With a forecast of Force 6 increasing 7 the Solos who set out for the Christmas Cracker were in for a lively time. Undeterred by the thought of 2 hours of sailing 11 set off on the first reach up to Channel. Nick Peters and Ross Harvey powered ahead followed by Nick Rawlings Greg Lamb Jerome Baker and then Greg Swift who obligingly let David Moseley by falling in at Channel. After another reach to Freddie Brooks there followed a long dead run to an inflatable near Ellanore. Jerome fell in on this leg and dropped back while at the front Ross was ahead of Nick Peters. Ross went on to sail a cracking Race to win comfortably. Keith Walker in a Fireball just passed Nick Peters who therefore finished third overall. Jerome Baker stormed round the course after his capsize to finish in the prizes with 7th overall. The rest of us were just glad that the force 7 never materialized. Well done to Ross Harvey for winning not only the race but the pursuit series overall and enough of that talk about the Solo handicap being too generous.

After Saturdays extraordinary driftathon, Sunday dawned with the prospect of breezy conclusion to the Sunday Autumn Series and so it proved to be. The race officer set a long course - start near Ellanor, beat to inflatable near Dunes, Gardner, beat to Sandy, reach to North Pilsey, another reach to Freddie Brooks, run to inflatable downwind of committee boat, through gate x 2 laps. The wind was quite up and down varying between 15 and 25 knots. On the first beat the fleet split most going the East Head route, some staying on a long port tack over the pilsey sands. At the end of the leg Nick Peters (East Head route) was some way in front with the Pilsey squad taking the next few places (Nick Rawlings and David Moseley). Greg Swift was next, closely followed by Greg Lamb, Robin Gadd and Tedd Gadd. The leg to Sandy was challenging as ever in the lee of the club although relative positions remained the same. Nick P continued to build a big lead and behind him the bunch of David, Nick R and the Gregs were close together. For the beat to inflatable near Dunes the wind had increased in a squall and not running aground on Stocker bank became a priority. Positions were Nick P, David, Nick R, Greg L and Greg S. After Gardner the beat to Sandy was quite tough with large variations in wind strength and direction. At Sandy order was Nick P, Nick R, Greg S, David and Greg L. On reach to N Thorney David powered over top of Greg S and Greg L planed all the way being only a few boat lengths behind at the N Pilsey gybe mark. On the way to Freddie B, Nick P retired (a hot lunch beckoning?) and there was little to separate the gang of 4. On the run to inflatable, Greg S narrowly got in front of David and Greg L (Commordores right?) attacked Nick on the final part of the run to inflatable past the committee boat. All boats were running by the lee and Nick R felt aggressive challenge was a high risk manoeuvre and Greg L just nipped in front at the mark. On the short beat to the finish Greg L held on by half a boat length with Greg S third, David 4th and Robin 5th. Overall in the series Greg L was first, Nick R 2nd and Greg S and David on the same points with David getting 3rd due to his 2nd in an earlier race. Now all prepare for the Christmas Cracker on the 21s December - bring it on!

After a sunny, quiet, creepy crawly race on Saturday (won by dint of superb tactical skill and blistering boat speed by Greg Lamb), Sunday delivered something a little more in keeping with the season, 20+ knots short choppy waves and rain showers. The triangle-sausage course was set for a good brisk westerly breeze with a start way down the harbour near John Davis (or rather where John Davis would be if Itchenor bothered to leave their marks in for a sensible time!).A small but select band chose to brave the challenging conditions and race officer Charles Apthorpe set us off on time. The smart money was on going right to stay out of the last of the flood and we all headed off that way initially with Robin Gadd and Greg Lamb leading the charge. Greg Swift chose to give us all a chance by starting a little late at the wrong end but most expected him to show good heavy weather form and close quickly. Ted Gadd had a bit of a swim and decided that the beach looked more attractive than the windward mark. Half way up the beat the wind increased to 25-27 knots and swung hard right. Teds choice seemed a good one! This left everyone overstanding although those towards the front overstood more than those further back. David Moseley close reached in to the mark meeting Nick Rawlings who broad reached in with Robin and Greg Lamb next round. The first reach was great fun the second a little broad after the wind shift. Greg L snuck in front of Robin on this leg by sailing a straighter rhumb line, and closed a little on Nick and David. The big gust had gone away by this time (phew!) and we were sailing in around 17 knots, although regular bursts back in the 20s were coming through all the time. As the tide turned, the water got rougher, but David was still hanging on in front of Nick. On the penultimate beat David sagged very low (getting tired David?) allowing Nick to overtake and Greg L to close right up. Just after the windward mark Greg L went for a quick kicker adjustment, got hit by a gust and took a dip. Nick and David chose not to wait around for him and planed away. Fortunately for Greg, Greg S and Robin were far enough behind that he could recover and keep his place. A splashy, bouncy last round and a club line finish finally gave us all a rest. There were those who chose to wear round for their gybes but we won't mention who they were! But what a great day after all the light stuff recently! 1st Nick, 2nd David, 3rd Greg L, 4th Greg S, 5th Robin

A light North Westerly wind arrived with the committee boat having to change the course on the water and relocate before racing started. Greg Swift started at the committee boat end and tacked directly onto port, Greg Lamb and Bill Ingram started on port at the pin end,the rest started on starboard. At the first mark (North Pilsey) it was Greg Lamb to round 1st followed closely by Greg Swift and then Nick Rawlings with a gap to Ted Gadd and Bill Ingram. Due to the strong ebb tide at this mark and the light wind the fleet had problems rounding and spread out. Ted decided to go to Freddie Brooks instead of NW Pilsey allowing Bill Ingram and Jason Bentley pass him. The positions stayed the same until up the second beat to NW Pilsey when Nick Rawlings made a detour to N Pilsey allowing Bill Ingram to gain an additional position. By this time the fleet was still spread out with little chance of positions changing ending in Greg Lamb 1st, Greg Swift 2nd Bill Ingram 3rd NAT 12 4th Jason Bentley 5th Ted Gadd 6th Dave Allen 7th with Nick Rawlings awarded 9th DNF

