Victorious | Sailing & racing

A 'short sausage'

The breeze was fickle, and hence ambitious plans to cross the east going tide to a mark on the island shore had to be modified to stay a little closer to home. No harm in putting Stokes Bay East in as the first mark however, to provide a challenging beat around Gilkicker against the tide, followed by Linington – BT – Suffolk Sails, and a ‘short sausage’ to PSC and back if time allowed.

It has to be said that the gate boat had a small advantage, as its port tack run took it in out of the east going tide towards the Haslar wall. There was a general trend to start through the gate as late as possible to compensate, taken almost to extremes (or disaster) by Z75 crossing the line with only 5 seconds of gate left. Z73 also recognised the need to get quickly to the beach, tacking and following the gate boat’s line almost immediately.

In on the beach at Fort Monckton to dodge the east going and get around the Gilkicker corner. Z54 initially holding and opening a lead over Z75 followed by Z68 representing the ‘Petersfield Massive’. You had to get it right however, and the fleet was already starting to spread as the tacks kept coming. You also have to get the corner right, there is a time to come just that little bit further off the beach and aim to just lay the corner, ideally with a bit of help from a bow across the tide. Z75 got that one right, and took the lead from 54 as we cleared the point, with 68, 73, 53, 76 and 48 strung out behind. The leading pair pulled away from the pack, aided by the fluctuating breeze as the SW and SE components fought it out. Z75 in control and first around SBE with 54 close behind, and downwind with the tide helping to further spread the fleet at the tidal gate. 68 next around, 73 and 53 close together and 76 and 48 bringing up the rear but at least with someone to fight with.

As we headed east the breeze died further. Keeping spinnakers flying was tricky, did you go high and hope for breeze later or stay low. Z54 pushed a little further south above the line to Linington, and was eventually rewarded as the breeze built again and swung towards the South, allowing her to power over Z75. At Linington Z54 had the lead again, and started the slow beat back towards the Haslar wall in control, although still with 75 only some half a dozen lengths to leeward. Behind us the fleet largely maintained their positions as they followed.

It wasn’t over yet. Once the wall was reached there were shifts to work with as you dodged the tide again up to BT. How far to go in, or out? Z75 making good progress took the lead back. Tacking off the north corner of Monckton for the mark she looked good with several lengths in hand, It was also 15:55 by now, and the shortened course was called to finish at Suffolk Sails. No short sausage today…

It still wasn’t over yet! 54 squeezed closer to the beach and caught a lift as the two leaders pushed out across the tide to the starboard rounding of BT. Timing was critical, at the mark 54 was on the buoy on Starboard, 75 on port had nowhere to go and had to tack off, and 54 was around first by a couple of lengths. Kites up, run down the wall, nothing to do but keep moving. It wasn’t over until it was over, at the line 54 had maintained her lead by about a boat length over 75. Behind us the rest of the fleet no doubt had their own stories to tell, Z68, Z73,Z53, Z76 and Z48 followed to finish what had turned out to be a challenging race in the conditions, despite the sunshine!

Great to see so many boats racing, hope you are all there next week, and there is always room for more….!

At the start area 2 boats (usual suspects) gathered (Z54 & Z75), but Z75 had a guest on the helm, John Hartley.

With the course decided – MB(p)-KB(p)-BT(s)-SS(fin). Z54 took the honours to be gate. Wait a minute, looks like another Victory appearing at the Harbour Entrance. After delaying the start and

understanding that Z73 had come out for “RACE TRAINING” and was not going to race, Z54 opened the start gate at KB Boats (KB).

Z75 split tacks at the start with Z54 heading towards the shore at Spithead. Both boats decided to try and gain some tidal advantage at Gilkicker. Z54 leading the way and extending their lead to 8 lengths. Z75 pushed South into the main channel, tacking on shifts, the two boats swapped tacks with Z54’s lead only reducing slightly. Z75 tacked on the Starboard layline at Motherbank (MB) first with Z54 just tacking in front, leading by a couple of lengths. A smart hoist by both crews at the mark, then a deep run back to KB. Z54 going deeper, but Z75 gaining slightly on the lulls (thanks to great steering (JH) and kite trim (MR)).

At Gilkicker the lead had changed with Z75 arriving at the next mark just half a length ahead of Z54. Z75 then covered Z54 on the next beat but misjudged the layline slightly at Baker Trayte(BT).So the final run to the finish, first z54 tried to sail deeper to gain some leverage, but than resorted to a final attack covering the wind on Z75. Z75 held its slender lead to the finish.

What a race, a long Solent race, nearly two hours with the boats finishing within six seconds and hardly more than a few lengths between them for the whole race!

Beers were enjoyed at the PSC bar, with JH enjoying his first victory race for a while (I don’t believe him)!!

