Below is a report from our UK fleet:
Three weeks in to the 2006 Garmin Hamble Winter Series and there are already some major battles at the top of the classes in which J Boat owners are competing. Racing on Sunday 22nd of October took place in a shifty southerly breeze of 12 to 28 knots.
Having won the start, Nigel Brooke and his crew in Jalapeno led the J/109 fleet for the entire race and around the last windward mark but ended up engaged in a luffing match with Firestorm (owned and raced by Jonathan Perry and Philip Smith) on the final run. Jalapeno opted for a slightly smaller kite for this final downwind leg but the increase in pressure which was forecast failed to materialize. The advantage played to Firestorm who managed to work through into first place.
With Firestorm now out in front of the fleet Jalapeno was still about 100 yards ahead of Zelda at the final leeward mark but she was forced tack off on to port just after the rounding in order to clear her air. Unfortunately, the left hand side of the track paid and at the finish line the order was Firestorm first, Zelda second and Jalapeno third. Just a single point now separates Zelda in pole position for the series and Jalapeno in second.
Racing in the Garmin Hamble Winter Series continues on Sunday 29th of October
