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11th December 2014« All News Items

Racing Through 2014 - Cruising into the New Year

2014 has been an absolutely belting year for the clients of Ultimate Sails: it started with an exciting new arrival on the Solent, included many race and regatta wins including a WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP TITLE and, at the time of going to press, Ossie Stewart has just finished a transatlantic crossing in the ARC Race in fourth position in his class. So, at the close of the year and with the new one fast approaching, we have plenty to celebrate. Here's a little round-up of some of our 2014 highlights.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It Just Takes Two 

               

At the start of the year we welcomed the arrival of the Simon Costain’s new boat, an X-50 called Xanadu on to the Solent. Simon bought Xanadu to pursue his love of offshore double-handed racing and along with Ultimate Sails’ very own Paul Hooker. This intrepid duo races many miles together during 2014 and are planning to compete in the AZAB ‘Azores and Back’ Race in 2015

 

Ultimate Sails designed and built a whole new inventory for Xanadu in 2014, including a new black Carbon Aramid mainsail with internal taffeta for durability and longevity, a Code 2 jib with vertical battens for ease of handling and use on the furler and a Code 2 A-Sail. Built as a running kite with larger corner patches using 1.5oz rip-stop nylon, when used with a snuffer this sail can be easily handled by a crew of two in up to 20 knots. An IRC Code Zero which dramatically changed the light wind performance of the boat and also build so it can be used for fast reaching, then the storm jib and Tri sail and we are working on a heavy weather staysail on an inner stay to complete the inventory for shorthanded sails.

 

The development work undertaken at Ultimate Sails during the winter months of 2013 and 2014 delivered success for clients in the spring and just a hint of what was to follow in the summer.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                                                                     Spring Wins at Warsash

 

David McLeman's J/109 Offbeat enjoyed race wins during the Brooks MacDonald Warsash Spring Series and finished the series second overall with his new mainsail and a new Code 2 spinnaker by Ultimate Sails. Chas Ivill’s J/111 ETB Tyres Just Like That also took a few of the top slots with the new Ultimate Sails designed (and blisteringly quick) class mainsail and Code 2 jib.

 

Duncan McDonald and Phil Thomas on J/111 Shmokin Joe finished second in the Black Group Spring Championship at the end of the series. This event was the first of a series of training regattas for the Shmokin Joe crew who were setting up for the J/111 European Championship and then the inaugural J/111 World Championship which was to be hosted by the Royal Yacht Squadron in August.

 

 

 

Summer Started in Scotland - Swan 45 Eala of Rhu - www.pfmpictures.co.uk

 

Swan 45 Eala of Rhu - www.pfmpictures.co.ukThe Silvers Marine Scottish Series took place over four days of the Bank Holiday weekend at the end of May. Ultimate Sails' Technical Director Kevin Sproul, a Scot himself, was competing on board the Swan 45 Eala of Rhu which is owned and skippered by James McGarry and Colin Moore.

The Scottish Series is always an epic event and hotly contested. It is raced on beautiful Loch Fyne and is renowned for extremely testing conditions: four-seasons-in-one-day type weather, incredibly shifty breeze, close, tactical fleet racing and some of sailings' best known names battling it out on the water. The 2014 event (the 40th anniversary of the regatta) was no exception. 

Eala of Rhu benefits from a full inventory by Ultimate Sails including a new mainsail, Code 1 and Code 2 jibs, a 1A asymmetric kite and a 2S symmetric kite, all of which have been designed specifically for IRC racing and delivered this year in preparation for McGarry's main event of 2014, the Brewin Dolphin Commodore's Cup.

Crew work, tactical intelligence and great boat speed all came together when it mattered most for the crew of Eala of Rhu and the team won class IRC Class 1 with just 13 points on the score-sheet. The team also won the Volvo Trophy which is presented to the team which, in the opinion of the Race Committee, gave the best performance overall in the IRC Classes. In second and third places in IRC Class 1 (both on 20 points) were the First 40 Zephyr and the Corby 37 Aurora - the two Commodore's Cup team-mates of Eala of Rhu.

  

The J/80 UK National Championships.  The white kite of 'JAT' by Ultimate Sails leads the fleet - www.sailingscenes.com 

 

The 2014 J/80 National Championships were held as a part of the International Yacht Paint bi-annual Poole Regatta at the end of May. With Kevin Sproul busy at the Scottish Series Chris Taylor, co-owner in the J/80 JAT, represented Ultimate Sails at the event.