12 intrepid Solo sailors made their way (slowly)to the start area for a club line start. Wind was meant to be from the North however as the start was signalled there was none saving grace was it was high tide! Greg Lamb and Andy Partington were over however they lost nothing returning to restart as the fleet was still on the line. A gentle zephyr eventually appeared and the fleet was well spread out on the course, with the Gregs managing to keep in what little pressure there was. Greg Swift rounded the inflatable near North Pilsey narrowly in the lead followed by Greg L and Nick Fuller and David Moseley. On the broad reach to Freddie Brooks Nick F passed Greg L and positions remained the same to Stocker. On the long broad reach to Sandy the fleet closed right up with Greg S just in the lead from Nick F Greg L, Chris Powell and Robin Gadd. The beat to the inflatable was the defining leg of the race. Greg L and Nick F tacked to the East to clear their wind and came back on a massive lift with more pressure in about 8 knots of wind. Greg L was now in the lead followed by Nick F and Greg S closely followed by David. On the run to Sandy Greg S and David had a great tussle. On the beat back to the inflatable positions remained the same with Greg L extending his lead over Nick F and so it remained to Stocker and Sandy to starboard, the course being shortened and finishing on club line North. Greg L won from Nick F with Greg S 3rd and David a close 4th.

A lovely day brought 20 of us yes 20 of us out to play , not bad for 4 weeks before Christmas. However it was actually a very odd day?s racing with a light wind varying between easterly and south easterly and the incoming tide going north at one end of the course and east at the other. Ian Barnet was seen rigging in the boat park. Inspection revealed that it seemed to be the same boat as last time. You never can be too sure with Ian...That was pretty much the last we saw of him. The port biased start line only permitted one boat to start at at time, Ian had that slot and that was that. Apart from Ian, the rest of us got to Stocker in a bunch, however by the leeward mark some while later Nick Fuller was in second with Mr Commodore third. Nick F looked like he could put some sort of challenge together but he got his triangles and sausages all mixed up at the next windward and dropped out pulling Mr Commodore into second and Nick R into third. Realising the danger I cunningly arranged for Andy Partington to take over up the beat, but he was having none of it and there I was back in third. Seizing the moment, race officer Damon Roberts grabbed the race while he could and we finished in that order. The excitement was not over though, on return to the beach we were treated to the sight of Eddy Gatehouse?s Moth foiling towards us with no one on board! Eddie, there is a Solo in you somewhere.

This was a day when the weather did exactly ?what it said on the tin?. Forecast to be 15-18 knots from the north and lots of rain that is pretty much what we got. Barry told me he had forgotten his kit! However this was a cracking sail. Flood tide in a strong northerly always gives us big waves in the Emsworth channel which is good fun. Andy Partington led at the first mark but suffered from knowing where the course was he got left to leeward as we all charged off high towards what turned out to be a MRSC windward mark. So we all started again at the gybe mark. At the leeward mark it was Greg Lamb from David Steel. Nick R was up with Greg at the next windward and pulled thru to lead at Calvert. Extended up the beat but had not done enough to hold off Greg and David who came thru on the back reach. The course was shortened at next crossing of the club line and with the wind dropping and the tide now turned Greg got his second bullet of the weekend with David second and Nick in third. Hence the report.

The ebb tide seemed stronger than the light Southerly breeze which meant that several of us were over the line and had to re-start. After rounding the windward mark (Sandy), most of the fleet sailed towards the shallower water of the Winner bank - I decided to follow the Medium Handicap fleet, who were taking a more direct route to Gardner. I was lucky to round the gybe mark in the lead, closely followed by Greg Lamb, and I think Nick Rawlings in 3rd. Most of the fleet sailed slightly Northwards on the broad reach to SW Pilsey, which enabled them to slide down on the ebb tide - the fleet appeared to bunch up at this point with Greg taking a small lead. After a slow run Northwards against the tide to the black inflatable mark Greg pulled away with Nick alongside me as we rounded the mark. Greg Lamb extended his lead up to the finish line off the clubhouse with Nick Rawlings coming through in 2nd Bill Ingram in 4th and Andy Partington in 5th.

We were greeted by a force 2-3 from the NE & an outgoing tide with 13 Solos present. The course was a start nr Fishery inf nr Copyhold (i think), Dunes, Gardner, Sandy, inf nr moorings & gate x 2. The fleet split at the start but it appeared heading over Pilsey Sands paid off and Phil Robin got his nose in front and was gone! There was a close fought race between Greg Lamb Nick Fuller David Steel and Andy Partington. On the second round it appeared the wind was going right so Greg & Nick opted not to hit the left layline to hopefully gain from the shift but also avoid the shallow bank near the windward mark that had caused problems on the first round. However David and Andy had gone left and confusingly (for me) it remained close at the windward mark except the big mean red machine had shown a good turn of speed to earn a comfortable(ish) second. By the finish Phil was having lunch Greg was 2nd Nick 3rd David 4th and Andy 5th - another enthralling race. Come on HISC Solos!

A gentle Force 3 on a warm and sunny day saw 13 Solos and 1 laser radial start from the Club line with Treloar the first mark. Greg S was first round the mark followed by Brenda. The course was to Sandy, Gardner, N Pilsey and Mill Rythe before a long short tacking beat against the tide back to Treloar. On reaching the area of the Club some opted for the Winner Bank whilst others tacked along the Hayling shore. Those who opted for the Winner including front runners Brenda, Greg and Barry lost out heavily. From the Hayling shore Nick F rounded Treloar first followed by Nick R. Cliff who had also opted for the Hayling side arrived at Treloar at the same time as Brenda who had coped with the Winner route better than most. Brenda on port had to tack to give way to Cliff on starboard and in so doing lost out due to the now fast running flood tide. At the finish Nick F was 1st Nick R 2nd and Cliff 3rd.