Thanks to Geoff and his crew for a great day sailing!!!

Scam

(P.S. Jim Page - you could have started the race then RTD/DNS - which I believe is better points than a DNC)

• A feature article was published in the official Cowes Week programme, which you can read through the link below.
• The Victory Class was featured on the cover of the Sis.
• Cowes Week produced an official video celebrating the Class, including interviews with Matt and MC, along with stunning aerial footage of our races. Watch the video here
• On Friday, our start was signaled by the firing of a large RYS cannon!

Sailing Today - Yachts and Yachting also published an article about the Class in their July 2024 magazine

Victory Class celebrates 90 years

Celebrating its 90th anniversary in 2024, the Victory Class is a Cowes Week classic having taken part in the regatta as early as 1938.

The earliest of these sturdy, black-hulled, 21ft clinker dayboats trace their pedigree back to the gaff-rigged Bembridge one-designs, penned by eminent Solent designer Alfred Westmacott (also X One-Design, Mermaid and Sunbeam) and later modified by Sydney Graham – their shallow draft, speed and ease of handling under an updated Bermudan rig ensured a swift rise in popularity as the boat was readily adopted for club racing in and around Portsmouth Harbour. A spinnaker was added, along with the ‘Z’ insignia on the mainsail, and the class forged ahead as a strict one-design. The fleet numbered 29 boats by 1939, many sailed by naval officers, resulting in a number of boats being shipped to Gibraltar; a fleet still exists there today.

By the 50^th anniversary in 1984, there were 32 boats racing for the celebrations in Cowes.

90 years later, and the Victory class has maintained that competitive reputation (a busy calendar sees around 90 races run from Portsmouth in the summer months) and the Class has had no fewer than seven different winners in the last eight Cowes Weeks!

Celebrations for the 90th are set to be memorable, with a BBQ planned on the Monday night in Cowes to celebrate the Westmacott Trophy, followed by a special Class dinner on the Thursday evening.

Even as it celebrates its many years of successful racing, the Victory class is also embracing its future. Since the launch in 2007 of a GRP Victory, developed by the Class association and built by David Heritage Yachting, numbers racing have shown an upwards trend, with several new boats bolstering this very active and much-loved fleet.

Six Victorys raced over to Seaview on Friday afternoon in quite bouncy conditions. First to finish on the SVYC line was Zilch (Z75) helmed by John Scammell; second was Zelia (Z54 - Geoff Dixon) and third was Zada (Z79 - Nick Benham). Z48 Isabel helmed by Jim Downing tacked early only to find himself rather close to the swimmers on Seaview beach! Subsequently they were joined by Zircon (67 - James Jopling) and on Saturday morning by Seagull (Z73 - Jim Page). After a very jovial informal supper at SVYC on Friday evening, crews met up on the staging mid morning on Saturday and as planned had a relatively short one round race around the SVYC buoys.

Victory Start 1 Saturday - https://youtu.be/o3z4pSx7na4

Looking completely in control, and making their spinnaker work well on the run to the leeward mark, Zilch (Z75) was the first to cross the finish line ahead of Zada (Z79) second and Zelia (Z54) third. With the fickle SSE’erly breeze coming and going, the third race was essentially a passage race to Under Tyne - a challenging beat as it turned out.

After a tight start close to the inner distance mark. it was soon evident that the front three were going to be the same boats (in the same order) as the previous race.

The final race of the day was another ‘round the cans’ race, making use of Tara as the windward mark, Fitzwilliam as the wing and Britten as the leeward mark; set three times round with the requirement to go through the line to complete each round. After a clean start (just) it was again Zilch (Z75), Zada (Z79) and Zelia (Z54) who lead the fleet as they located the correct buoys in unfamiliar waters.

Victory Start Race 4 Saturday - https://youtu.be/Wcqi1MbOg7o

Although the front group seemed to make light work of the fickle breeze, the bottom few boats struggled to stem the increasingly strengthening tide taking boats, against their wishes, back to Seaview. Indeed Dolphin (Z9) realised that they were on a looser so sensibly decided to retire and use their outboard to help them to the overnight moorings at Under Tyne. As the leaders had already taken an hour and a half as they came to complete the second round, the third round was abandoned and the S Flag (shorten course) was displayed.

After an excellent bbq at BSC on Saturday evening, it had been agreed that crews would meet at BSC the following morning at 10:15 to be ferried out to the Under Tyne moorings with the aim of the passage race back to Portsmouth starting at 11:00 so as to be off Seaview at 11:30 when the Red Arrows were doing a display over Ryde Sands. In the event it took a couple of boats a bit longer to rig but with the breeze holding and despite the very biased line, the seven Victory’s (Zada Z79 having returned the previous late afternoon) and although it was a beat all the way, good progress was made and they were treated to their own display overhead! Also a timely reminder for some of how far out Ryde Sands stretches! Self finishing off Suffolk Sails, the front three boats were Z48 - Isabel; Z54 - Zelia and Z70 – Unity who finished within three minutes of each other after a two hour race.

