Ineos Solent
Circuit 2008
Race Reports, Photos & Results
Press Release
Photos (c) Richard Phillips
INEOS SOLENT CIRCUIT 2008
Lymington Town Sailing Club – 12 October –
7 December
58
Entries - Good racing - Extremes of weather – Tides – Final Prize Giving
Peter Schofield and the crew of “Zarafa” were the first winners of the magnificent new Ineos Solent Circuit Trophy (pictured above) when the last of the series of yacht races was run in light airs on Sunday 7th.
Lymington Town Sailing Club organised the INEOS Solent Circuit in the Western Solent over an eight week period from 12th October to 7th December in a wide range of weather conditions ranging from sunny to misty and from no wind to a near gale. Racing was abandoned on three days due to high winds.
Races were run for Class 1 IRC yachts – (9
entries); Class 2 IRC yachts (15 entries), Class 3 - Club Handicap yachts
(22entries); Class 4 – Folkboats (12 entries). The Club Handicap is a
performance based system that originated in Australia and has been developed
and administered by Howard Crouch for the Western Solent Cruising and Racing
Association.
Rosenn punching through the waves Photo (C)
Richard Phillips
The star of the event was “Rosenn”, a Solent One Design sailed by Bob Fisher and Barry Dunning and crew. “Rosenn” looked stunning in all weather conditions. Sailing in the Club Handicap Class she won the Manulife Trophy for the best overall result.
The magnificent new INEOS Trophy commissioned by LTSC, designed and made by John Mellows of Azure Dragon Marine Sculptures was presented to Peter Schofield who won the IRC Class 1.
At the prize giving ceremony, Adam Reay (Chairman of the Organising Committee) thanked INEOS (the Lyndhurst based chemical company) for their generous financial support and commented that the magnificence of the new trophy reflected how the series of races had become one of the principal events in the keelboat racing calendar.
He also thanked Harken with its UK base in Lymington who provided a range of prizes, RIB-IT who provided a RIB for each race, and also thanked Lymington Yacht Haven, Wightlink, Wadworth and Ringwood Brewery for their valuable support and sponsorship.
Race officer Richard Phillips thanked Nick and Karen Hopwood whose yacht “Fiddler’s Dream” was the committee boat throughout the series.
Prizes for the final race were awarded to the Overall Prize winners.
Overall Results – Prize winners
IRC CLASS 1 – INEOS Trophy
1st Zarafa Hod 35 7712 Peter
Scholfield 4.0 points
2nd No Doubt Beneteau First 34.7 1347 Chris Neve 7.0 points
3rd Brightwork X 332 8500 Bob Baker 13.0 points
4th Boomerang Adams 10 3417 Ray Crouch 15.0 points
IRC CLASS 2 – Wadworth Plate
1st Le Quatre Juillet Swan 411 1155 Don Wood 4.0 points
2nd White Mischief Hanse 291 4888 Andy Hind 9.0 points
3rd Hephzibah of Lymington High Tension 36 3851 David Lees 10.0 points
4th Jacobite Swan 37 2881 Dudley Davenport 16.0 points
CLASS 3 – Club Handicap - Ringwood Cup
1st Rosenn Solent One Design OS 7 Bob Fisher / B Dunning 4.0 points
2nd Whisper Contessa 28 1548 Richard Jenner 10.0 points
3rd Contessa Catherine Contessa 32 3001 Robin Milledge 11.0 points
4th Vegas J 92 SWE 1 Chris Harris 12.0 points
CLASS 4 – Folkboats - Yachthaven Plate
1st Madelaine Folkboat 707 Edward Donald 4.0 points
2nd Yukon Folkboat 672 Rick Otten 8.0 points
3rd Svenja Folkboat 704 Michael Stoner 15.0 points
4th Padfoot Folkboat 723 Chris Hills 19.0 points
The Manulife Trophy
Lowest Points in largest Fleet with no discards
Rosenn Bob Fisher B Dunning
Marlow Ropes Lymington Spit Trophy
Most Outstanding performance
Madelaine Edward Donald
The Dicoll Trophy
Most outstanding performance by a boat not in first three overall
Vegas Chris Harris
The Joe The Tent Trophy
1st Boat under 30ft in Classes 1, 2, 3
White Mischief Andy Hind
Overall Results
Earlier
Reports
Sunday
23 November 2008 - Race 6 - racing abandoned due to excessive wind
Sunday 16 November - Race 3
Sunday 9 November - Race 5- acing abandoned due to
excessive wind
Sunday 2 November - Race 4 sailed in good conditions
Sunday 26 November - racing
abandoneed - Race 3 has been
re-scheduled for Sunday 16 November 2008
Sunday 19
October 2008 - Race 2 report...
Sunday 12
October 2008 - Race 1 little wind - no racing..
Sunday 7
December 2008
Very light winds - tide on the turn - sunshine
The committee boat reached the start areas with less than 3 knots of
wind from a North North Easterly direction. After a postponement the wind
increased to nearly 5 knots and swung more to the East and with the tide on
the turn the races were started. Towards the end of the first lap the wind
looked in danger of fading and the tide was increasing so the course was
shortened.
The final Prize giving took place in the Solent Room at LTSC
Sunday 30
November 2008
Strong winds - 2 races
Another day of strong winds but blowing from North so less waves than the
previous week.
Two races were scheduled and over half the fleet turned out to race.
However, a number of competitors found the conditions too adverse to stay
for the second race which was run immediately after the end of the first
race
Sunday 23 November 2008 - Race 6
Although gales were forecast
there appeared to be a small window of opportunity in the forecast weather
pattern but it was not to be!
