RIOW Solo 2008

Newcomer wins 2008 RIOW Solo

Second boat home, just three and half minutes behind was another RIOW rookie, Andy Greenwood in his new Figaro 2 winning Open Class 2 at his first attempt. Peter Olden was very fast in the light conditions to take Class 3 and third place in IRC in his Solent Goose (J92S), and Simon Forbes raced Scooby to win the multi class for the second year running.

Results are attached at the bottom of the page. 

The fleet headed upwind for Yarmouth, initially in light winds which built to a good 12 knots past Hampstead, with those close on the Island shore gaining most. Boats offshore had to tack south to rediscover the best breeze and a huge hole at Hurst Castle allowed the fleet to bunch together providing exciting close racing. The majority cleared the Needles on the last of the ebb on the edge of the Shingle bank; first boat to round the Needles was Essex Girl, closely followed by Mike Moxley in Malice (Hod) and Rob Craigie in Jbellino (J122).

Credit: Simon Kearsley

The lead group parked up at St Catherine's and a significant reshuffle took place, Jbellino briefely retaking the lead offshore in the drifting match only to have Essex Girl pass close under the cliffs at Dunnose on a spinnaker reach. Perhaps the closest battle of the day was between the five J105's racing, with all five boats within hailing distance of each other. At St Catherine’s it became closer still as the wind died leaving the boats bereft of movement with all five J105s within a few hundred meters of each other.

Simon Curwen onboard Voador chose the offshore option in search of breeze, whereas Rob Dornton-Duff aboard Java and Oscar Mead aboard Juneau chose the inshore option which paid handsomely. Race director Paul Peggs made a good break to get Audacious (JOD 35) up to second spot as the leaders rounded Bembridge Ledge Buoy, where the order was Essex Girl, Audacious, Green Figaro, Ding Dong (Chris Rustom, Stuart 37), Catriona (Rory Carter, Dehler 37), and Jbellino.

Credit: Simon Kearsley J105s start at Egypt Point

The fickle 8 to 10 knots of breeze backed further to the south-east making almost a dead run to No Man's Land Fort which saw the sprit boats gybing for their lives and the conventional spinnaker on the Figaro 2 paid as Andy Greenwood moved up to take second place at the Fort which he held to the finish.

The wind came ahead on the last leg to the finish at Prince Consort buoy just east of Cowes Harbour with all the first boats finishing close hauled under white sails having carried the tide the whole way around the island for the first time in the race's short history.

	Most encouraging was the host of new, some young, skippers taking part in RIOW Solo for the first time. Katie Miller helmed her Figaro 2 Hot Sox for their first race as a team and was very pleased to be dueling with the veterans. Oscar Mead raced his first solo in Juneau the J105 and crossed the line second of the J105's ahead of several top skippers.
Credit: Simon Kearsley

Awards for persistence went to the late finishers who stuck to their task through a complete glassy calm in the late afternoon to complete the course and collect their trophies. Keith Willis won the class mini in Rattle and Hum, and Roderick Walker in Tinkerbell (F27) was second in the multi's.

The RIOW Solo race was organised by Racing at Petit Bateau and was the first of this year's new Solent Solo Series of four day races aimed at encouraging skippers who wish to try single-handed racing perhaps for the first time. The next race is on Sunday, 17 August, the day after the RSYC Nab Tower race. Over 20 experienced single-handers have already entered for the bluQube Solo 1000 which starts from Mylor, Falmouth on 29 June and visits Kinsale in Ireland, Santander in Spain, and finishes in Camaret, France two weeks later.

Credit: Simon Kearsley Rob Dornton-Duff at the helm of Java