Royal Ocean Racing Club

You are here: Home

Channel Race

Arbitrator, Peter Hopps & Hilary Cook’s Sigma 38 win the Channel Challenge Cup

Saturday 23rd July 2005 saw a fleet of 92 yachts gather on the RYS line for the start of the RORC Channel race. The morning dawned to be overcast with very little or no breeze. By the first warning signal for class 3 at 08:20 there was still very little wind and would remain so for all class starts, the yachts finding the flood tide almost impossible to stem as they tried to get to the correct side of the line. At their starting signal at 08:30 a number of class 3 were continuing to fight their way against the tide to start correctly and for some this would take a few hours.

Class 2 were having the same difficulties as class 3 and a few would suffer the same fate at their start at 08:40, the trend being repeated at 08:50 for class 1.

Super Zero & Zero started together at 09:00 and had been in the main more disciplined, keeping well up tide. Bear of Britain, Kit Hobday’s Farr 52, Venom, Windward Sailing’s Volvo 60, sailed by Derek Saunders and Twelth Knight, Britannia Corporate Events’ First 47.7, sailed by Paul Coward, timed their drift on the tide to the second, starting from mid line. ICAP Maximus, EBS Yachting’s Elliott 30 metre, sailed by Charles St Clair Brown favoured the outer end.

Sending the fleet to the east the Race Committee set two courses. Super Zero, Zero and class 1 leaving Snowden to starboard, Horse Sand Fort to port before rounding Owers Lt Buoy to port and heading in to the shore off Littlehampton to round Rustington Outfall Buoy to starboard. From here the yachts had a beat back to Owers rounding to starboard for the reach to Nab Tower to round to port. Leaving Bembridge Ledge Light Buoy to starboard the yachts had a long beat to RORC Offshore Light Buoy, situated 16 miles south of St Albans Head, where they rounded to starboard to run back to Needles Fairway Light Buoy for the penultimate leg rounding Poole Bar Buoy (No 1) to starboard to run east once more to the finish at North Head, a distance of approximately 151 miles.

For classes 2 & 3 a slightly shorter course was set of approximately 111 miles which took the yachts on a similar route, however they would go to Nab Tower from Horse Sand Fort before heading west.

The breeze began to build during the afternoon from the southwest and by 15:00 was reported at 12 – 14kts in Hayling Bay. As the sun dropped in the sky so did the breeze, (and the rain), but not completely. What was to happen however as the sun begun to rise, was a shift into the south east and an increase to 20 – 25kts with the visibility reducing rapidly.

It would be another long beat as the fleet made their way around the south of the Island to the RORC Offshore Light Buoy. Maximus reporting she was south of St Catherines Point at 18:00 making full use of her waterline length and vast rig. Those who had problems at the start in the strong tide found themselves becalmed and kedged near to the Forts giving them little hope of making the tidal gates.

As with the Morgan Cup Race in June, the choice of sending the fleet on different length courses would see the Class 2 and 3 yachts in amongst the action as they closed the finish line. The bookies line honours favourite Maximus would not let them down however, finishing off North Head at 01:22 followed by the class 2 yachts Pen Azen, Philippe Delaporte’s J109 at 02:55 and Bella 2, Freshfields Sailing Club’s X 412, sailed by Adrian Hacking at 03:30. Finishing at 03:33 was the first of the class 3 yachts Arbitrator, Peter Hopps & Hilary Cook’s Sigma 38 who would go on to win overall on corrected average speed (see note below).

The RORC finishing team aboard Bill Oakley’s Condor anchored at North Head were kept busy throughout the day as the fleet continued to stream across the line. They also had a few problems of their own as the sea picked up making it impossible to remain on station. The conditions eventually won and the anchor parted company from the bow, the last few remaining yachts being asked to take their own finish time.

August 7th sees the start of the Rolex Fastnet Race so this was the last opportunity for the crews to train under real offshore race conditions. The RORC Channel Race certainly provided them with that, calm and no wind at the start, shifting breeze through the night, and gusts to 30kts in the morning for the finish.

Note:
Due to the yachts having sailed the different courses the calculation for the Overall results and the Channel Challenge Cup was derived from the yachts corrected average speed as follows:-

1. Each boat will have the number of miles in its course divided by its elapsed time to complete the course to give its average speed.
Course miles divided by elapsed time = average speed
E.g. 100 miles / 10 hours = 10 Knots average speed

2. The longest course distance will be divided by each boats average speed to give the time it would have taken each boat to do the long course.
E.g. 150 miles / 10 knots = 15 hours

3. The longest course times will be multiplied by the boats TCC to give corrected times.

4. The corrected times will be ranked in ascending order to give the overall finishing positions.

5. Points will be applied in the normal way.

Note: Class results will be worked out in the usual way.

Channel Challenge Cup – BCT IRC: Arbitrator (Sigma 38) Peter Hopps /
Hilary Cook

RORC Prize – IRC Super Zero: Patches (TP52) Eamon Conneely

Stetson Plate – IRC Zero: Codiam ENSP dh (IMX45) Nicholeau /
Loday

2nd El Syd (Sydney 41) Ian McKinney

3rd Fidessa-Fastwave (DK46) Chris Brown /
Peter Harding

4th Eclipse VII (Humphreys 12m) Douglas & Clare Hassell

Royal Albert Yacht Club Trophy – IRC 1: Puma Logic (Reflex 38) Sailing Logic
Phillippe Falle

2nd White Knuckles (Prima 38) Mervyn Hughes