The 2024 RORC Easter Challenge got underway in ‘sporty’ conditions on Good Friday with strong gusty conditions in the Eastern Solent.
PRO Stuart Childerley set one race for the opening day for all classes with a Spring Tide going west for the duration.
Congratulations to Friday’s race winners in the IRC Classes:
- Derek Shakespeare’s J/122 Bulldog
- John Smart’s J/109 Jukebox
- Simon Perry’s Cape 31 Jiraffe.
Ian Walker, UK General Manager for North Sails, a double Olympic medallist and winning skipper of the Volvo Ocean Race, was out on the water in a coaching role.
Walker commented at the debrief. “For teams that are just getting the boats and themselves back on the water, that was a pretty tough day. However, teams that got out there have made progress, not just for this regatta but for the season ahead.”
Just some of Ian’s ‘golden nuggets’ at the video debrief:
“When it’s windy it is hard to accelerate at the start because if you bear away, you haven’t got the righting moment to gain speed, you have to stay high so you don’t fall over.”
“In terms of sail set up, It was gusty and shifty, so a forgiving trim set up is what you want. You need to get rid of the heeling moment with twist in the sail, especially at the top but not the whole sail as you need to be able to point.”
“The wind was shifty today, so you probably don’t want to get too near lay lines upwind, because the chances are that it is not going to stay lifted on one tack or the other all the way to the mark. It is probably better to stay in the middle of the course and play the shifts.”
“Downwind, calling the gusts was very important, and the team needs to react. Just coming down five degrees is a simple solution, but you have to have a crew member calling the gusts and emphasising the big bullets of pressure.”
Racing continues at the RORC Easter Challenge, Saturday 30 March.
