Sailing from the heart of Portsmouth
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- Classic wooden and GRP composite boats
- Shore-side facilities in the heart of Old Portsmouth
- Affordable, competitive club racing 3 days a week
- Dedicated class start at Cowes Week
- Socialise at Portsmouth Sailing Club
Race results
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Evening series
Results in 1st Tuesday 1st Thursday Results pending Harbour Series Multi-race 2nd Tuesday 2nd Thursday Tuesday Twilight Friday Candlelight Twilight/Candlelight overall -
Saturday/Sunday series
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Special races/series
Results in Taylor Trophy Results pending Solstice Regatta Cowes Classic Day Visitors Race Fleet Race Cowes Week Hamper Trophy Feltham Imperial Poona Yacht Club Combined Harbour Regatta -
Members races
Results pending Single Handed Passage Race Cup Cowes Passage Race Crews Race Pursuit Race -
Summaries (PDF)
Raw Results 2024 VCPR 2024 VCPR 2023 VCPR 2022 VCPR 2021 VCPR 2020 VCPR 2019 VCPR 2018 VCPR 2017 VCPR 2016 Top Helms Trophy 2024 Shearwater Bowl 2024 Seasons Summary 2023 Seasons Summary 2022 Seasons Summary 2021 Seasons Summary 2020 Seasons Summary 2019 Seasons Summary 2018 Seasons Summary 2017 Seasons Summary 2016 Seasons Summary 2015 Seasons Summary 2014 Seasons Summary 2013 Seasons Summary 2012 Seasons Summary 2011 Seasons Summary 2010 Seasons Summary 2009 Seasons Summary 2008
Upcoming
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Team Racing v Gibraltar
Sat 11 May 2024 -
90th Year Anniversary Weekend
Thu 27 Jun 2024 to Sat 29 Jun 2024 -
90th Anniversary Dinner 2024
Sat 23 Nov 2024
Blog categories
Key Dates for 2024
Key Dates for 2024
Race Report - 23rd April 2024
Race Report - 23rd April 2024
Record numbers of wooly hats reflected chilly and challenging conditions, exacerbated by the ever interesting Northerlies fluctuating around the harbour and challenging sailors for the second Tuesday race of the 2024 season.
Z48’s crew and Liz set the start line between Sipristi and a laid mark (LM), with a simple windward/leeward x3.
At the gun, a healthy competition developed amongst the fleet to control the committee boat end, with tide flooding into the harbour, pushing boats upwind. A clear lane and the ability to control the fleet through the first few tacks would surely pay dividends and allow crews to navigate the washing machine that is so often the SS corner!
74, 78, 79, 77 headed left with 75 (who started slightly lower), 54, 75 and 70 went right earlier.
Towards the top, most of the fleet had opted for the “top right” of the beat - except 79 who went further towards the wall. By the windward mark, 74, 79 and 75 rounded in quick succession, with 54, 78, 77 and 70 just behind.
Rhumb line vs great circle was the downwind challenge - 75 got their noses inside 79 but couldn’t make it count, with 78 sailing a lower course than the rest.
By the leeward, positions were unchanged, 54 catching the leading pack and claiming a good exit into the final upwind - getting the inside lane between 75 and the finish.
Shifty conditions off the wall with plenty of over the shoulder looks meant that bows were pointing at most areas of the compass. Finishing positions: 74, 79, 75, 54, 78, 77, 70.
Thank you committee and thank you to Scam & Max for letting me play with your new toy! 75 felt like a Ferrari, although I missed the sound of the automatic bilge and the sweet smell of varnish! (Ps I didn’t prang it so all in all a nice, albeit chilly, race!)
Joppers
Z75 (for tonight!)
Race Report from Thursday 18th April 2024
‘Tis the season to be jolly, falalalala lalalala
Sailing’s back, so who needs holly? falalalala lalalala
Yes, its April and this is week 1, race 2 of the 90th year of Victory racing. What’s not to like!
After Tuesday’s curtain raiser, a couple of open questions were answered. Would Tom Verstappen and Team Red Bull Peregrine carry forward last year’s winning form? Would anyone be snapping at their transom? How would the new crews on 75 and 79 fare?
After a cracking, sunny day, would anyone be fooled into a false sense of security? Having learnt from Tuesday night, your correspondent was well layered up, and as Sapristi left the harbour and hit the Solent chop, it was proven to be a good call. Perhaps the reference to holly was relevant; with a 9 degree air temperature and a 15knot South Westerly, it was more like the Frostbite Series.
So, to tonight’s race and 6 hardy crews ventured out, with Sapristi set up in the vicinity of KB. 54, 70, 74, 75, 77 and 78 made there way towards the start area, but it wasn’t long before we were down to 5, as a problem with the main halyard saw 78 retire having to retire before the start. The wind direction meant the course was going to be fairly easy to set, but the question was how many times should we send them round? Bearing in mind the temperature and sea state, the OOD (Liz and Sid) took a big hearted approach, and set a course of Sapristi-KB to Baker Trayte, (P), KB(P), BT(P), KB (P as a passing mark) and finish at the SS line.
