Double-handed to Dielette

Published 14:16 on 31 May 2019

Having decided not to enter this yearÄôs Fastnet race, accomplished WSC skipper Kathy Claydon is concentrating this season on double-handed offshore racing in the JOG and RORC series. Last weekend Kathy and Phil Kirk competed in the JOG race from Cowes to Dielette on the Cherbourg peninsular. The route took them via the Casquets rocks off Alderney.The rival boats in both their IRC 3 class and the double-handed class were all handicapped as faster, so the pair were very happy to have close tacking duels down the western Solent to the Needles. After a couple of hours they deployed their code zero sail, ideal for sailing close to the wind in light airs, which gave them great speed. Having dropped the code zero they rounded the Casquets in challenging tide conditions and launched their symmetrical spinnaker. Despite fluky conditions and strong tides, they were the third boat to finish and won both the IRC Class 3 and double-handed trophies by over an hour. The next race Kathy and Phil are competing in is to Alderney on June 14.

Last updated 15:13 on 28 July 2025