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Round the Island Race 2006
From the cocktail lounge of ‘Workout’
This was perhaps the most challenging and
certainly at times the most frustrating RTI for some years, particularly so
for those who we could see from south of the Needles had failed to get
through the tidal gate.
On Workout we decided to start at the Island
end of the start line which was surprisingly and worryingly devoid of boats.
Nonetheless, with a handful of contrary spirits we got the start we wanted
in clean air and good tide and found ourselves with half a dozen others
leading the ‘blue’ fleet towards the western Solent.
Approaching Lymington the breeze appeared to
veer slightly to the north and kites on the most windward boats began to
pop. Off we went to join them which proved to be a good decision. Through
Hurst, now as windward boat, we spent perhaps a little too long on the
Shingles Bank playing silly buggers with Laser 28, Alibi. A gybe on to port
took us across the fleet and within five minutes we were the fleet’s most
leeward boat as we approached the Needles and Goose Rock on a quickly
slackening tide – not a good sign for the bulk of the fleet which seemed to
be some way behind us.
People often ask if we worry about the wreck.
The simple answer is if you can touch Goose rock with your boat hook you
don’t need to worry about the wreck!
Once round the needles we fell almost
immediately into one (of many) fights between the gradient Northerly and the
beginnings of the sea breeze. Whilst almost becalmed in between 90 degree
windshifts we saw a few boats that managed to scrape round the needles
behind us carry the old breeze almost up to us, including our first sight of
Woozle Hunter II. Thankfully after many light wind tacks we reached the new
breeze (and left Woozle becalmed behind).
The run to St Cats was uneventful except for
that b*****y Laser 28 which appeared as if out of nowhere on our rear
quarter. At this point we couldn’t see another ‘33’ – in front or behind. In
fact incredibly, the two of us didn’t have another boat within about half a
mile of us in any direction.
We and, yes you guessed it, Alibi, hardened up
around St Cats well inside the general line of the fleet and only went we
hit the overfalls did we start to pull away from this increasingly annoying
‘lake’ boat.
The trouble was we were quickly back in lake
conditions, light, puffy with hardly a ripple on the water, and of more
concern looking to have significantly less breeze than those who had decided
to stay out.
That’s when we again spotted Woozle Hunter II.
They were gaining on us all the time but probably a mile or more further out
to sea. We had decided to take the shortest route round the island - Woozle
Hunter on the other hand were going the long way round but at that point it
looked like they knew something we didn’t.
Staying out of Sandown Bay had just about paid
off and as we approached Bembridge Ledge it became quickly apparent that we
appeared to have made right decision – Woozle was struggling a long way back
having had to gybe onto starboard in her long approach to the passing mark.
The other good news was that we were rounding the mark a couple of hundred
yards ahead of the Laser 28 but no-one was confident she wouldn’t overhaul
us before long!. Who were those guys?!
Our tidal information suggested we would have
favourable tide on the Island shore so with the wind failing we left the
pack and with it another annoyingly smaller boat which carried the name
Coutts but apparently was a Quarter Tonner called Catch. What were they
doing there?! Perhaps we weren’t doing as well as we thought.
Yes, we inched towards Bembridge Harbour into
favourable tide but at a cost – and that was that we were completely
becalmed. For the next 25 minutes we sat and watched dozens of boats round
the Ledge knowing that there were likely to be a number of Sigmas about to
join us in the windless zone but nonetheless having caught up with us.
At last there was some movement of boats
around St Helens Fort and sure enough a dark patch on the water indicated
things could be about to change. We tacked onto starboard with zero
boatspeed and headed directly inshore. A new very light breeze filled
inshore slightly before it reached the bulk of the fleet outside us and we
were away tacking back onto port as a nor nor westerly regained priority. As
we followed the two metre contour we seemed to be edging ahead of the boats
outside us although by now the ebbing tide was strengthening across the
Solent.
Workout’s track from Bembridge to the finish
line
A beat towards home in what was becoming a
more solid breeze was the tonic we were looking for until we spotted a ‘33’
two or three minutes behind us. Who could it be? Tacking on to port and
crossing the other Sigma’s bow we could clearly make out the colours of the
crew’s shirts, the very same ‘red’ ones that had ‘mounted’ us in a rather
ungainly fashion at the leeward mark at Poole Regatta the week before –
Shadowfax!!!
Suddenly the adrenalin was pumping again and
after nine or so hours we knew we had to up our game. A loose cover was
called for as we approached Ryde Middle which after rather too much ‘they’re
gaining on us’, ‘we’re opening the gap again’ we managed to hold to the line
finishing with a margin of just over two minutes.
Alibi, the Laser 28, had, needless to say,
overtaken us and had beaten us by two minutes on the water – incredible!
They ended up third in class, Workout 4th and Shadowfax 5th. However, it was
our 17th overall and Shadowfax’s 19th that I think gave both boats the most
pleasure. Jo Chugg might advise us differently but I think only once before
in its very long history have the Sigma 33 fleet got a better top twenty
‘overall’ result.
Jeff Worboys
‘Workout’
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