The Committee Boat left the river in torrential rain and winds averaging 22
knots steady in SSW direction gusting to 30 knots, the tide had started to
ebb and already there were significant waves at the entrance to the river.
Winds had started to swing to the west at Portland and were increasing so as
the wind crept towards 28knots close to the start time it was decided to
abandon racing for the day. The dozen boats out of the 50 entries headed
straight back up the river.
Sunday 16
November - Race 3
Flood tide on the turn towards the finish and light westerly wind - provided
challenging conditions
Classes 1 and 2 had a beat to Yachthaven followed by a
run with the tide to Solent Bank, a fetch to Yngling Girls with beat back to
the Committee boat positioned approx 100 metres to the west of RIB-IT, twice
round. There was a tie in Class 2 for second place on corrected time.
Classes 3 and 4 sailed two laps of a shorter course to Moore & Blatch,
Berthon, Solent Bank, RIB-IT.
Sunday 9
November - Race 5 -- Racing abandoned
The committee boat reached the start area with the wind
averaging approx 28knots and gusts up to 34 knot. After anchoring and
setting up start line there was a short postponement. However, with only a
few competitors in the vicinity of the start area and the wind gusting to
39knots, racing was abandoned for the day.
Sunday 2
November - Race 4
Class 1 - Rib-It, Yachthaven, Harwoods; Class 2, 3 and Folkboats
RIB-IT, Yachthaven, Berthon.
Sunday 26 October
2008 - Race 3 - Racing Abandoned
The Committee Boat
reached the race area in 28 knots of wind and due to loss of power there was
a risk of damage from the anchor chain and/or going aground
The Race Team abandoned racing for the day.
Race 3 has been re-scheduled for Sunday 16 November.
Sunday 19
October 2008 - Race 2
Superb Sailing Conditions - Flood tide, SW wind averaging 17 - 22 knots -
Sunshine
All 4 Classes started on time from the Committee boat line 200 metres west
of RIB.IT.com.
First away Class 1 IRC went to Lymington Bank, Solent Bank, Ynglingirls,
RIB-IT and completed two laps.
Class 2 IRC had a slightly shorter race omitting Ynglingirls but some of the fleet struggled to sail against the tide.
Class 3 - Club
handicap boats and Class 4 - Folkboats completed two laps of a much shorter
course to Yachthaven
and then Solent Bank, Ynglinggirls and RIB-IT
At the prizegiving in the LTSC Clubhouse, the first three boats in each
Class were awarded prizes
which included Champagne, wine and INEOS hats.
Good breeze catches some out!
Having lost the first race to no wind a of 40 boats in the Lymington Town Sailing Club Ineos Solent Circuit found themselves with 20-25 knots of south-westerly breeze and even some sunshine on Sunday (October 19).
A long beat and a run allowed crews to work hard tacking up the mainland shore, with IRC 1 and IRC 2 going to Lymington Bank buoy off Yarmouth before heading downwind to Solent Bank off Newtown. IRC 2 peeled off to do a shorter course to Rib-It while IRC 1 went across to Yngling Girls on the mainland shore.
Club class and Folkboats had Yacht Haven as their weather mark followed by Solent Bank and Yngling Girls.
As the breeze rose some opted to leave spinnakers in their bag while others others got the thrill of a good downwind ride.
The usual suspects showed their class with Peter Scholfield's Zarafa starting with a first in IRC class 1.
Club handicap had some particularly good racing with two non-spinnaker boats taking first and third places. Barry Dunning and Bob Fishers classic Solent One-design Rosenn winning with Paul and Glenys Fox's Moody 333 complete with racing spray hood taking third behind Rob Milledge's Contessa Catherine.
The day was not without its casualties. One Folkboat needed a tow in when a rigging pin went missing although it managed to retain its rig and another boat had such a spinnaker wrap it too needed assisting to the dock before it could be got down. It takes a while for crew work to get on top of everything when there's a good breeze.
Results - Race 2
IRC Class 1
1, Zarafa (Hod 35) Peter Scholfield. 2, No Doubt (First 34.7) Chris Neve.
3, Brightwork (X 332) Bob Baker
IRC Class 2
1, Hephzibah of Lymington (High Tension 36) David Lees. 2, White Mischief (Hanse
291) Andy Hind.
3, Cloud Nine (International H Boat) Martyn Wheatley.
Club
Handicap
1, Rosenn (Solent One Design) Bob Fisher / B Dunning. 2, Contessa Catherine
(Contessa 32) Robin Milledge.
3, Fly Orchid (Moody 333) Paul Fox
Folkboats.
1, Madelaine, Edward Donald. 2, Yukon, Rick Otten. 3,, Moonraker, Mark
Crader
Sunday 12 October 2008 - Race 1
Fog - occasional sun - very warm
- little wind - no racing
The Committee boat
left the LTSC pontoon in fog and a very light easterly breeze with promises
that visibility in the Solent was better and a forecast SE breeze. The
starting area was found with the aid of GPS, when the visibility
improved the starting line was laid. There was a postponement of 15 minutes
during which the visibility improved further. Going into the start sequence
the wind shifted towards the north away from the forecast direction and with
the visibility closing the AP was flown.
Eventually the visibilty improved and the sun shone brightly but the wind
stayed below 5 knots and the ebb tide gathered pace. Further east at
Brambles there was a 9 knot easterly breeze but this did not reach the
Western Solent. Gradually the wind reduced to zero at 11.25 when racing for
the day was abandoned.
INEOS Solent Circuit information
