2007 Race Reports

Race 14 - Cowes to Poole Race

Report from Electra, Class 5

It was great to be back on the JOG start line having missed Weymouth and for once we could stem the tide downwind at the start and decided to line-hang rather than run in. An early flip over onto port put us right at the front of the fleet, and with clear air we made good progress towards the forts.

Tacking out to clear Snowdon the wind started to give its first hints of the fickle day it had in store for us. Suspecting the wind to go even lighter we worked to spot the breeze whilst staying in the strongest tide and this paid dividends and we passed between the forts with a reasonable lead. In the Nab Tower race we got caught in a back-eddy just past the forts and so at the first signs of this happening again we tacked offshore to try and avoid it. Whistler had obviously remembered the same lesson and had gone out earlier and discovered their own wind. This then propelled them past us like a train just a few boat lengths to windward enabling them to round Bembridge Ledge about half a mile ahead of us.

When we got to the buoy Whistler's wind god had abandoned them and was waiting for us, and so as Whistler sailed inshore, Electra headed straight for the headland and managed to gain a lead of around a mile. Our wind god then laughed at us, disappeared, and we promptly sailed straight into a lovely wind-hole to leisurely enjoy the view as the rest of the fleet slowly came to join us. Sitting around with the sails flapping was a sore test of resilience for the inshore-focused crew of Electra, and it was only the rare treat of the gas bottle being on board and associated hot drinks that prevented a mutiny. Eventually the wind filed in but our advantage was gone. We tried everything to claw it back - even sailing upwind with the spinnaker, but all to no avail. Still the sail from St Catherine's point to Poole was one of the nicest we have had all year.

Report from Whistler, Class 5

It's amazing just how quickly the year flies by - one moment you are blowing the cobwebs away in the Solent Race and the next thing it's the end of the inshore season and the bright lights of Poole beckon!

Team Whistler was depleted by the loss of the Stig (allegedly due to back problems bought on by overdoing it in the gym but we know better…) which took us down to five trusty bodies; sadly (after the events of Friday night), two were South Africans!

The start was relatively unadventurous and we tacked out into clear air and stronger tide as soon as possible, making our way down the Solent in company with the other 31.7s as well as Alchemist and Xarifa. We followed Electra through the Forts and, remembering the lessons of earlier races avoided the eddy behind No Man's Land Fort. We picked up some good speed and led the pack to Bembridge Ledge, eagerly watching Xarifa and Alchemist who seemed to lose out by going up the Island shore.

As ever, the wind went extremely wonky and we spent about six hours ranting at the wind gods (and whoever had had the bright idea of sending us round the back of the Wight), changing between whites and kites and keeping spirits up with a selection of well chosen melodies delivered by the Skipper and Slippery - apologies to those nearby for the foul content from the Skipper and the quality of her singing from Slippery!

As the few zephyrs grew Tai Pan, Xarifa, and then Alchemist mastered them much better than we could, pulling away and leaving us dueling with Electra between the Needles and Poole - nerve wracking but we hung in there!

Report from Tearaway Too, Class 3

No kennels! Yippee! I can go sailing!

Friday night? Dark? Why the lifejacket? Well, apparently, they can't get off the mooring at low water springs so I had to help them row over with all our stuff to move to a vacant gap ready for Saturday morning. It all seemed OK but I only got a "pontoon walk" in the morning and it was early so I was barely awake.

All my friends got on with big bags. The man on the next boat thought I did bow or bow wow! Very funny, he must think I'm stupid. Who wants to get wet up there. We then motored over to the start. Wind in the ears, lovely sea smells. Not much wind so why did they all put lifejackets on? I didn't think the start was too scary but we were not going very fast so I could stay on deck. When it gets busy I have to go in the stern cabin but I would rather be with everyone else.

Dad got a bit frustrated sailing down to the forts when another boat like ours sailed around us and we went from in front of them to behind. We put up the big purple sail and went slowly. We then took it down and went slowly. Up, down, up down, we still went slowly. Henry said that the fully battened main didn't help because the battens kept reversing. People had to lean on the boom to stop it swinging around and they all went red in the sun.

Eventually, the wind picked up to a steady 5/6 knots and we made progress towards the finish. Apparently we were last in our class but at least we finished in time for a run ashore before I had an accident.

The man with the big hooter, who I saw last year, was in the finishing boat but he was very busy. Dad says he works very hard for us and we should be grateful that his team of starters and finishers are so good and friendly.

I was the only sailing dog in Poole so I was a bit lonely but I went to bed early for the race back!

Report from Just So, Class 3

The day started much more slowly than planned as it took ages to extricate our hemmed-in boat from it's berth at HYS - so we were 15 minutes late starting the race! It's a good job JOG race officers are patient. But the J109 is good in light airs and, spurred on by bacon buns, we tacked up to the forts, managing to catch, and even pass, some of our fellow competitors.

After Bembridge Ledge our A sail meant that we didn't go as deep as the symmetric boats and were further offshore, but this wasn't bad as we seemed to have more of the very light breeze. Like all others we sat for ages in the wind hole between St Cat's and the Needles before finally getting going in 6/8 knots of breeze for a pleasant spinnaker reach, then white sail fetch to the finish and we arrived in Poole in time for dinner. Needless to say we were delighted with the result considering the start to the day