Round The Island Race
Posted at 10:07 PM, Wednesday, July 16, 2008
Hi All,
Did a bit better on the race track this time round. Three weeks back - a week after Swagman arrived on her own bum from the Caribbean - we took part in the UK's biggest yacht race, the annual Round the Island Race.
The island they refer to is the Isle of White which is only a stones throw away our home port of Lymington, and the race is a days event, approximately 60 miles long, starting from the RYS Line off Cowes and ending back at Cowes.
Invariably Cowes itself is packed out with sailors and merrymakers before and after the race - so Sue and I took Swagman over Thursday evening to ensure we could secure a berth for Friday. With an estimated 100,000 people crewing on what's usually 1,600+ yachts - space for a meal - let alone a berth in Cowes - is well tight.
For those who don't know Cowes - it is a small port set into the entrance to the Medina River on the north shore of the Island. On both sides of the river entry are a number of manrinas who normally cope with sailors arriving from Southampton and Portsmouth for a weekend. The small high street is still cobbled in parts, and some of the pubs date back to the 1700's.
They certainly work hard to increase capacity for this event - in much the same way they do for Cowes Week - but invariably all moorings get filled fast and rafting up sometimes 6 / 7 yachts deep is not unknown.
Son Rob, neice Izzie and her pal Tim filling in for a second neice Maya, came over for Friday evening to join us for our early morning start the next day. We enjoyed a very good late night with a Chinese at China China, and Sue and I slid off to leave Rob to educate the two youngsters on the joys or late night Cowes partying.
Not sure what time they all got back - but suspect they didn't remember either when I knocked on cabins to rouse the troops at 5 am.
It took half an hour to get them up as the rest of the river exploded into action around us, with hundreds of other yachts of all shapes and sizes all trying to extricate themselves from their docklines. It even took us 30 minutes from the time we first advised those outside us that we wanted to go. Each had people ashore, or eating, or doing something to stop us getting away.
Finally the skipper of lovely old 70 foot J boat parked inside us winked to me and shouted that he was about to cast off and tow the lot out to sea if lines were not cleared inside 1 minute. It did the trick.
We got away and as the start line is right off the river entry, had time to trim and test sail combos before getting to our preferred position way out on the mile long line directly off the Royal Yacht Squadron.
It was good fun dodging the fleets starting 10 minutes before us, and gave the crew lots of shouting time to warn off those yachts starting 10 minutes after us! All a tad crowded out there.
With 3 knot of tide building and sweeping each fleet towards the start line - it made sense to be cautious and avoid an OCS ruling.
With a bit of luck we hit our spot on the line with 3 seconds to spare, and got as good a start as anyone could ever wish for. That outgoing tide helped us lift into the growing winds coming up the channel from Hurst Narrows.
Think we kind of stunned ourselves doing OK on this first windward leg - as we'd always done so poorly on the same legs in Antigua.
We were often seeing our SOG at 8+ knots upwind to the Needles - lovely stuff and allowing us to climb back through the earlier starting fleets and open out space on our own competition.
Certainly had the boat going well and for once felt we justified our (no suprises) high Island Sailing Club handicap (about the same rating as a 50 foot Swan or a 65 foot Oyster).
With one reef in the main, plus a few rolls of our genoa allowing us to sheet the sail inside the shrouds, we saw Swagman sitting more upright and moving out with good speed and most importantly, good height, in apparent winds that grew to F5/6 and beyond.
Here's a professional shot taken towards the end of that beat. You can see me punching the air for joy in my green oilies.
This is the UK's biggest race, with this year everything from ICAP Leopard and Volvo 60's to club and family racers and cruisers and even gaff rigged wooden clunkers all off in 20+ fleets with start times ranging from 0600 to 0900.
As just before the Needles the W Solent exit channel at the Hurst Narrows closes to a gap of water only 1/2 mile wide - so the tidal flow increases substantially. With 25 knot winds blowing against what we found to be a 5 knot outgoing tide when we got there - it turns into mini breaking seas and even whirlpools. Paid to keep ones wits about one especially with boats to the left or you, boats to the right.
All madness and mayhem when the more experienced racers brushed with those less experienced - but a true spectacle and worth taking part every time.
We gave the Needles and the Vavassi wreck a widish rounding in company (ie pinned betwen) with two 70 / 75' Oysters, but once we'd furled the headsail and let go the mainsail reef, we hauled up our spinnaker and surged off downwind with gusts of 30 knots leaving them way behind.
Lotsa dramas on other boats in the gusty and rolling conditions with a building sea. Radio sparking off almost everty ten minutes with Maydays called for masts breaking, one boat turning over, several MOBs.
Helicopters, lifeboats and orange Inshore RIBS all zooming around amid the fleet which was still packed up heading from the Needles towards St Catherines - the most southerly point on the island.
It was one of those days with gusting breezes and building seas - so often difficult to know what to expect. With the obvious lack of race experience by many, and lots rounding up as gusts came through, we tried hard to give every other boat some space.
We did good (if I say so myself) offwind around the bottom of the island, despite some on board challenges.
Unfortunately we blew a spinnaker brace block shortly after the hoist - simply too much wind pressure. But by then two badly suffering (and actually now labled hung over young lightweight) crew, led us into leaving the big coloured sail in the bag for the rest of the race.
Too windy, too bumpy, too risky. And as we were moving out OK anyways with really only the three 'oldies' to rely on, we were all happy to settle back and enjoy the ride - and the antics on other boats around us. Shame the younger ones were too flaked out to witness it all:-)
So whilst it turned into a white sails 'cruise' for us, that's maybe just as well! We did get back unscathed (apart from lingering headaches and the single blown block), and most surprisingly, we did well.
Even with no spinnaker, good surfy action down to and around St Catherines, followed by a fast run with poled out genoa still seeing us hitting double digits to Bembridge ledge, then a super blast reach up from Bembridge to the Forts, and another excellent beat from there to the finish, combined to see us securing 10th in our class and 116th from the fleet of 1,875 yachts - and ahead of those early big ****** Oysters.....
Not bad for the old girl and her 20,000 mile old dacron sails, eh?
And Swagman did well too.
Great day out. Well done needs to go to all the crew (even the lightweight young ones) and with luck it could be new sails for next years event...........
JOHN
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