SERVICES OFFSHORE REGATTA 2006

For the 2006 event the Committee, with the Army in the lead, was determined to innovate.  It’s not so much that there is anything wrong with the traditional format but we must be prepared to move with the times.  Three ideas were kept to the fore: firstly, the aspiration to provide more level rated yachts for the team crews in the top division (the disparity between the Army’s Prima, the RAF’s J109 and the Navy’s Sigma 38 frustrates everyone); secondly, the chance to promote the new Laser SB3 sport boat, and; lastly, the pressure of commitments on all participants and the need to eliminate down-time including avoidable ‘delivery’ passages.  Our hope was that the right format would attract at least as many entries as last year, and more with luck.  In the end, we had 21 entries (excluding one crew which entered different yachts in the inshore series and passage race – a story for the bar…).  For various reasons we abandoned the idea of “going foreign” quite early in our planning, not least because of the disproportionate logistic and cost implications of the regatta party and prize-giving (RORC and other organising bodies sensibly hold end-of-season prize-givings at central points in the UK, after the event).  We planned to end up in Cowes, partly to sample the atmosphere created by the international Commodores Cup regatta which coincided.  Belatedly we had to abandon this in favour of Hornet Sailing Club.  At least this meant low bar prices and a chance, for those who must, to get away promptly.  It was also good to see our new President, Air Vice Marshall Nigel Bairsto, at the prize-giving party.

For Division 1 we considered 2 yacht options: two of the three Services have X332 establishment yachts and we hoped a third could be chartered cheaply, so that the X332 could become the Division 1 platform; as an alternative, Sunsail, mindful of a potential corporate opportunity, was prepared to charter 3 Sunsail 37s at a heavy discount.  Our eventual choice was to go to Sunsail.  It provided a more level boat-for-boat Division 1 series but we discovered that the yachts are rather slow in light airs (not much quicker than a Vic’ actually…) and, I think, have concluded that there are better options - especially if we are paying for the privilege.  Choosing a TCC bracket and allowing each Service team to select or charter its own yacht within that bracket, is a potential way ahead.  We certainly learnt that the Associations’ set up does not lend itself to centrally organised charter.

For Division 2, each Service team was required to have a Laser SB3.  RAFSA owned a hull already, RNSA was about to take delivery of a new hull (the crew completed the rig tuning during Day 1), whilst the Army Team persuaded Laser to lend it a hull (Major Mike Barham played a blinder, organising this).  The SB3 presented the Race Committee with some unfamiliar challenges, not least how to maintain a safety gap between very dissimilar fleets, but all three SB3 crews appeared to enjoy an exhilarating two and a half days’ racing, during which Lt (she was promoted Lt Cdr on the last day of the regatta but I am assured the results had nothing to do with it…) Penny Clark gave a master class in sport boat sailing, which was to prove the vital ingredient in a RN victory overall.

Division 3 was for JSASTC Victoria 34 and I must reiterate how grateful we are for the support of Geoff Goodwin and his staff at Gosport, not just for the use of JSASTC yachts but also for the good humour with which so many little organisational favours are done and general assistance given.  Sadly RAFSA struggled to crew 2 Victorias, so the other two Team Captains sportingly agreed that ‘best boat’ should count in the regatta, thus allowing RAFSA to take a full part (this was but one of several sporting gestures made on all sides throughout the event and typified the spirit it which it was conducted).  The Navy ran out convincing winners of the inshore series but the Air Force came from behind to ‘nick’ the passage race by less than a boat length, after 60 miles.  Our one abiding concern about the Victorias is, though, the need to try to ensure evenly matched team yachts: at least one hull this year was a floating marine reserve and defied all attempts by its crew to achieve competitive boat speed and boat preparation for future SOR teams is an idea for further discussion with JSASTC.  Finally, we had 4 unit entered Victorias.

Division 4 was designated for cruisers, under IRC rating.  When 2 true cruisers arrived without IRC certificates, true to the spirit of the SOR the Committee manufactured Portsmouth Yardstick ratings and created Division 5.  This aspect of the SOR is important and is worth the ‘extra sea mile’; one learning point this year, however, was the need to advertise the SOR on the internet and outside Service channels, otherwise information seeps out too late.  Please therefore note the provisional 2007 dates of:  16/17 June for the offshore race (to be based on the RORC Morgan Cup) and 18-21 for the inshore series, based at Hornet.

Results:           Inshore Series

1          Div 1    1^st Cdr Amphlett     RNSA                        Sunsail 3

2          Div 2    1^st Lt Cdr Clark       RNSA                        Sport Boat 3217

3          Div 3    1^st Lt Cdr Rackham RNSA                      FIMBRIA

4                      2^nd Cpl Taylor          ASA                           PLACUNA

5          Div 4    1^st Lt Cdr Tattersall RNSA                       ELECTRA

6                      2^nd Lt Cdr Burton   RNSA                        ELECTRON

7          Div 5    1^st Lt Cdr Saynor    RNSA                        WINDFALL

8          PECC – First Service Team     RNSA

Results: Passage Race

9          Div 1    1^st Capt Andersen             ASA            Sunsail 2

10                    2^nd Cdr Amphlett     RNSA                     Sunsail 3

11        Div 3    1^st Sqn Ldr Blake   RAFSA                     SYRINX

12                    2^nd Lt Cdr Rackham RNSA                      FIMBRIA

13        Div 4    1^st Cdr Farrington   RNSA                     XPRESS

14                    2^nd Lt Cdr Burton    RNSA                       ELECTRON

15        Div 5    1^st Cdr Ling            RNSA                       LITTLE VIXEN

16        Committee Merit Award – Cdr Bellfield                      JANTHINA/XPRESS

17        1^st Non Service Team Div 3 – Sgt Audas ASA         VOLUTA

18        Service Team Overall Winner - RNSA