Bristol Channel yachts celebrate success in annual Holms Race at Portishead Cruising Club
by Tim Pearson 7 Oct 01:23 PDT
28 September 2024
Holms Race at Portishead Cruising Club © Tim Pearson
Portishead Cruising Club (PCC) hosted its annual Holms Race on Saturday 28th September. For many the race is a highlight of the Bristol Channel sailing calendar with a course starting in Portishead, rounding the islands of Flat Holm and Steep Holm and then returning to Portishead.
What adds extra skill to this event is yacht crews choose their own start time based on their prediction of arriving between the islands at exactly slack water. Too early and the tide will force them to add extra distance, too late and a rounding won't be possible.
Thanks to the tide times, it was a very early start this year with 36 boats locking out of Portishead Marina from 06h30 before waiting for the right time to start their approach to the line.
Wind conditions were predicted to be light and while the outbound upwind leg towards the islands had some stretches of solid breeze, as the fleet approached Flat Holm, the wind began to drop making for some testing conditions on the far side of the islands as spinnaker's were hoisted to complete the rounding of Steep Holm.
On the spinnaker run back, the breeze filled in and the powered up fleet were fast approaching the North West Elbow buoy before once again a wind hole developed and bunched the fleet. With the wind absent and the new tide starting to run, crew skills were tested to ensure that when the breeze filled back in, they were in the right place to optimise the new wind and resume racing.
Approaching the line generated some more fluky conditions and of the 36 boats that started the race, 21 completed the full course. Some of the fleet had not factored in a dropping breeze on the outward leg which meant they arrived late at the islands and couldn't round them before the tide turned.
The post-event BBQ and prize-giving was once again kindly hosted by Advance Marine. The overall winner based on the PY handicap system was Barefoot, a Sweden Yachts 340 skippered by Simon Thomas from Cardiff Bay Yacht Club who secured their second consecutive win.
New for 2024 was a special award for the overall winner of the IRC boats which was won by Just in Time, a J/80 skippered by Andy Deverson from Cardiff Bay Yacht Club.
The final award was the much coveted Bristol Channel Yachting Association (BCYA) rose bowl for the 'Top Club'. This was retained by PCC who's members secured the highest placings overall.
Full results can be found at pccsail.com/holms-race-2024
As ever, the race is only successful thanks to all the people that make it happen. PCC would like to extend their thanks to the Race Control team who were based at Battery Point from the early hours, everyone that competed from clubs across the Bristol Channel and to our sponsors Boatfolk and Advance Marine.
If you'd like to join future races but don't know where to start, contact us to find out about the latest crewing opportunities that may be available. You don't need a boat to join in the fun!