The start of the winter series or more likely the anticipation this might be the last day of the Indian summer encouraged 13 Solos to the start with the race shared with a few Laser Radials/4.7 and a Comet. Although dominating the fleet numerically the Lasers took 3 of the first 4 places of course all down to the course configuration and luck! For once we had a course that made use of more of our fantastic harbour and although the working breeze caused aching legs at the end of the beat against the tide this was more than compensated by some exciting reaches. As usual there was close racing throughout the fleet apart from Nick P finished nearly 5 minutes ahead showing particular speed downwind. David Steel also flew down wind into second place but decided to test the water temperature at the gybe mark. There was place changing between the next few boats and at the finish Nick R was second followed by me Greg S and class captain David. At certain times the wind gusted up to nearly 20 knots so it good to see everyone finish the race. A bit of sunshine always helps!

So this idea of getting the guy in third to write the report was predicated on the assumption that I would not be third every week......how wrong can you be! Anyway here goes?.. Good turnouts 11 of us on Saturday and 20 odd on Sunday. Saturday was a ditch crawler in a light westerly with a big ebb tide so most of the time we were running down to East Head. A good day for the Gregs our new Commodore was graciously allowed to take the honours by Mr Swift. Nick R was third. Sunday was windier with high water at 13:00 and a south westerly. A distinct sense of Deja vu as we had a course with Pivot as a leeward mark just like last Sunday but with the tide coming in rather than disappearing. Greg Lamb almost led at the first mark but Nick Peters got through on the approach and then vanished into the middle distance. Greg L and Chis Powles tussling for second and Greg S and Nick R tussling for fourth. Greg L took second. On the run to the finish Nick R picked up a wonder gust and blew past Chris to take third. We all stayed out for a second race and after a little while off we went. Pretty much a repeat of race 1 with Nick P having another lonely race all on his own in the middle distance while nips were tucked behind. Chris Powles and Nick R tussling for second until Ian Barnett joined them. Ian took second. And.....on the run to the finish Nick R picked up a wonder gust and blew past Chris to take third.

At the AGM I suggested that we adapt a plan of asking the third placed competitor to write a report an idea unashamedly borrowed from my days as the Contender class secretary in an earlier life I lived a long time ago in a galaxy far far away...The idea being that would put the report writer close enough to see the action but far enough away to not have to write about himself at some length. So obviously I was going to be third the following week. Anyway here goes.. So we had 9 of us turning up for a classic day - 15 to 20 odd knots from the south west- sunny and warm. Race office Ian Pinnell set us a course with Pivot as a leeward mark. Now this was a ballsy call. Starting 2 hours after high water - with Mengeham packing up as we started...Still Ian hasn?t won 50 odd championships without taking the occasional gamble and they clearly tend to work out so off we went. Big lad heaven it was with Jerome leading Nick P at the first mark and Greg Swift leading Nick R. Nick P drove over Jerome and went off to win with Jerome in second. Greg S kept leading Nick R and letting him past when he wore round ... every little helps I say.By the last lap it had got quite windy we had flat out planeing all the way down both reaches.Greg Lamb was fifth he capsized gybing at the end of the run and stood up next to Pivot. Hmm...glad I wasn?t in a 700. We finished in good shape with no energy left for a second race even if we had one scheduled and left the other classes to it.

After the morning rain the sun shone for the handicap race on Saturday afternoon. 4 hardy Solo sailors greeted the starter near SW Pilsey. The wind was North West and about 15 knots in strength resulting in much place changing on the beat with flood tide to Mill Rythe. Andy Voysey led round closely followed by Chris Powles and Greg Swift. Ted Gadd was in close attendance however capsized shortly after Mill Rythe and retired.On the run to Freddie Brookes Greg moved to second place with places remaining the same to East Head with some nice waves to surf. On the tight fetch to Astra Greg managed to power to windward of Andy. Andy regained the lead again shortly after rounding with Chris planing up to Andy and Greg on the reach to Dunes. Crossing the channel the wind freshened and the three boats arrived at Dunes in a cloud of spray. On the beat to the gate Andy and Chris stood in closer behind the winner but Greg tacking earlier. On the approach to the gate the three were in a line windward to leeward with nothing between them. The race officer shortened course and at the finish Greg was 10 seconds in front of Andy with Chris only a further 1 second behind.

An outside course may have put some people off but the eight Solos who went out enjoyed great racing in ideal conditions with 15 + knots North Easterly and wind over tide. In the first race a pin end bias created a bunch at the pin which forced two boats over Ian Barnett stormed away in clear air and had a good lead by the windward mark chased by Greg Swift. Ian looked to have the race under control until tacking through the gate for the second time he went in letting Greg Swift into the lead At the finish Greg was comfortably ahead followed by Nick Fuller. With a second on Saturday Greg would win the pennant unless one of the two Nicks won the final race. The last start had an even more pronounced Pin end bias and Nick Rawlings was lined up in pole position. However once everyone had tacked onto port it was Ian Barnet on front a lead he maintained till the end only to find he was OCS. It was just not his day. Behind him Greg Lamb led the chasing pack so he won the race and Greg Swift won the series his first win in 5400. Well done Greg

An outside course may have put some people off but the eight Solos who went out enjoyed great racing in ideal conditions with 15 + knots North Easterly and wind over tide. In the first race a pin end bias created a bunch at the pin which forced two boats over, while Ian Barnett stormed away in clear air and had a good lead by the windward mark chased by Greg Swift. Ian looked to have the race under control until tacking through the gate for the second time he went in letting Greg Swift into the lead At the finish Greg was comfortably ahead followed by Nick Fuller. With a second on Saturday Greg would win the pennant unless one of the two Nicks won the final race. The last start had an even more pronounced Pin end bias and Nick Rawlings was lined up in pole position. However once everyone had tacked onto port it was Ian Barnet on front a lead he maintained till the end only to find he was OCS. It was just not his day. Behind him Greg Lamb led the chasing pack so he won the race and Greg Swift won the series his first win in 5400. Well done Greg