On day one the races were sailed in 10-12 knots. By day two the wind had increased to 15-22 knots and the third and final day saw a shifty 8 knots of breeze off the land. Going in to the final day any one of three boats (Juicy, Aqua J or JAT) could win the series, so the pressure was high!

Aqua J's overnight lead was eroded by their worst pair of results – a seventh and a sixth and Juicy posted an eighth and a ninth. Meanwhile scored a pair of fourths, putting them on equal points with Aqua-J but after a full reckoning on countback, after one of the closest competitions in J/80 Class history Aqua-J became the 2014 J/80 National Champion with Chris and Phil Taylor winning the prize for the best performing Corinthian Team at the regatta. 

J/80 JAT has a full one-design Class inventory by Ultimate Sails. 

  

 

JP Morgan Round the Island Race

 

A truly EPIC race every year and an especially long one in 2014, sailed in extremely light airs and blazing sunshine. Countless clients of Ultimate Sails took part again this year - too numerous to mention in fact, but it would be remiss of us not to pick just a few for accolade here.

  • Jamie McGarry and Colin Moore led the entire fleet round the Needles in their beautiful Swan 45 Eala of Rhu before eventually finishing third on the water just behind the two custom race boats Tonnere de Breskens and Tokoloshe. These three leading boats were the only finishers under 10 hours - the slowest winning time in the history of the race.
  • Peter Scholfield won his class IRC 2C in his optimised HOD 35 Zarafa which is powered entirely by Ultimate Sails
  • David McLeman's J/109 Offbeat was second in IRC 2B and was the fastest J/109 around the island. Offbeat's mainsail and Code 2 kite are by Ultimate Sails
  • David Murrin's stunning classic 1957 Laurent Giles design Cetawayo deployed her Ultimate Sails inventory to devastating effect to achieve a fourth place in IRC 3A

 

 

 

All on for Andy in Ireland

 

In July, Andy Williams and his crew on board the Ker 40 Keronimo who took third place in IRC Class 1 at Volvo Cork Week. The Ultimate Sails and crew looking very good there guys!

 

 

Keronimo at Cork - Photo Courtesy of Cork Week 2014

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

Cowes Week Sucess

 

At AAM Cowes Week the winners of the J/111 Class and runners up at the J/111 Euro Cup were Stewart Hawthorn and his extremely talented crew on 'Plan J'.

 

Here's what Stewart had to say about Plan J's sails, designed and built by Ultimate Sails.

'Never having sailed a J/111 before I wasn't sure about the set-up and sail trim. However, the Ultimate Sails jib and main fitted straight on the boat and gave me fantastic straight line speed which allowed me the opportunity to sail to the shifts. I was really pleased with the edge that the sails gave me'

 

 And finally…The winner is Shmokin Joe! - Shmokin Joe wins the J/111 World Championship www.rick-tomlinson.com 

 

Day five of the J/111 World Championship dawned with a clear sky, low temperature and no gradient wind. The forecast was for five knots at 1030 rising to eight by noon. With two races left to sail and a 1500 prize giving ceremony, in view of the light conditions it seemed likely that at best only one race would be sailed.

 

The overnight leader Shmokin Joe owned by Duncan McDonald and Phil Thomas had a strong enough score that if one or less races were sailed the trophy was going home to Brighton with them.

 

Whilst Shmokin Joe may have felt safe, second place Tony Mack's McFly were under threat from Frédéric Bouvier and his French team aboard J Lance 9. The French had only come together as a team for the event and had gelled as the series progressed to become the boat of the day on day four, the penultimate day.

 

Down the fleet there were individual battles to be fought; Stuart Sawyer's Black Dog from Falmouth in fourth was just half a point clear of Cornel Riklin's Jitterbug from Lymington in fifth. Similarly Jamie Arnell's Jeez Louise in seventh was just half a point ahead of David and Kirsty Apthorp's J Dream in eighth.

 

The Royal Yacht Squadron race team stationed their committee boat to east of the Bramble Bank in the shallow water near Fastnet mark. After two hours of studying a glassy sea, PRO Simon van der Byl took the popular decision to draw the regatta to close. With ten great races completed, no one should feel that they did not have the opportunity to improve their lot.

 

Thus, following their terrific victory at the J-Cup, Shmokin Joe are the first ever J/111 World Champions!

 

 

 

 

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