Channel Week 2010 ~ Big fleet build up.....Runners and riders!

With up to 22 boats expected to line up for the start of Channel Week 2010 the event promises to be something special.

Race Director Peter Olden commented "The depth of the talent in this year’s fleet is as competitive as I have seen in five years competing in this event, with a few notable exceptions we have a fine representation from the cream of amateur shorthanded sailing in the UK and Ireland”

In class one we have a very experienced fleet which includes; Mary Falk on the Pocock one-off “QII”, Mary is a Single handed veteran with an extensive portfolio of offshore races under her belt including the all time record for a 35 foot yacht in the Ostar Transatlantic race, Katie Miller on her Figero II “Bluqube” is well known in yachting circles having won the RYA Young Yachts person of the year and since then has a number of major offshore events under her belt including the 2009 Ostar and the 2010 RBI. Katie will be racing against her RBI partner Matthew Lingley on “ROC” chartered from well known Solo sailor Desmond Hampton. The 2009 Ostar IRC Class one winner Rob Craggie on his J122 Jbellino will be one of the front runners, Rob recently finished 3^rd in the Solo Offshore Racing Clubs Coastal series. Chris Rustom on the Stuart 37 “Dind Dong” fresh from his RBI Double handed class one IRC victory  will be a lead contender for line honors and perhaps more. Noj White on SX Girl has had many shorthanded successes, of recent note is his Double handed victory in the RORC / JOG Cowes to St Malo race. Race Director Peter Olden on the Archambault A35 “Solan Goose of Hamble”, recent Overall Winner of the Solo Offshore Racing Club’s inaugural Coastal Series, completes the class.

Class two also contains many very experienced shorthanded sailors. Barry Hurley is traveling from Ireland especially for the event, he is a very experienced sailor with an IRC class two Ostar win in 2009 under his belt. Barry will be racing his JOD 35 “Dinah” and will have two other JOD’s for company, John Twiggs on “Ticktock” and Paul Brant on “Ninjod”. Steve Thomas, Overall IRC winner of the RIOW Solo race in 2010 on his HOD “Truant” will have level rating racing against sister ship HOD35 “Pipsina”, the current leader of the RORC 2010 double handed series. Pipsina will be skippered by owner John Loden's co-skipper Paddy Cronin, who coincidentally won the SORC Solent to Poole race earlier this year on Rod Knowles’s Juliette.

Nigel Colley, a very experienced sailor but relatively new to the Solo discipline will be one to watch on his Sunfast 3200 “Fastrack”. Finally we are delighted to have a Mini in our fleet, “Prim’Avel” sailed by Andy Oliver. There is a chance this class will also have RORC Rear Commodore and SORC regular Nick Martin on J105 “Diablo J”. Nick has had a string of short-handed successes, the most notable being overall winner under IRC of the Bluqube series in 2008 (Ostar Qualifier run by Petit Bateau as we were known back then).

Carl Wilcox will be the one to watch in class three, after the frustrations of missing most of last year with a ski injury Carl has made a big impact in 2010 by winning class 3 in the SORC coastal series and coming 2nd Overall under IRC in the same series. The only French entry this year Herve Dupriez is another very competitive boat, Herve recently won the Solent to Portland. Sadly he is the only French representative this year. Luke Bond, given the right conditions on his J92s “Dragonfly” and with two previous Channel Weeks under his belt could should be in contention for a class podium. Simon Mitchell on his Beneteau 31.7 “Aquillo”, in his first SORC season has already clocked up some good results, of particular note was his third overall in the recent Portland to Solent Race. The lowest rated boat in the fleet is certainly not there to turn the lights out, Mike Saqui on Restless recently won the Portland to Solent race and also achieved an overall win in one of the inshore races of 2009 (his second Solo race). SORC or as it used to be known Petit Bateau has always had a place for suitably qualified skippers, even if they have boats which are of a more cruising oriented nature - this year we have some fine examples with Rob Packham on his Southerly 110 “Star Dancer” who successfully completed the Fal500 double handed earlier this year and Robin Hyde on his Mystery 35 “Katy Laura” who is travelling from Plymouth for his maiden SORC event.  

This year’s event will again start in Lymington in the early hours of Saturday July 31, 2010 and after that will take in Alderny, St Peter Port, St Quay (new destination), Brixham, Portland (after the very successful recent visit there) and finish back in Lymington.

In light of the size of the fleet and to add a bit of Spice to the event there is talk of a few teams that are in the process of being formed – word has it these could include teams from Lymington, Hamble, East of Solent and Ireland – watch this space!