Arriving at HISC on Sunday morning there was a light gradient northerly of approximately 5 knots. The race officer set a triangle sausage course of 2 laps. The start was tightly contested by the dozen or so boats with tide on the ebb.The beat was full of holes and those who managed to stay in the pressure (still about 5 knots maximum)and play the shifts did best. The lead changed several times and at the windward mark Greg Swift had a lead over Nick Rawlings and Tedd Gadd. Leading places remained the same to the wing mark and then the seemingly never ending second reach (more like a run) in next to no wind. Greg led round the leward mark closely followed by Nick who picked up a zephyr and went on to win the race being mercifully shortened. Greg was second Tedd 3rd just in front of Jerome Bakker.

Another good turnout with 19 Solos enjoying the pleasant conditions. These conditions were however very challenging with a very shifty and patchy westerly breeze and an increasing tidal current opposing the beat.After an indifferent start, Brenda Hoult was the first to take away from the Winner bank to the Stoker side on the way to Freddie Brooks resulting in a substantial lead by the reach to Sandy. Brenda was never challenged throughout the rest of the race despite the no wind patches with the fleet closing up from behind. Place changing was the order of the day with many reversals of fortune on the last leg from Lowles across to the line between East head and Dunes. Not the occasional to sail a bit low!!

The course set was not suited to average lap racing as the start and finish were in different locations and there were triangle and sausage loops. This meant there was quite a long flog for the Solos in the 15 gusting 20 knot breeze. Worse still the beat turned into a one leg 17 minute grind with no relief. This proved to be too much for a number of the fleet!However, Jerome Bakker revelled in the conditions to take the win with Chris Powles Nick Rawlings and Greg Swift battling it out for second. Well done Nick Webb for finishing yet another strong wind race.

The solo fleet was by far the largest entry for the Regatta. There were 26 Solos out for the event including 2 visitors. At the start near Gardener Nick Peters had the pin position and pulled away fast. As the shifts came in he took full advantage and by the time the fleet reached Mill Rythe he had a huge lead. Andrew Voysey and Greg Swift lead the following pack.On the downwind leg to East Head a choice of the routes against the tide was required. Nick went towards East Head while Ross Harvey, coming through after a poor start slid past John Davis. At the mark Nicks lead was almost gone but enough left to take command on the next beat.As the race wore on there was much place changing with many tales to tell after the event. However Nick held on the take the win from Ross while Tim Randall sailed through to third.

All racing cancelled today. Too much wind

We had 10 Solos in the fleet of 14 boats on an overcast afternoon with a cracking force 5 breeze from the south west. The race committee set a square line near Ellanor with a first mark of Freddie Brooks. Most tacked onto port after a short stand to ensure crossing the line with a strong tide against and missing the worst of the tide. Nick Fuller and Chris Powles tacked later than most and suffered on the first beat - not helped by a major port lift. Greg Swift had good boat speed and being just off the stocker bank all the way rounded FB first.There was then a very broad reach to Ellanor with some waves and Itchenor keel boats to keep things interesting.Greg rounded first followed closely by Nick and Chris. The fleet were faced with a taxing beat to Dunes, tacking into East Head to avoid the tide. Greg extended his lead and then on the final tack to a shortened course in the waves off East Head finish fell over in the boat lost control of tiller and almost capsized. With a boat full of water her could not just hold off Nick who won by 6 seconds with Chris 3rd. All were glad to get ashore before the squall hit.

A decent wind for a change which meant there was going to be some of hard graft needed on the two upwind legs (Thorney Dunes and Gardener Calvert) against a flood tide The start was near Thorney with a lopsided beat to Dunes giving plenty of time on port tack and plenty of aching thigh muscles. Nick Peters made a perfect port tack start and crossed the fleet to get to the Thorney shore out of the tide. This was the default option for most of the fleet only Anthony Penfold deciding to break ranks and go across to East Head. Nick led round Dunes closely followed by Greg and Jerome who had a good battle all the way round the course - Dunes Gardener Calvert Channel F Brooks Thorney Gate Dunes Thorney Gate. Another round had been boldly typed out on the course sheet but everyone was glad to see flag S flying as they went through the gate for the second time. Nick P won comfortably followed by Jerome and Greg. David M just scrapped across the line for 4th in front of Nick R.

Another light and variable wind with the triangle and sausage course today provided by MRSC. Nick Rawlins Tim Randall and Robert Hack were the early leaders finishing in this order after some place changes as the shifts came through. As the finishing line was reached the wind died away completely leaving some struggling to finish.

No wind so no race

The tide was very low in the harbour and the wind refused to behave as forecast so the start was delayed while attempts were made to set a decent course. 15 Solos eventually enjoyed a pleasant sail. Nick Peters was again the winner after a close battle with Nick Fuller and Steve Cockerill. Steves wife Sarah was also trying a Solo and finished 7th despite a mix up at the start.

