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Winter Series : Race 2 - Handicap Report

Published 19:08 on 12 Nov 2023

A mixture of seven boats took to the water on Saturday, despite the total lack of any discernible wind.

Race Officer Geof Gilson set a course that would keep the fleet in front of the race box, ensuring he had the opportunity, if he so wished to end the suffering should the conditions not improve.

As the fleet got under way, with the tide under them, they would soon arrive at the first mark, Crossways. Andrew and Sheila Squire in the Albacore relish the lighter conditions, and it was to be no different on Saturday. They rounded ahead of John and Annie McLaren in their RS400 and John and Frankie Burn in their Merlin Rocket.

The downhill leg to Blackstone would be a long, slow affair with a complete lack of noteworthy events. Both the Squire and Burn teams opted to hug the Portlemouth shore, while the McLarens took a gamble and crossed over to the town shoreline. It appeared to make no difference as they held position, with the Squires managing to modestly stretch their lead.

As there is no separate junior race in the winter months, Charlotte Simmonds, one of our most promising young talents, took to the water in a Topper. After a good first leg, Charlotte was able to keep pace with Sian Hodges in her Laser 4.7, but they soon found themselves swamped by a fleet of no doubt unruly Solos. Charlotte and Sian remained unfazed but unfortunately, this slowed their progress.

As the front three reached Crossways for the second time, the little wind there was had decided to switch off almost completely.

Not liking the look of the Portlemouth Shore, John and Frankie had made a dash for the town side as soon as they rounded the mark, while the McLarens and the Squires had headed off into Ditch End. The Merlin was making slow but steady progress, while the Albacore and RS400 had come to a standstill by the fuel barge.

Andrew and Sheila made the decision to bail out and headed over to join John and Frankie. It would turn out to be a very wise decision as it enabled them to retain their lead, taking line hours with John and Frankie claiming second. The McLaren's unfortunately chose not to head across the estuary, and they soon found themselves becalmed, resulting in the paddle coming out and they headed for Batson.

Charlotte held her nerve and stuck it out, which earned her a very well-deserved third place.