(Southampton, England)- It was a cold overcast day with 10-12 knots of
wind from the NNE swinging by 10-15 degrees. While snow had been a
possible forecast the fleet were fortunate; it remained dry with 35
boats braving the conditions. The committee boat set up south of Deans
Lake and set a course cascading up Southampton Water for race 5 of the
Frostbite Series.With minimal tide all classes had good starts with the first leg to Hovercraft 1. Conditions near the Netley shore were challenging with lighter and variable wind in pockets. Several positions changed here. For race 6, the wind dropped to 6-8 knots and the direction was generally NNE but varying by as much as 30°. Temperature had also dropped and the race committee made the decision to use a shorter cascade course. The line was also reset. Although tide was minimal for the majority of the race it had started to ebb by the finish and with wind pockets appearing across the course the conditions were very challenging with positions changing as the holes were wrongly read.
Class 1 was won by Kirsty and David Apthorp’s J/111 J-DREAM. Their record of 3-1-1-1-3 is giving them a clear lead in Class 1 division, leading by four points so far.
Class 2 winner was Nick and Adam Munday's J/97 INDULJENCE finding the lighter conditions to their liking and rapidly climbing the learning curve in Southampton Water, an often tricky place to sail since winds are always shifty coming off the shore and current is a key consideration from a tactical and strategic standpoint. Their two bullets raced them up the ladder to have them just 2 pts off the podium in a four-way tie for fourth!
In Class 4- J/Class, it was the J/80 J'AI DEUX AMOURS owned by Stewart Hawthorn who took two bullets, making their tally of 1-2-1-1-1 look even stronger than last week, increasing their lead over the fleet to fourteen points! The J/92s J'RONIMO has leapt into second place over the weekend by virtue of scoring a 2-3 and are winning over a tie-breaker on 20 pts with another J/92 JUST ENOUGH. The J/92 BOJANGLES has now dropped to fourth with a score card of 4-1-6-5-6 for 22 pts. For more Royal Southampton Frostbite Series sailing information