A fun weekend which it is hoped can be repeated again soon. Its been too long since the Victorys were regular visitors to the Eastern Solent.

The final results for the weekend were:

1. Z75 - Zilch

2. Z54 - Zelia

3. Z79 - Zada

4. Z48 - Isabel

5. Z70 - Unity

6. Z9 - Dolphin

7. Z67 - Zircon

8. Z73 - Seagull

Additional photos: https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjBxzAm

Words by Mike Samuelson

This is one of the key events to celebrate our 90th year, the weekend will consist of up to 5 races and 2 socials. The formal one of the socials will take place on Saturday 29 June at Bembridge Sailing Club. This event is open to all Class Members, past and present. Plus members from Portsmouth Sailing Club.

See the timetable for the weekend below

The poster contains all the detail, any questions please contact Matt Salt (Class Captain) on 07931252465.

The NoR for the weekend can be found on the EWCC website here

There is a general Q&A sheet on the website here - this list is not exhaustive, so if you have other questions please speak to Matt, who can update the list

Photo: MC. (p.s yes it is 75 and not 69 really!)

Course selection was frankly tricky, with little wind in places on the race track and swings from south east to south west as gate boat Z54 scratched their collective heads just outside the harbour entrance. Dare we go far afield? Clearly not… even BT and Gleeds, out in a solid east going tide, were fraught with potential disaster and the chance to be very late back to the bar. So then, start at PSC, to KB, Suffolk Sails, PSC, Suffolk Sails, PSC, and finish at Suffolk Sails…plenty of scope to shorten.

The wind was light at the start but with a bit of concentration it was just possible to get a respectable ‘gate’ sailed. Z75 was keen and the first one out of the gate, while 70 and 68 held on to go a little later. Come on, come on…….the third boat cleared the gate at 1 minute 50 seconds and Z54 was pleased to be free to tack out towards KB… and out into the east going that was set to push them away from the buoy. It was the same for everyone of course, and 75 crossed ahead of 54, as the wind held just enough to allow progress against the tide. It seemed to take a while, but 75 slipped round the buoy with 54 following, several lengths behind already. Spinnakers up for a very slow run back towards Suffolk Sails….

A look behind as we approached the downwind mark revealed a sad sight, the wind having deserted 68 and 70 somewhat before rounding KB, and a large gap had opened up between the first pair of boats and the second pair.

At the front 75 had some half a dozen lengths on 54 as we started back up the beat. Where was the wind? 54 took an earlier tack for the wall, where what there was of the breeze seemed to be clinging to the granite. 75 followed, but as the lay line for PSC approached 54 had edged ahead while closing the gap to windward. What would 75 do, tack on the lee bow of course, could we roll him, could he lay the mark? No and yes respectively, and 75 rounded PSC with a couple of boat lengths clear from 54. It was getting closer, although behind us we could see that Z70 was having no luck with the fickle breeze and 68 was opening the gap..

Down the run to Suffolk Sails again. At the mark 54 was on 75’s transom, but a better rounding saw her pull away again. Once again 54 tacked first for the wall. The wind had other ideas, as we headed south west it started to swing south, then south east. 75 and 54 both lifted. Now we were both overlaying PSC. Sails were eased, could 54 to leeward power out and break the overlap before the buoy. No again! Now neck and neck at the buoy 75 had control to get the tack in first and round on the inside. Feet only between us….

Now the run to the finish at Suffolk sails.. but its no longer a run of course… the wind is almost from the East. 75 takes a decision not to hoist, 54 hoists and foots off under 75 with Heather hanging on grimly to a tightly sheeted spinnaker! Picking up pace… 75 looking worried…half way to the line ..is he going to hoist?… he is going to hoist.. there it goes. With 75 briefly distracted 54 sheets harder and climbs across 75’s transom. Clear to windward, line bias in 54’s favour now, but can she gain the couple of boat lengths needed. 75 footing off for speed.. its close, its very close, its half a boat length…

To be honest, with no one on the line, both boats likely felt they had the win, but 75 certainly had the benefit of the doubt, to take the race and the Helmsmans Cup. Congratulations on a great race and series to Z75, and a great race and series for the Victory Class, half a boat length and 49 years of boat age separating the first two boats shows the best of the one design racing that the class offers.

A very honourable mention for Z70, MC and Matt cruelly abandoned by the wind gods on this occasion having had some great results in the first 3 races of the series….. next time….!