CCRC weekend races were Saturday to Yarmouth and then return on Sunday, with the plan being to leave the Isle of Wight to starboard each day. Unfortunately the winds were forecast to be very light so it was decided that both trips should be through the Solent so there was plenty of opportunities to shorten. Retrospectively this also turned out to be a good plan since a fishing boat caught a large sea mine in its nets off the Needles resulting in a large exclusion zone which might well have been across our race path.
Saturday morning we gathered in Hayling Bay for the start, but lack of wind then moved us to south of Portsmouth and then on to north of Wootton before the PRO decided there was sufficient breeze to start. Soon we were zooming off west under downwind sails and but mainly with the tide. Once past Cowes the wind dropped but within a few minutes reappeared as a gentle south-westerly which helped to get round some buoys while going sideways.as the tide strengthened. Then it was into Yarmouth, which had a queue outside of yachts hoping for a berth but we had ours all reserved. In late afternoon it was drinks onboard a number of boats before dinner at Yarmouth Sailing Club.
Sunday foresaw even less wind for the Ladies’ Race and the fleet motored eastward from buoy to buoy in the hope of sea breeze picking up but it was not to be. From outside Portsmouth the race was abandoned leaving competitors to motor or sail very very slowly homewards.
Chichester Cruiser Racing Club
The friendly yacht club racing in Hayling Bay, the Solent and beyond