A light southerly breeze and a flooding tide resulted in long slow windward legs. 9 Solos had a go but two were shortened after one lap as the average lap scheme was in force

Sadly there were only 10 boats for this race from a MRSC committee boat. Conditions were great with a challenging beat with some wind bends and a lee bow tide. Jerome Bakker lead the way at the first mark followed by Nick Rawlings and Barry Blaydes. Nick Peters was soon working his way up the fleet to get into the first three. The three leaders battled it out over the next two laps and rounded the lee mark for the last time in a tight bunch.At the finish it was Nick P in the lead from Jerome and Nick R

Thanks are due to Andrew Voysey for the impeccable running of the 6 races in this Sprint Series thoroughly enjoyed by 17 Solos. A tight course was set on the Pilsey Sands with square lines that made starting well controlled. Well Rob Hack was up to his tricks again with two OCS and the first two home in the first race Rawlings and Randall were also binned.So David Sayce won the first race and Nick Rawlings the second then David again for the third and Nick again for the fourth. For the last two races Tim Randall reckoned it was his turn and won them both.This meant that the overall result was very close with overall honours going to Nick Tim second and David third. Sarah the only lady out was fifth.

With a fickle Westerly the course was a Port hand triangle over Pilsey Sands with the wing mark by Sandy. Simon Hope lead on the first round but Robin Gadd got through to win. Peter Best who was in sight of the leaders throughout the race won on handicap. For the second race David Moseley led at the first Mark but failed to spot the wing mark South of the club. Nick Rawlings got passed and led to the finish the race almost caught by Simon Childs at the end. Only 4 minutes separated the whole fleet. Anthony Penfold won on handicap but Peter Best had done enough to come second and win the QE Trophy.

A blustery S Westerley deterred a few from going out so it was a select few that lined up for a traingular course Dunes JF ( Inf ) Ellanor ( inf) The flood tide meant everyone stayed on Starboard after the start and tacked in the shallow water by East Head. At Dunes Nick Rawlings was ahead chased by Mark Allerston but at the top mark Mark fell in and Nick extended his lead on the beats against the tide to win on handicap by a minute from Sandy Briggs.

This event could have better been called the Dell Quay Slog as a Easterley Force 5-6 had been sent not the Westerley Force 3 that had been ordered. There were some glum faces at the briefing and talk about a quick reach up to Emsworth but as no one volunteered to collecting the lunches from Dell Quay Peter Hickson Phil Robins and David Moseley volunteered to go over the top the rest decided to go to Dell Quay by more sensible means of transport namely Barry?s cruiser Anthony?s launch or a RIB. The start was 11.30 but Peter and Robin ignored this and indulged in some Americas Cup pre start manoeuvres resulting in Robin taking a swim. Peter thus led across the harbour followed by Phil who caught Peter in the tacks through the endless lines of keel boats at Itchenor doing about 2 knots on their moorings. Meantime David Moseley had a few problems getting his boat sorted and by the time he had the bow pointing East and the mast pointing up the rest of the fleet had disappeared. Not sure that he qualified as a starter he set off and was glad to get a toot as he arrived at Dell quay about 15 minutes after the others. Refuelled by lunch laid on at DQ SC the three boats had a down hill 50 minute sleigh ride home with some great wave riding across from East Head to finish off the day

With a harbour full of Oppies and a wind shifting from NE to NW Race Officer Tim Randall took us to East head for the start. Nick Rawlings read the shifts best on the beat to Astra to round ahead of Andrew Voysey and Chris Powells. There was a variety of strategies followed on the long reach against the tide to Dunes. Most followed fairly direct route but Robin Gadd gybed off across to East Head and that nearly paid. But it was all about gusts on this leg and Andrew got through Nick to lead at Dunes and on the subsequent legs to Freddie Brooks and Sandy. But following the race instructions Andrew then went looking for an inflatable near Dunes which was in fact off East Head and unfortunately lost his lead. Chris Powells took over the lead and did well to stay ahead to the finish in a very shifty wind for the second round. Approaching the finish the wind went very light the leading 6 boats closed up and there was much place changing. In a close finish Andrew managed to get back to second with Robin third and Nick fourth. A most enjoyable sail.

The wind was a brisk South Westerley and the tide on the ebb. The course was Astra - Dunes - Inf by Gardener - East Head with the gate between Astra and Dunes At the start everyone was a bit line shy because of the tide except Nick Rawlings who hit the line on the gun. At Astra Nick Peters was leading followed by Greg Swift and Nick R . By the second round the order had not changed but the ebb was by now running strongly making it easy to get too down tide on the reach to East Head. At the finish after 2 rounds Nick Peters had done enough to win the handicap as well.

Tim Randall, the winner of the race, commented afterwards ?It was a very technical race?. Well it was certainly one when a moment?s lapse of concentration could cost dear. With a SE breeze that could not decide whether or not to kick to the SW and a strong ebb tide the beats from NW Pilsey to Dunes had the fleet working many different strategies. Brenda Hoult rounded the first time in the lead from Tim Randall and Chris Powles. Even the first reach to Sandy round Mid Winner caused some headaches and these three were bunched together. On the next beat Chris went hard left and Tim worked the shifts and was just ahead and managed to stay there for the next round to the finish. Notable moves were made by Ted Gadd, who consistently made the right tidal choices. Also by Nick Rawlings, who was so far behind at the first mark he must have been ashore for a drink but worked his way back up to fourth.

A glorious summer day with a good SW breeze greeted the 16 Solos that came out to race. The low water course had the beat from Channel to Sandy which gave a very long starboard tack and a short port one. The question was which side to go against the young flood. Opinions varied and in practice it did not seem to make much difference on either lap. Andrew Streeter rounded Sandy first followed by Nick Rawlings and James Gaskell. Nick passed Andrew on the first reach to get back into his winning ways. Tim Randall worked his way up but Andrew was able to hold him off on the final hitch to the finish. Congratulations to Bob Smith who finished another race, all one and a half hours of it.

