UK Double Handed Offshore Series - Race 4
by Kate Cope 14 Jul 2021 18:19 UTC
9-10 July 2021
Tim Goodhew (Cora) winning first Jeanneau - UK Double Handed Offshore Series race 4 (Cowes - Dinard - St Malo Race) © Kate Cope
The UK Doublehanded Offshore Series is a new race series providing a challenge for all double-handed offshore boats. It includes professional and amateur sailors as well as nurturing young talent.
Friday 9th July was Race 4 of the series: RORC Cowes - Dinard - St Malo. The forecast again was for very light winds for most of the race just like Race 3 the previous weekend.
Wind at the start was a light southwesterly breeze and it was against the last of the tide so most boats chose to tack close into the island shore with the more adventurous going inside Gurnard ledge. The four fleets in IRC came together at Hurst so it was a busy exit tacking down the Needles channel.
Then came the tactical navigation: how far west or east of the rhumb line to Casquets to be? West in the end became the favoured side and gains were made by the boats putting in a short tack, though the risk was, if the breeze shut down completely, to be washed into the Casquets TSS. Kedging is not really being an option on the exit of the busy TSS lanes.
The wind went SE so it was then a reach into Casquets by now in the pouring rain and a harden up down to Les Hanois on the west coast of Guernsey. The last leg to St Malo was in a falling breeze with many wind holes catching out the unwary - at least the sun came out to dry everything out. The fleet compressed at the end and the lower rated boats were catching up as the bulk of the fleet were finishing Saturday afternoon and throughout Saturday night.
Sadly due to Covid stopping over in France for the traditional moules-frites was not possible, though some boats had a welcome stopover in St Peter Port. Then it was a long motor back to the Solent with many tales of dwindling fuel supplies and "at sea" handovers of jerry cans.
SEA VENTURES RACE YACHTS OVERALL: Huge congratulations to the winners Jago (Mike Yates & Eivind Bøymo-Malm) on their second win in the series. Second place was Cora (Tim Goodhew & Kelvin Matthews) and third was Bellino (Rob Craigie & Deb Fish).
RYA MIXED (Male and Female co-skippers) The winner was Bellino with Tigris 3600 (Gavin Howe & Maggie Adamson) second and Arcsine (Kathy Claydon & Phil Kirk) third.
NORTH SAILS MASTERS (Combined age 90+ years) The winner was Jago with Bellino in second and Aries (Kelvin Rawlings & Stuart Childerley) third.
B&G YOUTH (Co-skipper under 25yrs) It was a first time win for Purple Mist (Kate Cope & Matt Beecher) with Gentoo (James Harayda & Dee Caffari) second and Sea Bear (Peter & Duncan Bacon) third.
MUSTO CORINTHIAN: first Bellino, second Diablo (Nick Martin/ Calanach Finlayson) and third Tigris 3600.
BEST JEANNEAU: first Cora, second Bellino, third Swell (Henry Bomby/ Miles Seddon).
Overall series results after 4 races:
SEA VENTURES RACE YACHTS OVERALL: 1st Jago but on equal points 2nd is Cora, 3rd Gentoo
RYA MIXED: 1st Gentoo, 2nd Swell, 3rd Bellino
NORTH SAILS MASTERS 1st Jago, 2nd Jangada, 3rd Bellino
B&G YOUTH: 1st Gentoo, 2nd Purple Mist, 3rd Sea Bear
MUSTO CORINTHIAN: 1st Jangada, 2nd Bellino, 3rd Purple Mist
BEST JEANNEAU: 1st Cora, 2nd Gentoo, 3rd Swell