Ramsgate Week 2025 Mid-Week Update
by Peter Jackson 23 Jul 22:12 PDT
20-25 July 2025
After a windy EAORA Round-the-Goodwins race, Ramsgate Week proper started in lighter winds on Monday 21st July and will build up to the IRC East Coast Championships on the last three days.
With only some 70 visitors in 6 classes in 2025, including the foreign contingent, the historic Royal Temple YC clubhouse overlooking the racing water accommodated the festivities without needing a marquee. Monday and Tuesday racing was run from the club starting line off the harbour.
All but the non-spinnaker class had double figure entries, the combined IRC Classes 1 & 2 starts being the largest. Scratch boat was the Pronavia 42 Assassin of Peter & Alex Jackson, and lowest rated was the Thomas families X99 Xpedite. In race 1 these two carved up the top spots. Assassin taking a 4 minute win, with Xpedite another 4 minutes ahead of Simon Northrop's Melges 24 Lock Stock beating Robin Page's Corby 33 Imposter by just 16 seconds for 3rd, followed by Matt Green and the Forwood brothers on their Fareast 31 Sidewinder.
Race 2 was very testing with major shifts and holes. Assassin built up good leads lead twice but the smaller boats came back from behind to take the chocolates. Again it was Expedite, well steered by Mark Thomas, correcting at the front, this time winning by 4 minutes from John Barratt & Paul Woodwards X362 Stilletto, who'd got away from the First 34.7 Warrior by taking the right shift. Assassin held on for 3rd, 9 seconds ahead of Martin Law's Modified Cork 1720 Flying Pig who'd recovered from an OCS, with Imposter another 20 seconds behind ahead of Warrior.
Race 3, starting the IRC Championship, had steadier winds, blue sky and flat water. Assassin again led away, gybe setting at mark 1 to build a comfy lead on a complicated short leg multi round course, with Sidewinder leading the pack half a km back. Assassin's navigator dropped the ball after 2 different circuits, missing the 3rd and heading for the finish. The fleet didn't follow and Sidewinder took over the lead as Assassin ran back to the course under kite. Sidewinder relinquished line honours to the 42 and held on the beat her by 3 seconds, but only for 5th place as the bulk of the fleet, led by Stiletto and Imposter, were far too well sailed not to take full advantage.
Lock Stock was clinging on to Stiletto on the water but not close enough as the X362 took the win by 30 seconds. Xpedite again was close enough to correct to 3rd ahead of Peter Pearson et al's HOD 35 Buccaneer and Imposter equal 5th with Sidewinder. Expedite's 3rd kept her in the lead for the week with 6 points. Stiletto's win took her into 2nd with 9 points ahead of Assassin with 11, then Lock Stock on 13 and Imposter on 14.5, with 3 races to go.
The main cruiser class saw a clear leader emerge with a clean sweep of wins by Gary Walters locally based J97 Jura. Struggling in the RTYC IRC club fleet Jura, with some guest expertise, came into her own in a competitive fleet including Mike & Jo Brand's X40 Fox out of the Box, a number of regular visitors including two Dehler 34's and Nick Moulton's always well sailed Sun Fast 3200 Dabtoe. The Brand's X40 started with a foxy 2nd place but then slipped to a 4th and 3rd.
The Dehler Zephyros then Dabtoe grabbed a 3rd each before slipped to 4th and 6th.. Bruce James Long's MG38 Pinocchio was more consistent after a DNC, with two 2nd. The 2nd Dehler Flyer of Robin Impey was also consistent with 6,5,6. Anthony Dale's wheelchair friendly Corby 26 Bad Boys struggled to get in the frame in the light airs. After 3 races Jura has 3 points and the X40 9 points followed by a close battle between Zephyros, Dabtoe, Pinocchio and Flyer a few points apart.
The non-spinnaker class also found a runaway leader in Alan Lucas & Tony Nicholson's modified fractional rigged E-boat Zigge, based locally, but with hot competition from Bernard Sealey's Cinque Port Y.C. Based Sigma 38 Torbellin and the leading foreign competitior Jean Marc Devos on the Gravellines based Feeling 850 Carpe Diem. After 2 wins Zigge was 3rd in race 3, won by Carpe Diem from Torbellin. John & Michelle Stoneley's Jeanneau 37 Pippy, cleaning up in local club racing, had to settle for 4, 3, 4, to lie in 4th place overall with 11 points behind Zigge on 5 points, Torbellin on 6 and Carpe Diem on 8. The 3rd visiting Dehler 34 Banzai of Andrew Priestley is equal on 17 points with Susan Anderson's Gibsea 262 Impulse.
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