The course was a trapezoid from near dunes to astra Dunes N Pilsey Sandy and back to the gate 2 rounds plus a sausage at the end more of that later. The tide was flooding so the 10 starters had a quick beat up to astra in a solid NE breeze much enlivened by some wandering cruisers coming down the Itchenor channel. Nick arrived first but was soon joined by the rest of the fleet on the run down to Dunes against the tide. Shallow water was a good examination of quick release rudder down hauls Nick s failing to pass the test. Robin Gadd deciding it was all too much gybed onto port went across to East Head and in less tide and a better wind angle rounded Astra in the lead. A brisk reach was enjoyed by everyone across the harbour followed by a run through the moorings and round Sandy and a close reach back to the gate. Places changed throughout the fleet but Robin kept his lead pursued by Chris Powles and Tim Randall.After the second round we all thought we had done enough but not the race officer so we set off on the sausage Astra Dunes. At Astra Robin and Chris met. Robin on port called for water. The conversation between Robin and Chris has been redacted from this report but we do know that Robin did a 720 letting Chris through. At Dunes Chris rounded just ahead of Tim and tacked for the line. Being a starboard rounding he found he was on port and Tim appearing on starboard. Another conversation this time between Chris and Tim resulted in Chris doing a 720 and Tom getting through to win. Altogether an enjoyable two hours of sailing

The June Act of the Sprint series was a run in a shifty north-north-easterly which set challenges for the race team and 16 competitors. Race Officer Nick Rawlings set the windward mark for the mean wind and surprisingly didn?t have to move it all day. A short start line placed a premium on getting a good one but showing excellent discipline in the strong tide the fleet had no general or individual recalls. Winner Mark Allerston scored three bullets but was chased all the way by Andrew Voysey and Tim Randall who finished tied just two points behind Mark with Andrew shading it on count-back. By Race 5 the wind had gone very light and the gathering ebb made progress slow. David Moseley led round the windward mark by over a minute , remarkable in a beat meant to last four minutes! , but was undone by the tide and by the leeward mark had been caught and came in second to Andrew. Nick made the welcome decision to bin the last race and we all returned to the Club in torrential rain!

Good weather again favored this series with 10-14 Knots N Easterly. The first start was enlivened by the Class Captain catching his rudder on Juno s mooring chain thus coming to a sudden stop much to the consternation of the boats around him and to the delight of the race team. Fortunately no onboard videos this time. In the race proper Mark Allerston powered round to win Race 1 as he did race 2. Andrew Vovsey won race 3 closely followed by Tim Randall and Mark again was in winning ways in race 4. By race 5 the ebb was running quite strongly down the line and the wind had dropped which made laying the pin difficult. David Moseley was early at the pin end but was able to gybe round the mark and find a clear lane through the starboard tack boats and into clear wind. Much to his suprise he was well clear of the fleet at the windward mark and almost a leg ahead by the wing mark. However the smart money changing hands on the committee boat was not on him and by the end of the first triangle Andrew Vovsey was breathing down his transom Andrew went on to overtake him on the beat and win the race. Consequently a special boat parking slot by the life boat station is being prepared specially for Andrew. Race 6 was cancelled so well done to Mark for winning the event and many thanks to Nick Robert and Cliff on the committe boat and the crew in the RIB

A glorious summer day with a light southerly breeze tempted the solos out of the harbour into Hayling Bay East for the second and third races of the Pennant series. Ross Harvey who had not sailed yesterday won the first race while yesterdays winner Simon Childs was only fifth. Steve Powell with a good result yesterday was second and Robin Gadd again without a result from yesterday was third. Nicholas Fuller added a fourth to his second from yesterday.This meant that any of these 5 boats could walk away with the Gerald Bell Memorial trophy after the second race of the day. In practice two did not stay out for the race and Robin Gadd improved on his first race to win the last one and take the trophy. Ross Harvey slipped to fourth coming second overall after a points toe with Nicholas Fuller on finishing second in that race.

15 Solos were out for a low water race starting near John Davis. The first beat to SW Pilsey produced some surprises as it did not seem to make any difference whether to get out of the tide or sail in it. Simon Childs rounded ahead of Nick Peters and these two lead away on two reaches before the run back down tho the start. On the second lap Nick took the lead and these two sailed away from the rest of the fleet. Nevertheless Nicholas Fuller had control of the shifty conditions and came in third ahead of Mark Allerston and Steve Powell.

A 15 knot south westerly gave promise of some sitting on and good planning on the waves across the winner bank from Sandy to East Head. The course sheet revealed a long list of marks with few rounded more than once. This had everyone scramble for pen and paper ashore then problems afloat for those not red hot on harbour navigation. Whats the difference in the course from East Head to Johns Foley or John Davis? Find your way from Dunes to Freddie Brooks without bearing off to charge round Gardener first.These challenges were just a bit too much for Ross Harvey who kept pulling clear of Steve Cockrill and Nick Peters only to get a bit lost and loosing out to the pair before the finish. Steve Chiverton chased after the leading trio throughout the race but could never quite get in contact with them.

The course including some tricky sailing with short tacking up the winner bank. At one point Ted Gadd decided to go just a bit further until his centre board touched but the bank shelved so quickly he ended up standing on the bank with the boat barely afloat. at this point a Moth tried a similar trick and wrote of 2000 quid of foil.Anyway the leaders sailed round OK with Jerome Bakker notching up another win and Mark Allerston second

Another hot May day with no clouds to be seen and a reasonably steady 7 knot south easterly breeze tempted 25 Solos onto the water. The start line was a bit short and there was little distance from the favoured pin end before mud was reached and calls for water and starboard became intertwined. Steve Chiverton quickly demonstrated that his long layoff had not blunted his skills as he emerged into the lead by the first mark. Jerome Bakker rounded behind him followed by Nick Peters. The race was not without its incidents. One T bone was observed and there was a clashing of masts on one mark rounding. The four laps proved to be a bit much for some as 6 helms headed early for the shore. At the front Nick P made steady progress passing Jerome and then chasing after Steve. It was only on the last beat that Nick got passed but Steve fought on down the run and on the short beat to the finish. Nick had to be fully alert as Steve feigned dummy tacks to try to break cover but with no avail.

