After the delays and problems of lack of wind last week all seemed set fair for the fifth day of sailing in the Barclays Marine Finance Warsash Spring Series sailed in the central Solent on Sunday, 21 April.

The first class, the IRM for the fastest Race One Ker 11.3s and Farr 40s went away on time, although two boats were over the line and had to go back. The next next class, IRC Division 1 also had a good start. Then the wind died. For 90 minutes the fleet drifted around waiting for the wind to fill in. When it did arrive, the race committee bunched the starts again so that all yachts were away by midday, beating into a freshening 10 knots of winds.

Meanwhile two classes of the fastest yachts in the 280 boats in the Spring Series were still racing. The wind swung through 90 degrees for the IRM yachts giving them more reaching than planned. The committtee decided to shorten the course for the IRC boats at the penultimate mark to avoid them being in contention with other yachts as they tried to finish. Born Slippy, with Jonty Sherwill at the helm took the winner’s gun ahead of Closing Time and Fat Diva.

Jim MacGregor on Triple A with Flair kept up his challenge for the series winner’s position with a win in the IRC Division 3. In Division 4, the class was won by the ketch Frenesi of Clynder, the oldest boat in the regatta.

The White Group of smaller yachts set their starts on the edge of the north channel in the face of an east to south-east wind, but after the first lap of three lap races the committee could see trouble coming and finished the Mumm 30s and Cork 1720s from a RIB.

For the second race of the session the wind had swung round through 90 degrees. For the first time in the series the Mumm 30s were called back for a general recall. Malcolm McKeag’s Royal Thames won the first race ahead of Asterix. For the second race Asterix came in ahead of Royal Thames but behind Panther 1.

The Hunter 707s were up to their usual tricks and after several general recalls in the series the committee imposed their first black flag rule. One boat ventured over the line in the final minute before the start and was disqualified, but all the others kept well back.

The sportsboats were also out on Saturday for the first day of the spring championship which is combined with the Barclays Marine Finance Warsash Spring Series. The final round will take place next weekend (27-28 April).

Results (provisional)

IRM

1 Too Steamy (Nick & Anne Haigh)

2 Assegai (Chris Hunt / Leon Christianakis)

3 I-Site

IRC Div 1

1 Born Slippy (Julian Bates)

2 Closing Time (David Riley / Andrew Bates)

3 Fat Diva (Roger Lee)

IRC Div 2

1 Triple A with Flair (Jim MacGregor)

2 Fastwave II (Chris Brown)

3 Appledore Shipbuilders (Appledore Shipbuilders)

IRC Div 3

1 Capitalism (Tim Harrington)

2 Bump in the Night (Duncan Morris)

3 Xcitable (Stephen Bromley)

IRC Div 4

1 Frenesi of Clynder (David Hart)

2 Hobby Horse (Mike Fawcett)

3 Effusion (Jackie Welch)

Sigma 38

1 Beefeater (David Pugh-Jones)

2 Red Arrow (RAF Sailing Assoc)

3 Flying Formula (Penny Haire)

Sigma 33

1 Summation (Tim Wright)

2 Jupa (Julian Spencer-Smith)

3 Meka II (Kelly Matthew)

X332

1 X-factor (Russell Hodgson)

2 Carabistouilles (Edouard Wylleman)

3 Xplorer (Ian Dawson)

Bowsprit

1 Moontiger III (Tim Gabriel)

2 Moose on the Loose (Mervyn Gutteridge / Duncan Money)

3 Just Another Cunning Plan (Robert Davis)

Mumm 30

1 Royal Thames (Malcolm McKeag)

2 Asterix (Louis Brown)

3 Monkey Business (D Wilkinson/I Poynton/P Edward)

Cork 1720

1 Full Pelt (Stephen Fein)

2 S.T.B.D (Russell Peters/Stu Robinson)

3 Flamboyant (Christopher Jago)

Hunter 707