Regatta Report - Stug Perry 2026 (20-27 September)
Updated: Sep 29
Weekend 1 (Committee Vessel Racing)
Report courtesy of Mike Greville, Darling
After losing Saturday’s racing to 25kt + winds, six boats ventured out on Sunday 20 September to enjoy 3 windward/leeward races on the South side of Hill Head, run by ISC. With a building flood tide and unstable NW breeze between 5 and 12 knots, it was challenging for the trimmers to keep their boats moving and spotting the shifts paid dividends.
Bias and tide favoured the boat end of the line, and the winner of the start prevailed in each race. Races 1 & 2 did not see much in the way of place changes; the shifts on the beats mostly seemed to even out and the main decision was whether to gybe-set at the top mark.
In Race 1 a very light patch on the final run threatened to upset the order but Darling held on, followed by Dreamer and Dynamite. The top two reversed for Race 2 with Dreamer getting clear, followed by Darling and Dancer.
Race 3 was rather different as the tide had built and the breeze became less stable. Darling won the start and led through to the leeward gate with Dancer close on her heels. Up the second beat the lead changed between Darling and Dancer and back again in successive crosses up the middle of the track as the shifts and puffs took effect; however, Dreamer found more pressure on the left and came in close to the port layline to cross Darling and round the top mark first.
After setting on port gybe for the finish it was a question of sailing angles in the fickle breeze with pulses coming in from the left. Darling sailed higher and faster to cross ahead of Dreamer and gybe into the finish first, with Dancer completing the podium.
Weekend 2 (Shoreline Racing)
Again losing Saturday's race, this time to no breeze, the fleet were keen to give it one last bash on Sunday before the Dying of the Light Lunch.
The ebb tide was starting to set in by the first start, although not at full strength. The wind was from the SW, starting 10-15kts and ending the day at 15-20kts.
Race 1
With good conditions forecast and an earlier start, the first race took us upwind to CHS (off the green) before a broad reach to SCRA.org.uk (North shore, between Lepe and Calshot), a beat back to Polly's Challenge (Right Bay, Gurnard) and a run home.
Twelve boats showed up for the first of two races that day. The line was heavily biased towards the inshore and, with the ebb not having fully built, boats on Starboard left plenty of room for those approaching along the breakwater on Port to cross ahead. Doublet got the best of the start, with Dreamer and Darius also doing well. All boats struggled at this point in an unexpectedly light and flukey wind coming around Egypt Point. Doublet did well in front to hold onto the lead, while Dauntless recovered from a poor start to sail more freely a little further offshore, breaking clear of the wind shadow of the boats ahead and inshore, to reach the mark second after only a short tack in, comfortable on her starboard layline for a starboard rounding.
Hoisting to head offshore, Doublet got a clean hoist while boats behind (namely Dauntless and Darius) made hard work of the spinnaker. Eventually, though, all boats were set with little change in position and Dauntless closed the small gap somewhat on Doublet over the remainder of the leg to only a handful of lengths by the downwind mark.
At this point, a conversation ensued on Dauntless to the effect that the crew, with the wisdom of years of racing in the Solent, were convinced that Doublet was headed to the wrong mark. So convinced, in fact, that they didn't need to check - the plan was to let Doublet drop at the mark and round up before bearing away to the North East for the correct mark.
What actually occurred was that Doublet dropped, rounded up, and then Dauntless sailed in indecisive circles for several minutes before spotting NE Gurnard channel marker and re-orienting themselves to the conclusion that it was, in fact, the right mark (albeit with the wrong name printed, not that we really read it...).
Meanwhile, Dreamer, Darling and Darius had rounded in that order and headed back to the Island shore, while Streak and Dancer were also not far behind Dauntless.
Rejoining the chase, Dauntless took some small advantage of a backing shift early in the beat to make some ground on Port tack, while the majority of the fleet were waiting for the strongest Island-shore ebb tide to make their ground westwards. It turned out well enough, allowing Dauntless to regain some yards back through Darius and Darling, rounding not far behind Dreamer (first) and Doublet (now second).
On the final run back to the ISC line, boats initially crowded for the inshore line. By Egypt point four boats were in line abreast: Dauntless inshore of, respectively, Darling; Doublet; and Darius. Meanwhile Dreamer looked to be home and dry, halfway up the green. At this point Dauntless, in the video, caught a nice puff inshore to break clean and were starting to feel more confident when first the wind inshore died for Dreamer, and then for Dauntless.