Glyn Charles Memorial Open Pursuit Race with 88 entries ~ I had no idea when I signed on that it was going to be virtually a solo benefit race with 4 solos in the top 5. On the line I was very tight not helped by the flooding tide due to a luff from Nick R I saw a gap and tacked off and headed for the West bank with Greg having to drop down to miss moored ships (Barrys) Nick R tacked early and Greg rounded Sandy followed by me. Looking up the harbor Itchenor were just starting a big feet so went high but then found as their gun went & I was then in the middle of their start. This allowed Greg to catch up with both rounding park together after some match racing which allowed Nick P to catch up I headed for the Thorney channel to catch the tide and managed to get round Lowes in front but could not see any mark @ Marker. Once in the Emsworth channel Greg and Nick P put in an extra tack to the trots but I stood on getting a lift and rounded Sandy in front I then made the big decision to Gybe and head for Fishery & when I gybe back thus avoiding the strong outgoing tide by Mid Winner I rounded the black mark with a good lead. On the final beat to Sandy I went out to the channel but then saw Lady G below me so footed off to get the gun. Rob Hack who got through Greg & Nick P just lost out to a RS200.

The race was an anti-climax after yesterdays Sprint Series. The sun was shining and a southerly breeze whispered across the harbour. Many of the fleet were caught by the RO who was held up leaving the mooring then belted to N Pilsey dashed down his line and started on time. 4 of the 10 Solos were not at the start. Those that were there split onto the east and west banks for the beat to Sandy. This time the Thorney side paid dividends with Chris Powles and Trevor Cartwright arriving well in the lead. Nick Rawlings lead the Hayling shore pack and chased after Trevor just catching him before the shortened finish. Robin Gadd made the best of his late start by finishing fourth.

Another successful series with 6 races completed. RO Andy Voysey brought the fleet of 21 Solos to the line for the start of race 1 in good order except for Rob Hacks first of three OCS of the day!. Nick Peters quickly showed the rest of the fleet how he intended to sail faster than the rest and took an early lead. Second was Greg Lamb. There was then an interregnum while the committee boat became unanchored and the windward mark went walkabout. Soon race 2 was underway with no problems with Rob finishing second behind Nick.At the start of race 3 the fleet was getting pushy resulting in a general recall and black flag. There were 2 over on the restart but not Nick who had his third win. Second was the well known Greg Wells making a guest appearance in Andy Voyseys boat. Start 4 was black from the 4 minute but many forgot the videoing on the CB. Result: 8 were logged OCS. This time Greg Lamb managed to finish ahead of Nick. Things were a bit more tranquil for the last two races. In both, Greg Lamb held the pin on the start and led at the first mark. But in both races Nick worked his way past to notch up two more wins.A great event enjoyed by all.

Cold and raining again with the course set the other side of east head. There were more watchers on the balcony than Solos on the water poor show. After a long delay the fleet finally start round many laps of a fairly small triangle all among the Itchenor boats. Ross Harvey lead at the first mark and steadily sailed away from the rest of the fleet on every leg to finish with a major lead. After round one Nick Peters had worked through to take second from Jerome Bakker then he sailed well clear of the pack of the other four boats. These four had a great scrap up to the last rounding of the leemark where Andrew Voysey who had been well last at one stage slipped past Jerome to take third.

An unattractive forecast and the prerace conditions put many off. Only 6 boats prepared and only 4 made first mark Treloar. Nick Rawlings rounded first followed by Simon Childs. On the second beat Simon sailed higher than Nick and powered through him. At the start of the third beat we were preparing to photo Nicks sideways bending mast - Then it all happened, just like that! The sky went dark the rain lashed down the wind shifted violently and gusted furiously. It caught Nick on the beat from his leeward side capsizing him immediately. Eventually things settled down again and Simon serenely sailed his fourth lap. After a long gap Nick appeared. Well done to Dave Moody and Nick Webb for also completing the race.

As predicted it was a cold and wet day a very very wet day. Visibility was so bad that the balcony watches could barely see the CB near Fishery and the windward mark and first reach back along the Thorney shore were lost in the gloom. Even so 10 Solos were out for the next two Races on the Pennant Series. It was Nick Peters that first appeared at the leeward mark just off the club closely followed by Stu Godwin and Ross Harvey. Ross had passed Stu by the second rounding as did Simon Childs. Ross pressed Nick hard for the lead but over-standing the gate did not help. Nick worked hard to maintain his lead for the three laps. Andrew Voysey and Greg Lamb entertained the watches with capsizes. Stu and Simon ended up OCS! With the overall result still open Ross appeared leading the second race followed by Nick Fuller while the wind was dropping. But by the end of the run Stu just got inside Ross at the mark and went on to win the shortened race. However Ross had done more than enough to win the Pennant.

A fine turnout of 22 solos had a tricky day 1at the Easter pennant. Nick Peters led the fleet round the first triangle closely chased by Ross Harvey Stu Godwin and Simon Childs. With the breeze at 8-10 knots Harvey just led at the top mark from Peters and Childs before the wind started to drop on a long run. This closed the fleet up with Godwin and Greg Lamb coming into the lead pack. Beat 3 had the sea breeze and land breeze fighting and Nick Fuller and Childs used the right to look good before Harvey just managed to get back and retain the lead. As the breeze went very fickle the finishing order was Harvey Fuller Godwin Childs Peters. Wet and windy forecast for tomorrow!