As the boats all milled around, the amount of full on warm head gear was apparent; a beanie was the favoured option, but full marks to Duncan for his use of a neck buff! And who was this at the front of 74? Joppers at the pointy end? And, it looked like he was going to be feeling the cold!
A clean start saw 4 boats maintain a starboard tack and head out into the Solent, whilst 70 made an early tack, and sail towards the shore. It only took 8 minutes before 74 rounded the windward mark and out popped the peregrine. 75 was next round but took a while to get the kite up, whilst 54 had obviously been to Greggs as it appeared to have a monster of a wrap, and ended up sailing the whole leg with white sails. 77 was 4th round and as she too took a long while to get the spinnaker airborne, whilst 70 opted to take the more cautious option and sailed with white sails only. There was no change of order at the leeward mark, but this time, everyone opted to sail into the shore after the rounding. But wait! as they neared the windward mark for the second time, it was evident that 75 had got a lot closer. From the committee boat, they looked side-by-side as they tacked away from the shore and headed for the mark…but it was the black peregrine that rose 1st as they rounded. 54 seemed to still be having hoisting issues as they again, sailed the distance from the windward mark to the passing mark with white sails and the kite appearing about 1/3 of the way up, and then disappearing again. 77 was again late hoisting but would they have the legs to catch 54 on the longer kite leg to the finish line. 70 opted to maintain a white sailing option. They remained in this order, as 54 finally got the kite up on the leg from KB to SS to hold off 77.
The final order being 74, 75, 54, 77 and 70. It was only a 31 minute race, but there were some cold bodies out there. 75 is obviously happy with the their new toy as they were only a few seconds behind 74, but Peregrine has had the perfect start to the weekday series, with 2 wins.
Roll on next week, when we can do it all again.
Clive
Z79, Zada
Tuesday 16/04/2023 1st race of the season Taylor Trophy to play for
8 boats on Start line
Sapristi set up a start line between her & a laid mark. Course - Start between laid mark & Sapristi PSC (P) laid mark (P) x3 no wind change 1 1/2 mins before start. Abandon that start new course Start between Laid mark & Sapristi & Laid mark SS (P) laid mark (P) x 3
1st lap Z74 in lead Z77 2nd then 3 boats all together not sure who was 3rd so close. Z68 retired with rudder problem. Sapristi decided light was going so had to get to SS to shorten course. 1st Z74 well done.
Liz OOD
The Season Opener - 90th year
Many thanks to hosts Carole and Duncan and the hardworking social committee for the first social event of our 90th Year.. a great evening! (With a birthday cake for the class captain!)
Season Opener 2024
The details of the season opener are here!
Victorys at Victory….
Many thanks to Lead Shipwright Jimmy Green of the National Museum of the Royal Navy, for inviting the class to see just what’s involved in the latest refurbishment project for HMS Victory as it aims to secure the future of one of the most celebrated warships in Britain’s naval history.
If we sometimes feel challenged by our own older wooden Victory boats, when you get to a vessel that is 186ft long, 2162 tons, that was launched in 1765 you get a very different sense of perspective!
Z81 - a brand new Victory fit for the Class’s 90th year!
Commission a brand new Victory, Z81. Built by David Heritage in Cowes.
Join the Class in a brand new GRP Victory. Built to the Class’s exact technical requirements and low maintenance.
Prices from £30, 667 + VAT. Price includes:
- Hull and deck, keel, internal moulding, bulkheads and rudder fitted to boat
- Metal work and fitting (backstay, chainplates, tiller shoe, top plate and mast step)
- Fibreglass seats
- Painted cockpit coaming with teak trim
- Plastic rubbing streak
- Bulkhead hatches
- Floorboards to fit internal moulding
- Tiller
Additional options are available to customise her to your specific specification.
For more information please contact David Heritage Racing Yachts in Cowes
2024 Save the Dates!
2024 is a big year for the Class as we shall be celebrating our 90th Anniversary. To make the most of the year we have released a set of key dates for your diary’s
Prizegiving 2023: You had to be there…
Back in the ‘Nelson’ room at the Royal Maritime Club Portsmouth to collect the rewards from a busy racing season, there was plenty to celebrate on a cold November night…
Thanks are due for all the work from Zoe, MC and Max, outgoing Racing Secretary Sid, and Master of Ceremonies John Scammell to highlight the highs of 2023. The ‘Beazley Trophy’ for the overall Cowes Week win, the ‘Top Helms’, and no less than 14 other trophies were presented to Z74 Peregrine who had a spectacular 2023 season. Jim Downing received The ‘Captains Decanter’ for services to the class, and with Zoe Whittaker also collected 7 other trophies from another great performance on the water in Z78 Ziva, while Max and Scam won the one that every Saturday sailor wants, the ‘Presidents Shield’. The party continued after the formalities were over..
More Photos from the night can be found here…LINK