Royal Navy Sailing Association vs BAR Yacht Club
Published 14:12 on 15 May 2024
Royal Navy Sailing Association vs BAR Yacht Club (Yacht Club for Members of the Bar and Inns of Court) J70 6-boat Team Racing at the Royal Yacht Squadron
Onboard SD Netley across the Solent towards Cowes, conversations between the Sailors from RNSA Captained by ESC former junior Captain Charlie South and the Bar Yacht Club were mostly on the topic of much-needed bacon butties at the Royal Yacht Squadron, and on the worryingly glassy texture of the water. With no clouds to get in the way of the sun, it was agreed that only poor suncream application would ruin the day, and not the 3kts of wind that was predicted on everyone's weather apps in the morning.
Both teams fielded experienced and novice members alike, and so the hour-long transit also proved a good opportunity for some tactical explanation of team racing, giving the less-experienced an idea of what to expect throughout the day. For a few, the event was their first time sailing J70s, or taking part in a racing event with the RNSA.
On arrival to the Royal Yacht Squadron all were welcomed with a hot drink, and a hearty bacon and egg roll as fuel for the close racing that was yet to come. With the sun rising higher in the sky over Southampton, both teams huddled in for their pre-race brief on the lawn overlooking the Solent, and in the backdrop more and more white sails appeared to be finding enough breeze to get up-tide past the Squadron. Both teams were quick and eager to get in their respectively blue and yellow flagged J70s, kept a stone's throw down the river at Shepherd's Marina. The short journey out past the breakwater and to Osbourne bay proved a good little shakedown for the sailors getting accustomed to the boat, and an opportunity to get the suncream applied properly before gathering around the committee boat, already in situ. The squadron ribs busied themselves with laying a 4-mark square course, with an upwind Finnish. Nice and simple for the teams to follow and with plenty of blank canvas for some interesting team racing strategies to come out. A straightforward and short course also meant that race starts could proceed straight away on the last race finish, with the goal being to get as many races as possible fitted into the weather window we had now been afforded.
A slightly apprehensive first start from the RNSA boats gave an early advantage to the yellow-flagged Bar J70s, and with a clearly leading boat in each of the three dogfighting pairs they took the first race win. We had started without much of a team strategy and had lost the initiative off the bat. With a small bit of team talk we agreed the start had been our problem area and began getting into a more racy frame of mind as the warning went up for Race 2. Sure enough, a punchier and more assertive run across the line helped change the momentum with each boat's opposite number, and a 1-3-5 win brought us to one-all. It was going to be a tight day of racing for sure!
Each team then took it in turn to make a step forward with the strategy and pace around the square course, with RNSA and Bar trading win for win all the way through to lunch. Most races were decided by as little as one protest and subsequent penalty, or a poor start for one of the three J70s on each team. Tight racing in the late morning sun led to some friendly rivalries being formed between the pairs, and it was clearly time for a lunch break when the last pair in race 5 had become so fixated on marking each other they hadn't realised two Bar Yacht Club boats had crossed in first and second, invalidating the results from the rest of the field. We hove to and everyone broke out their packed lunches with the score being 3-2 to Bar.
Over lunch the committee boat made the decision to essentially continue running races until a clear leader was established. Not only was it wonderful weather, but close, competitive, and infectiously fun racing. Everyone was onboard with the idea but it did give the RNSA an uphill battle for the afternoon. With everyone now fully settled into the boats, the conditions, and the course, we had the warning for Race 6 to begin and everyone had their focus fully on the start procedure and the opposite team. RNSA managed to make yet another punchy start, in a comfortable position on the upwind leg, and close enough to each other for an agreement to be made on tactics the second and third placed boats would go on opposite tacks for the downwind leg, ensuring the leading Bar J70 would have to pick and then lose out to the unmarked RNSA boat. Between the much improved starts and the gamesmanship afforded by better sailing on the upwind leg of the course, the three RNSA boats posted convincing victories back to back in the afternoon, leading to a finish of 5-3.
With the wind having gradually built throughout the day, and not wanting to waste the opportunity of being already out and ready to head back east towards Royal Yacht Squadron, a passage race was organised using the same start and windward mark, and then a long downwind leg to finish on the Royal Line to the delight of spectators now gathered to soak up the afternoon sun. Given the much larger course for the passage race, the teams were now allowed to fly their spinnakers. With the wind knocked out of the three yellow flagged J70s, RNSA came home to take 1-2 in the last competition of the evening, the winning boat earning a customary round of Dark & Stormies at the prize-giving ceremony later.
A few sore hands and sunburnt foreheads were present at the ceremony, and after a round of Pimm's both teams mingled to have a chuckle about some of the closer and heated moments of the day's racing. Clearly no grudges had been forged, as everyone descended on The Globe to watch the shadows get longer from the balcony, with yet more refreshment in hand.
We would like to extend another round of thanks to all RNSA and Bar yacht club members that put aside their Saturday plans in order to attend the event for the competitive, and engaging racing they displayed throughout the whole day, and to the Royal Yacht Squadron, for the hosting of the event and the continuing support they offer RNSA through the charter availability of the J70 yachts used for the event.