Sun shining and a shifty light wind from NW. (5- 10 knots according to Cambermet). 17 Solos pottered around while the Race Officer tried to sort out the best place to start. Eventually settling near Stocker with a beat to an inflatable nearly opposite Mill Rythe. After half an hour by which time the flood tide had just about finished all Solos made a good start on Starboard tack. Most after clearing their wind took the Starboard tack up towards the trots hoping there might still be a little flood tide left. A few thinking it might be better to go off on Port into flatter water were proved very wrong as they fell into a hole while those in the main channel enjoyed a bow wave making port tack into the buoy. Robin Gadd in his now sorted boat got it absolutely right to be first round the mark. Well I think so because your correspondent was in the afore mentioned hole some 200 yards away! Eventually second to last round the buoy. Dont despair the Class Captain is only 50 yards ahead! Its a lovely day maybe the sea breeze will come in from behind on the second reach and wisk me back to the pack! Upfront it all looked fairly tight no doubt there was some place changing which I couldnt see. However I did see Barry Blaydes being speared and entangled by a wayward RS800 at the lee mark unfortunately leading to his retirement. At the next windward mark Robin had a lead of about 25 yards from the pack but gather he had several heart in mouth moments when they appeared to be catching him on the run. However all was well and he held on to be first with light weather expert Tim Randall second and Nick Rawlings third...I crossed tacks with them both soon after the start..pity I didnt follow them up the beat! Oh yes and the Sea Breeze did come in at 1230 as we beat back to the beach! Two retirements 15 finishers and a lovely day.

The first of the Solo Sprint series took place on a good sailing day winds were between 10 and 15 knots with occasional gusts. This Sprint Series consisted of 6 races round a triangular and sausage course lasting approximately 15 minutes each race sailed back-to-back. The dynamic duo of Chris Powles and Trevor Cartwright were the race officers. After several wind shifts the course was finally laid and the racing started with 18 competitors. It was interesting to note that whoever got to the windward mark first won that particular race each time although the racing was extremely close. In race 1 the winner was Nick Rawlings (Andrew Vosey only did the first race as he needed to rush off to Wembley to see the FA cup semi-finals!) In race 2 the winner was Mark Allerston in his brand new Solo. Race 3 once again the winner was Nick Rawlings. Race 4 was won by Greg Lamb. Race 5 became very interesting as the whole fleet were over the line at the start so the black flag was introduced and Mark Allerston was again the winnder. Finally Race 6 was won by Tim Randall. The final overall results were: 1st Nick Rawlings 2nd Mark Allerston 3rd Greg Lamb. Afterwards all competitors said how much they had enjoyed this short sharp series and felt that having 6 starts in one day was extremely good training for them.

Conditions were not promising as Solo sailors arrived at the club it was still raining and the forecast was for the wind to rise. 6 set off down the harbour to the start. By the time they had worked their way back upwind to Sandy the fleet was already well spread out with Steve Cockerill comfortably ahead of Jerome Bakker and then Nick Rawlings third. Lightweight Greg Lamb was going well and passed Nick on the downwind legs. Steves lead was never challenged while Andrew Voysey was a bit surprised to find he was up to third by the time the fleet was back to Sandy. It transpired that Greg was in some pain and had retired. Meanwhile Nick had stopped to inspect his centreboard after his main sheet came jammed on a tack. Well the big blow did not arrive, but there was enough to provide tired legs for those that got round.

Chilly grey day forecast gusts up to 20 knots by start time the easing wind resulted in a fleet of 12 Solos braving the southerly breeze. Start just south of Pivot with a triangular course comprising Freddie Brooks an inflatable near runway and Pivot the start line being used as gate and finish. At the start the tide made clearing the pin tricky several boats having to tack onto port to cross the line. At the windward mark it was clear that the left hand side of the course had paid with the easterly flowing tide also making this mark tricky. An easy reach to the wing mark saw Steve C pulling well clear of the rest of the fleet establishing a lead which he steadily improved throughout the race pursued by Nick P and Greg L. The 3rd was a run with the easing wind not lending much opportunity for significant gains to be made. The second lap saw most of the fleet going for the left hand side with the tide still making the windward mark easy to misjudge. At the wing mark several boats were led astray by someone deciding that the mark was Runway rather than the inflatable this enabled me to pick up three places an ill-gotten gain I managed to maintain for the rest of the race.

The wind was blustery at the start of the race resulting in one casualty to capsize but dropped off by the end. Steve Cockerill was first Solo and won the handicap. Nick Rawlings was second Solo out of the 7 that ventured out

A cold 20 knot northeast wind put off many of the fleet but 5 fearless souls set forth. Jerome Bakker demonstrated the advantage of weight and had a good lead by the time the fleet turned for the downwind legs. Greg Swift was second round and Nick Rawlings third. Next came Robin Gadd just ahead of Brenda Hoult who gave a fine demonstration of using a B sail. Nick and Greg fought it out for the two laps with Nick benefitting from his greater number of gybes. The race was shortened as the sky blackened and a 36 knot gust caused chaos across the harbour.

Compared with the fine weather of last weekend the air was cold and the wind blustery for the first of the Saturday average lap handicap races. Not much of a handicap event as there were 5 Solos and only two others. On the Solo start Nick Rawlings took the pin end and battled hard up the beat against Nick Peters. These two rounded the windward mark together but Nick P was much the faster on the first short reach. By the time he ran down to the gybe mark he had enough of a lead to give his new boat a quick capsize and be up and off again before Nick P could catch him. The race at the front then became a bit of a procession with Greg Swift a steady third. There was more of a fight for fourth and fifth between Nick Webb and Sandy Briggs.

What an incredible day for the start of the season. With the air temperature over the water rising to 14 degrees the main complaint was I was too hot. The wind was 10 knot from the northwest at the start died to nothing in places during the race and then built back to 10 knots from the southwest at the finish. This gave plenty of opportunities for place changing within the 17 strong Solo fleet as well as the overall handicap. Robert Hack was the first Solo round the first mark closely followed by Nick Peters. Nick was leading solo by mark 2 and sailed of to a clear lead. At one time when the wind died and shifted it looked as though these two would be sailed over by the fleet picking up the new breeze. Brenda Hoult and Bill Ingram gained the most but still slotted in behind the leading pair. Nick went on to win the handicap event with Robert third and Brenda sixth.