Having ducked out of the Fastnet and with it looking a bit breezy at Datchet for a novice Waszp sailor, I went down to Hurst with my camera to watch the fleet go by. It was quite a day, with a big crowd heading out along the spit to enjoy the fleet beating out in a big breeze and, in the Narrows, some steep waves whipped up with the wind against the ebb tide.
First through were big multihulls and the IMOCA fleet……
……. and a little later, after a 33 strong fleet of Class 40s and a handful of Figaro 3s, the 264 IRC entries (or at least all those who had made it to the start line given the adverse forecast)
I made a particular effort to take photos of the J105s racing and of entrants in the UK Double Handed Offshore Series. I was completely unsuccessful in the first regard – I can only assume that they very sensibly went through the Narrows on the Island shore where the waves were least and were screened from me by other competitors. And I was only partially successful in the second, for example only getting a glimpse of the stern of Purple Mist, sailed by Kate Cope who is the prime mover in UKDHOS. Click here to see the photos of UKDHOS competitors.