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Spring Series, Race 3 - Solo Report

Published 11:47 on 25 Mar 2024

Solo Spring Series Race 3, By David Greening.

With the cognoscente informing themselves with weather apps indicating gusts in excess of thirty five knots from the North West and therefore saving themselves a wasted journey, a reduced fleet of nine Solos headed to the starting area on the basis that if they could survive the run from the slipway to the start line, then the hills to the west of the Ria would offer some protection, which indeed was the case, except that most of the wind that did arrive in the starting area had a significant vertical component, which explained why several boats were capsized before the start.

Lesser Race Officers might have abandoned racing, but Dan Bridger has form in starting Solo races in challenging conditions, and this one was to be no exception, and set a course to Saltstone to an X mark off the start line, to Saltstone and back to what would become a shortened course at the Club line.

Having righted his boat after a pre-race bottom clean, Roger Guess led Tim Law and John Evans away from the start line by sticking to the more predictable wind on the Portlemouth shore, while the rest of the fleet was wallowing in multi directional wind, eventually all of the fleet got away, and big gusts started to emerge out of Batson Creek, the wind built as the boats turned onto a fetch at Snapes Point, at which point it got very windy followed by moments of not very windy at all.

After flat out reaching back and forth through the Bag, Guess and Law became becalmed while trying to run into the X mark, which gave the pursuing back a glimpse of possibilities, however Guess rounded first with Law in pursuit and Cleaves, Evans, Jago and Greening forming an orderly queue back to Saltstone.

Most of the seasoned group of Solo sailors considered the broad reach back through the Bag from Saltstone as the windiest and fastest that they have encountered in their many years of Solo sailing, however given their average age, it could have been that their memories had failed them, however it was very windy. So much so that within sight of the finish line Guess capsized for the second time, and Laws boat filled up, fortunately for them they had a sufficient lead to gain first and second places respectively, while John Evans grabbed third place in a photo finish between the next five boats.