Please select your home edition
Edition
Palm Beach Motor Yachts

Summer Series at Royal Temple Yacht Club - Race 4

by Peter Jackson 15 Jul 00:12 PDT 13 July 2025
Flying Pig, winner - Summer Series at Royal Temple YC race 4 © Alex Jackson
Assassin - Summer Series at Royal Temple YC race 4 ©Andy Ketteringham
previous next
  1. 1
  2. 2
  3. 3
  4. 4
  5. 5
  6. 6
  7. 7
  8. 8
  9. 9
  10. 10
  11. 11
  12. 12
  13. 13

A benign breeze and flat water belied a moderate tide, running south to Sandwich Bay. The club's new racing marks were out ready for Ramsgate week and two were employed after a running start with the tide.

In Classes 3 & 4 Alan Lucas's new entry Ziggy joined in to upset the established running order. A modified E boat Ziggy replaced Alan's previous E boat which was damaged after losing her rig a year ago. Ziggy had capsized on her trip to Ramsgate, just past Reigate on the M25, the repairs delaying her launch.

The eight boat Class 1 fleet suffered a few boats ashore or berthed preparing for the EAORA 'Round The Goodwins' and East Coast IRC Championship start to Ramsgate Race Week on the following Sunday. Flying Pig, Martin Law's modified Cork 1720, made a conservative start, reaching under jib, just ahead of Peter & Alex Jackson's 42ft Assassin, still training new young crew, who went for a spinnaker.

The kite proved a mistake as it held a classic wineglass for most of the short first leg, letting Flying Pig round first. Peter Pearson et al's HOD 35 Buccaneer and Nick Rawbone's First 34.7 Warrior flew kites more conventionally, rounding close behind the leading pair.

Assassin glided silkily past the 1720 and away, but now owed a debt on handicap she never quite gained back. The wind shifted but held as the tide eased. Assassin got round the course in under 1hr 10 minutes, but most of the fleet crossed within 13 minutes. The Poupard family X99 Xpedite and Gary Walters J97 Jura, after a close tussle won by the X99, only another 9 minutes back.

The 1720 corrected a clear 2 minutes in the lead, but 2nd place was far closer. Buccaneer, not a light air specialist, just held on to her 1st leg lead over Assassin to take 2nd place by 4 seconds. Warrior corrected within 3 more minutes, 4 minutes ahead of Xpedite, partly due to the X99, like Assassin, not yet having a jet-washed bottom. The win left Flying Pig 2 points clear of Assassin in the series.

In Class 3 the 22ft Ziggy shot round the track on the tail of series leader Pippy as if powered by stardust. The big rig E boat made John & Michelle Stoneley's Pippy, a Jeanneau 37, look a bit portly in the light stuff. Michael 'Chalky' White's et al's UFO 31 Manana couldn't stand the pace. The 37 crossed 3 minutes ahead after 1hr 50 minutes but owed Ziggy far to much and corrected to 10 minutes behind.

Manana seemed to struggle sheeting her spinnaker on and corrected another 10 minutes back. Pippy still leads the series from Bad Boys but now has a more potent threat.

Podium Places - IRC Class 1-2:

1st Flying Pig, Martin Law
2nd Buccaneer, Peter Pearson et al
3rd Assassin, Peter & Alex Jackson

Podium Places - IRC Class 3-4

1st Ziggy Alan Lucas
2nd Pippy, John & Michelle Stoneley
3rd Manana, Michael White et al

Related Articles

Ramsgate Week 2025 Overall
QE2 Cup, Gold Cup & IRC East Coast Championships on Thursday & Friday After the fun start to Ramsgate Week the slightly more serious business of the major trophies and IRC East Coast Championships continued in a wide range of weather conditions. Posted on 27 Jul
Ramsgate Week 2025 Mid-Week Update
Lighter breeze to start after a windy EAORA Round-the-Goodwins race 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. Posted on 24 Jul
EAORA Round the Goodwins Race
Royal Temple Yacht Club Ramsgate Week 2025 Opener With a gusty southerly wind forecast a slightly controversial clockwise course was set, starting north to Goodwin Knoll after a short initial beat, so most boats had a foul tide for most of the race. Posted on 20 Jul
EAORA Offshore Regatta 2025
Fourteen boats started the RORC East Coast Race Fourteen boats started the RORC East Coast Race, the 120 mile Fastnet qualifier from Harwich to Ostend on Thursday June 26. Former EAORA chairman Tony Merewether started the race from his yacht Amazon, anchored west of North Shelf. Posted on 7 Jul
Summer Series at Royal Temple YC race 3
RORC and EAORA fleets converge on Ramsgate in the Cannon Ball race The combined RORC and 14 boat EAORA East Coast Race fleets converged on Ramsgate in the Cannon Ball race from Ostend on a Fastnet qualifier race on Saturday 28th June. Posted on 30 Jun
Summer Series at Royal Temple YC race 2
Perfect blue water sailing on the day after midsummer The fleet had perfect blue water sailing on the day after midsummer in a North-going neap tide. Peter Jackson set a course for Class 1, at 19 miles a little longer than recent habit. Posted on 26 Jun
Summer Series at Royal Temple YC race 1
A scrum and a kerfuffle off Ramsgate A running start was set by OOD Simon Northrop in 9-13 knots, leading to a scrum at the North Quern Buoy before a short fetch to Stonar and long run North East to the Broadstairs Knoll buoy off Viking Bay. Posted on 16 Jun
Spring Series at Royal Temple YC day 4
Junior race training on one boat, with five young children At the end of the Spring Series the Melges 24 Lock Stock of foiling cat ace Simon Northrop and Paul Thomas finally had enough wind to excel. She beat all but Assassin round the track in 18-20 knots, the 42 footer taking line honours. Posted on 3 Jun
Spring Series at Royal Temple YC day 3
Two races were sailed in a boisterous westerly Two races were sailed in a boisterous westerly of 20+ knots. The first was a beat past the river Stour, a reach through Sandwich Bay off the Royal St Georges Gold Club to Deal, and back. The second was a short round-the-cans race. Posted on 26 May
Spring Series at Royal Temple YC day 2
Ramsgate harbour was rammed with Little Ships ready to leave for Dunkirk In 7-10 knots the IRC fleet was led away by Peter & Alex Jackson's Assassin, the highest rated entry at 1.135, on a two lap triangular course using the Gull Stream and Brake buoys offshore from Sandwich Bay. Posted on 20 May
Maritimo M50Palm Beach Motor Yachts