Where was everybody! Only six J105's took part in the classic Round the Island Race on Saturday 20 June. The race started at 0820 with very light airs with the tide just turning off the Green. It seemed to take forever before a solid breeze established itself from the west, increasing to a good 20 knots or more around St Catherines. So much so fun, but sadly the wind died at Bembridge Ledge leading to the raft up of the century with much use of shouting and fenders. The upshot of all this was that the race restarted about an hour later when a new breeze filled in and luck played its part.

At the finish Flawless J (double handed) finished as the first J105, well done guys, at 1752 followed over half an hour later by Fay J (who had been significantly ahead just before Bembridge), closely followed by Jelly Baby and Jeopardy. Not far behind them came Jus a J, a French J105 with Just Acquaholix ringing up the rear at 1905. The end of a very long and somewhat trying day!   

Last week's bi-annual Biscay challenge was a complete contrast to the previous race, being dominated by a high over Biscay giving very light winds and forcing many competitors to retire.

The race started with a brisk beat in a force 4 out of the Solent and swiftly degenerated into a foggy windless scenario with boats anchoring in up to 60m of water. The slow run down to Ushant caused the leaders to bunch up and there was only approx 3 hours between the leading boat on the water (Spliff, an Open 40) and Only Just (J105). However, cracking off after Ushant allowed the high speed planing boats to break away ahead of a high whilst Only Just was left to sit in the middle praying for a push from a following whale! Varying conditions at the end meant the Open 40 and the J133 Pintia reached into the finish at high speed whilst at the back end of this group Only Just crept  in a 3knot zephyr. 

J boats were placed 1^st and 2^nd with local to Hondarribia boat Pintia (J133) taking 1^st and Only Just (J105) second , ahead of Spliff (Open 40)

The prorest hearing between Java and Journeymaker relating to a start line incident in the third race was reopened at the request of Java when new information came to light (photos by Eddie Mays). The result was that the protest was dismissed on the basis that Journeymaker had not conspicuously displayed a protest flag at the first reasonable opportunity.

This means that Java deservedly won the series with seven points followed by Fay J with 9 and Voador with 10. Journeymaker were 4th on 12 points.

J105's had a great start to the RORC offshore season with Simon Curwen on Voador coming second overall, second in IRC2 and second in the double handed division in the Cervantes Trophy race to Le Havre. Simon was only beaten by a new X34 with an outrageous rating!

Nick Martin and Roid Knowles also had good weekends. Diablo J was 6th overall, 4th in IRC2 and 5th double hander while Juliette was 8th overall, 5th in IRC2 and 6th in the double handed division.

The final race of this year’s spring series saw eight J105’s on the start line in glorious sailing conditions, sunshine with a 9 to 15 knot south easterly breeze. The race committee set a demanding course which in the event took approaching three hours (or longer) to complete.

The first beat to Daks was testing with both shifts and less breeze towards the island shore to contend with. Fay J (Paul Griffiths) and Only Just (Andy Hill with Paul Heys on board) read the shifts the best and rounded together with a substantial lead over the rest of the fleet. These two fought it out together over the next two legs until a riding turn on Fay J allowed Only Just to get away and the gap behind to close substantially.

There then ensued another incredibly close race with at one stage Fay J falling to fifth behind Only Just, Java (Rob Dornton-Duff), Voador (Nicky Curwen) and Journeymaker (Chris Jones). The final three legs, a beat to Norris, a run down to East Knoll and the final beat to the finish proved decisive with Fay J rediscovering their earlier boat speed to take second, two and a half minutes behind Only Just but just seven seconds ahead of Voador with Java fourth. Another great advert for one design racing!

Journeymaker came in a close fifth after losing their spinnaker halyard up the mast on the first run and sending a man up to retrieve it. Jackpot (Vernon Bradley) followed but only after trawling one of the crew through the water for some considerable distance. Not good for boat speed!

The protest between Journeymaker and Java relating to race three took place after racing. The protest was upheld leading to a 4% time penalty on Java, knocking her down from first to fourth for that race. In the overall standings after the five races held, with a discard coming into operation, Fay J with 8 points won the series with Voador second on 9 points and Java third on 10 points. Interestingly if Java had immediately accepted the protest in race three (with a 1% time penalty) they would have tied for first on 8 points.

If the rest of the season is as full on as the first five races we are in for a vintage year, roll on the Nationals. In the five races of the Spring Series Java crossed the line first on two occasions with the other three races being won by three different boats: Only Just, Journeymaker and Voador. The series winner did not actually win a race, except in the protest room, where they were not involved!

Paul Griffiths