark set approximately 150 metres north of Sea Breeze, finishing about 30 seconds ahead of Russ Fowler.

As the breeze intensified and became squally, the Marshalls returned to the moorings, allowing the remaining three boats (now helmed by younger family members) to compete against each other. With the course adjusted to Britten, Tara, and finishing at Undertyne, the start was again exciting in challenging conditions. Jasper in No 8 rounded Britten first and maintained the lead, finishing nearly two minutes ahead of Lottie in No 2, with Felix in No 1 registering a similar distance behind. The Ross family hence claimed the Margetson Trophy.

With Undertyne as the pin, eleven Redwings and only one One-Design competed (none of the family pairs remained for a third race) but encountered a General Recall due to most of the fleet being OCS. The second start under Flag U proved better, and the fleet soon split tacks heading towards Drum. Quail, helmed by James Wilson, was leading at Drum, followed by Mark Downer in Enigma and a cluster of boats, including Toucan (Colin Samuelson), Lady Laetitia (Billy Clegg), Redwing (Olav Cole), Musicus (David McCue), and Gosling (Serena Gosling). The run to Cochrane slowed down the fleet significantly. While the majority veered away from rounding Cochrane, Enigma and Tara (Mike Toogood) chose inshore, which did not yield successful results. Following a course change to Tara rather than reverting to Cochrane, the breeze shifted to the SW and the final beat to the finish at Undertyne turned into a close reach. Quail crossed the line a minute and a half ahead of Toucan, with Lady Laetitia finishing a minute later. Susie Beart helmed the only One-Design (No 5) who completed one round at Tara to win the Selwyn Cup.

Sunday 25 August

On Sunday afternoon, conditions were brisk, registering a F6 SW’erly. However, it seemed a shame not to test whether a course based on Drum as the windward mark, Britten as the wing mark, and Derrick as the leeward mark would create more sheltered and thus enjoyable racing. The conclusion was positive, despite the low number; two Redwings (Quail helmed by James Wilson; Harlequin helmed by Xander Shaw) and four One-Designs (No 2, Martin Bonham; No 3, Stephan Ludwig; No 5, Susie Beart; and No 9 D Orange) had an exciting race in challenging conditions.

As is customary, the Redwings started first; Quail managed a marginally better start from a laid line approximately 700 metres from Drum, rounding the mark a few boat lengths ahead, letting James sail comfortably without worrying about covering Xander, who couldn’t match James’s control in breezy conditions. At the finish at Garland, Quail was approximately a minute in front.

The four One-Designs had the same course but only completed two laps (the Redwings did three). Stephan Ludwig helming No 3 attempted a port tack flyer that did not pan out, finishing last round Drum. However, he advanced to third on the second round and eventually took the lead during the final beat to Drum. Holding on during the reach to Garland’s line, No 3 crossed five seconds ahead of No 5 (Susie Beart), with D in third and Martin in fourth.

In summary, conditions were indeed challenging, but some racing was achieved. Congratulations to James for his wins on both days, earning him the Loch-Nell Trophy; to Susie, who won the Selwyn Trophy on Saturday; and to Stephan, who clinched the Hector Humphray Cup on Sunday.

Monday 26 August

The forecast for Bank Holiday Monday afternoon was encouraging (sunny periods, F4-5 SW’erly), resulting in six Redwings and five One-Designs on the line. With the line set off Janson, both fleets faced a challenging beat to Garland. The Redwings then ran to Ruthven via Janson, beating back to Garland (to starboard) before a final run to Derrick and a beat to finish at Nainby, sailing back into the harbour after their finish. The One-Designs’ course was slightly shorter, with Janson instead of Ruthven and Britten instead of Derrick.

Except for Avocet (helmed by Alastair Speare-Cole), who experienced a jib issue just before the start, the five Redwings commenced excellently.

Gosling (helmed by Serena) rounded Garland closely followed by Lady Laetitia (Billy Clegg). Redwing (Olav Cole), Tara (Mike Toogood), and Musicus (David McCue) were close behind. After her late start, Avocet was further back in the fleet. Once rounding Ruthven, the fleet split tacks during the beat back to Garland, where Lady Laetitia established a lead; Musicus, Gosling, and Redwing closely pursued. With the gap narrowing to just over 20 seconds, there was no catching Lady Laetitia, who finished first, with Redwing second and Musicus third, finishing ten seconds later.

In the One-Design race, D Orange, helming No 9, achieved the best start while Stephan Ludwig in No 3 rounded Garland just ahead of D. John Suffield sailing solo in No 4 and Susie Beart in No 5 closely followed. With tacks split again on the second beat from Janson to Garland, D gained a slim lead over Stephan, and Martin Bonham in No 2 closed in on Susie in No 5. On the final beat to the finish at Nainby, the competition was tightly contested. Stephan just managed to secure the bow of No 3 across the line a second ahead of Susie in No 5; D finished third, ten seconds later.

Two thrilling races concluded the ‘summer’ season of 2024. Weekend racing continues until the end of September, leading into the Illusions taking the spotlight!

Additional photos can be found at flic.kr/s/aHBqjBEQ5b