Round the Isle of Wight Solo 2010 Race report

The opening race of the Solo Offshore Racing Club 2010 program was a cracker with the entry criteria of boats from 25 to 40 feet fully utilized with 25 starters from Richard Whitehouse’s 25ft Westerly Tiger up to Marco Nannini’s Class 40. On Friday night before supper in the ISC many benefited from an excellent 20 minute weather forecast AV presentation by expert Chris Tibbs – easterly light winds, more on the south of the Island and then going SE and dropping later in the day with poor visibility.

7am start at Gurnard was down tide with the predicted 7 knots easterly, the fleet setting port pole spinnakers. A few struggled with asymetrics as winds went lighter and Simon Curwen on Voador then led a few onto starboard jibe away from the island towards the middle channel. Stephen Thomas on Truant HOD 35 crossed to the mainland shore with less tide but a little more breeze paying dividends.  Peter Olden on Solan Goose and Chris Rustom on Ding Dong worked the strongest tide in the middle.  Next were J122s Jbellino (Rob Craigie) and Oojah (Peter Tanner), Marco on Sunguard Front Arena and Mike Saqui tagging along with Mustang 30 Restless.

Voador having returned to the island shore made a big gain from Hurst to the Needles.  With 3 knots of tide and very little apparent wind many were caught out, having to turn hard left not to get swept beyond the Needles. Once around there was a welcome 10 knots easterly, as forecast, giving a beat up to St Catherine’s increasing to 15-18 true. This leg put the fleet back into a more normal order with Noj White on SX Girl, Herve Dupriez on Penrod Beneteau (“avec les nouvelle North sails”), Carl Wilcox on Wee Bear all trucking off to windward enjoying the decent breeze. Numerous boats got “caught” by Isle of Wight fishermen when heading into the shore along the south side. The numerous pots, nets and buoys, mainly poorly marked, close to the shore and further out created some very frustrating moments.

Round the Island is rarely straightforward and the expected bear away at St Catherine’s or Ventnor was not to be!  Instead the wind clocked left making a continued beat up to Bembridge and then dropped to nothing for some in Sandown Bay. Boats that took a wide route around the corner found  some wind further out, notably Penrod, Katie Miller on the Figaro 2 BlueQube, John Twiggs on Hod 35 TickTock, Barrie Harding on Sigma 38 Bellerophon and Rookie winner Simon Mitchell on Aquillo, a Beneteau 31.7.

Race Officer David Giddings shortened the course at Bembridge to enable as many to finish as possible. The battle at the front was won by Race Director Peter Olden’s A35 Solan Goose finishing a minute ahead of Ding Dong and SX girl after 8 hours 40 minutes.  Overall IRC winner was Herve on Beneteau 31.7 Penrod, 2nd Stephen Thomas on Truant, 3rd Solan Goose. Full Results on the website for all IRC rated boats.

The next race is 8th May to Poole with return leg on the 9th.  Details at www.offshoresolo.com  

RIOW SOLO 2010 RESULTS