Meanwhile boats offshore were coming up fast with strong breeze, aiming to avoid the large hole that had developed off the green. Darius crossed first, while Dreamer slowly made their way back offshore in time to rescue second. Shortly after, Doublet just held off Diamond. We on Dauntless watched boats holding hard-pressed kites with envy as we remained sat in nothing, eventually crossing when Audax and Decoy brought up the wind from astern.
Race 2
With the ebb having now built to full strength, the tide was a different prospect and Doublet, trying to reproduce their good start from Race 1, was caught out OCS and also unable to cross the boats coming laying up to the line on Starboard. The best starts in this race were had by Darling and Darius closer in, as well as Dauntless a little further offshore.
Very shortly after the start, Dauntless profited from the arrival of the Red Funnel car ferry arriving into Cowes, forcing boats inshore to bear away slightly around her stern. This, coupled with good tide and good boat speed, put her in a strong position coming into ISC (the first mark off the green).
With the fleet approaching the mark on Port, Dauntless (slightly further offshore) was not laying the mark for the upcoming Starboard rounding. She footed off a little to create room to tack onto Starboard, forcing other boats to tack and creating a leisurely rounding for the deep run to Williams Shipping (just inside of West Bramble).
Dynamite had a strong outcome from the ensuing congested rounding, and threatened Dauntless' air initially, dragging both boats above the rhumb line in the strong ebb tide. Meanwhile Doublet and other chasing boats stayed a little deeper. Eventually both boats calmed down, though, with little lost and proceeded North across the channel to the downwind mark.
By now the pressure was increasing and the downwind had become quite rolly, in an increasing sea state. At Williams Shipping, the fleet was required to gybe onto a beam reach going due East, along the Southern edge of the Brambles. While most boats managed the gybe successfully it was not without its challenges and, furthermore, it quickly became apparent that we were not going to be able to hold our kites all the way to the mark in the increasing pressure. Dauntless flew for a long while, not minding that she ended up North of the rhumb line (out of the tide) while from astern Streak held a high and fast course with an expertly-trimmed reacher (small) kite, bounding back through the fleet.
However, Dauntless held her lead to Royal Thames, and indeed all the way back home via a largely Starboard-tack beat as the tide rushed the fleet westwards. Behind, Doublet and Streak had set up for a competitive final leg. Streak rounded just behind Doublet, and immediately escaped Doublet's dirt with a good rounding and a high pointing angle, and when Doublet crossed she was behind. Doublet nearly got them back later on though, approaching the pin end of the line on Starboard while Streak approached the same pin on Port, but in the tide found they had overstood and reluctantly had to give away their gains. Dreamer finished after both, in fourth.
Dauntless had won the final race of the season, but the Stug Perry trophy ended up, deservedly, with Dreamer (21224), delighting her former owner Lavinia Perry.
Dying of the Light Lunch
After sailing, 49 members and their friends/family joined us for the Dying of the Light lunch, held this year at RORC. My thanks to social secretary Jenny Stutley and the professional team at RORC for the enjoyable afternoon.
Acknowledgements
With another vintage season over, I must remark on those that help to make it happen.
Firstly, for the Stug Perry regatta:
The ISC team of Richard Palmer, Amanda Harding, Laurie Tennant, Ben Ferris and all the other staff and volunteers;
Ian Lallow (and family), for their generosity with the lovely Zenobia as our committee vessel; and
The enduring involvement of the Perrys, Charles and Lavinia, advising and guiding the regatta.
And, for the season overall:
All of our race officers and volunteers from across the clubs through the season;
Your committee and other class representatives/administrators, always supportive with guidance as well as supporting the race officers on the weekends and regularly turning their hands to race reports; and
The CCCA team of Tim Hancock, Jo Chugg and Bob Milner, who are crucial parts of the Cowes machine.
See you all at the AGM and prizegiving dinner - please save the date of 18:00 on Saturday 28th November at the Royal Yacht Squadron.
Until then!
Josh
Thanks to Ian Lallow, Zenobia, the Perry family, ISC (Amanda Harding and Laurie Tennant and who else on W/E 1?)
Thanks to RORC team
General thanks: CCCA, ROs, Committee, Race Report contributors
Comments