Night Shift Pays Off for Griffin in JOG Yarmouth Race

Forecast Forces a Change of Plan

With memories of the sunny Bank Holiday already feeling a long way in the past, the Griffin Cherbourg team arrived in Hamble on Friday with high spirits and a forecast of high winds and endless rain looming over the weekend.

Boat preparation began straight away, with the team loading sails, cleaning decks and tightening the rig for the expected conditions. However, at 1800 on Friday, the JOG Race Committee confirmed that racing would not take place on Saturday due to the forecast.

Coach Hugh Brayshaw quickly assured the team that he was working on a plan to make sure the weekend still delivered valuable time on the water. The team switched from race preparation into boat work mode, looking through the job list and making best use of what was expected to be a windy, rainy day.

A Wet and Windy Saturday Becomes a Training Opportunity

Saturday delivered exactly what had been forecast, with constant rain and wind in the Solent well into the 30 to 40 knot range. The team got to work on the boat, servicing winches, marking up halyards and giving her a good spring clean.

Hugh arrived mid-afternoon and shared the plan: a night sail focused on the experience of sailing in darkness and how the team would operate together offshore. Having only completed shorter, sprint style races so far this season, this was an important training session ahead of the upcoming Cherbourg Race in September, which is expected to be mostly overnight.

The boat was prepared, sails were made ready and lines were slipped at 2100 on Saturday, with the team heading for the mouth of the Hamble.

Night Sailing, Storm Jib Practice and MOB Drills

The plan for the evening was to practise using the storm jib, run through man overboard procedures and then head east towards Bembridge on a course set by Hugh.

Once out into Southampton Water, the sails went up and the team settled into man overboard training. This was a quick success, with two excellent drills completed and the crew feeling confident that, if the situation was real, they would be able to act quickly and safely.

The team then crossed to the Island side and prepared for the passage out through the forts towards Bembridge. With the wind moderating, the A5 spinnaker was hoisted and Griffin blasted through the Solent, dodging racing marks flashing in the dark. The boat made quick progress east, rounding the mark off Bembridge at around midnight before starting the trip back towards Cowes.

The team arrived in Cowes at 0230 and headed to their bunks for a few hours’ sleep before racing the next day.

Back Into Race Mode

Sunday brought a welcome change, with around 15 knots of breeze and even a glimpse of sunshine as the team docked off. Although this was the Yarmouth edition of the JOG calendar, Saturday’s cancelled racing meant that Sunday’s race started from the JOG line off Cowes.

The team quickly settled into race mode, hoisting sails and dialling in the upwind settings. A short pre start battle with Elysium, the other Sun Fast 3600 racing, followed. Griffin came off the line with speed, sandwiched between Elysium and the JPK 1080 Mzungu!

Thanks to strong hiking from the start and constant communication between the helm and trim team, Griffin was quickly able to roll both boats and lead the charge towards the first mark.

Sharp Tactics and Strong Crew Work

The course first took the fleet west towards Hampstead Ledge, passing north of the East Lepe mark. Griffin made an early call to head for the Island shore, getting out of the tide while still making the most of the breeze.

This produced some excellent short tacking practice, edging into the shallows to maximise the tidal gains. The team performed strongly, with the trim teams well synchronised and working closely with the helm to deliver consistent boat speed through a tricky section of the race.

At the first mark, the spinnaker went up smoothly thanks to a well practised bow team. A short downwind leg followed, with Griffin quickly overtaking the Class 3 boats that had been caught ahead. The bow team again showed its worth with a fast, calm drop, allowing a clean mark rounding.

A short upwind leg followed, with the navigator judging the layline perfectly to cross the channel against the tide. At the next mark, the kite went up again, this time with the spinnaker staysail, and the team settled into a long downwind leg past Cowes and across to North Ryde. The back of the boat used the opportunity to refuel and reset, while the trim team worked hard to keep the kite flying efficiently.

A Strong Finish and Confidence for Cherbourg

After a long and well sailed downwind leg, Griffin prepared for the final stages of the race, closing on the few boats still ahead. A short fetching leg to Bramble Bank produced more gains on Class 3 and Class 4 boats.

The final leg brought an interesting tactical decision. The choice was to cross early towards the Island shore and get out of the tide, while risking the fickle wind over Cowes, or use the shallows of Bramble Bank to avoid the tide and cross later. Griffin chose the latter, optimising speed before crossing to the Island shore for the final section of short tacking to the finish.

The team made good gains on the boats ahead and crossed the line with strong separation from the rest of the class, leaving them confident of a good result.

The race felt like a real step forward. The training, time together and focus on teamwork were clearly paying off. Despite the late night and lack of sleep, the whole crew gave everything and came away with progress to be proud of.

Griffin Crew

Helm: Charlotte Beardsall
Tactician and navigator: Emma Breese
Main trim: John Rudd
Jib and kite trim: Tom Armstrong
Jib and kite trim: Agnes Bracey-Davies
Pit: Roderic Leung
Bow: Sam Dean

Written by Johnny Rudd for RORC Griffin Pathway