CB Ultimate Hikers Spring Championship Preview

CB Ultimate Hikers Solo Spring Championship incorporating the P+B Southern Championship Preview

Next weekend, April 25-26 sees the resumption of the Solo season of major events with the 17th running of the Spring Championship, this year generously sponsored by CB Ultimate Hikers. The famous Hayling Island Tyler Trophy is also up for grabs as the prize for the Southern Area Champion and that is dripping in history. HISC has the largest Solo fleet in the UK though a Devon based club might argue that their own is the strongest. What is not up for debate is the quality of the food, sorry, sailing arena, Hayling Bay always delivers an exciting ride and that is just to get to the race course. It is a bit of a cop out but I find it very easy to reminisce on my own experiences of the venues we visit and Hayling sits very high up the pecking order, unlike my current club racing status at Dittisham S.C.

Lets go back to 1971 and the inaugural Solo World Championship which was won by Alec Stone, I was not competing as at 7 years old I was lighter than the rudder assemblies were back then but my Dad was racing Solo 186 and he even finished high enough in one race to have his number displayed on the club wall after racing. Unfortunately, he succumbed to the tide at Sandy Point the very next day, misreading the lay line into the imposing metal buoy and tacking into 8 knots of current which left him stationary even though fully hiked as competitor after competitor bore off to the wing mark. We had been staying in one of the original chalets in the club grounds and my strongest memory is of being left in the room with my elder siblings while the parents enjoyed a social event, I seem to remember hearing the echo of the crowd as they sang the ‘Oke Cokey’  but that might have been Butlins, I do not imagine any Solo social would be so raucous. A couple of chaps wandered past deep into the night, though at my age that meant 8pm, stopping outside our window, their eerie shadows scaring the crap out of me. I do now wonder if it was Alec and John Conway Jones discussing the days racing or the bend data on the new Needlespar and I would dearly love to go back in time to that magical yet petrifying moment..

I attended many open meetings at this venue over the years, never really mastering the the last half a mile down roads which looked very much alike to an imposing entry gate. On reflection, it may well have been the same road but approached from different directions. The short drive along the sand lined strip of tarmac provided a tease of what was to come, the Sea rushing one way or the other, a dinghy park chock-a-block with dinghies of many species and finally the impressive ‘Tracy Island’ styled clubhouse. The atmosphere was thick with talent even then but these days the old guard, while not replaced, have been boosted with the Holy Grail of sailing club life blood, youth. Of course there is always a rub, a yang to balance the yin and in this case, ribs now dominate any area of free sand though I am sure they pay handsomely for the privilege.

Hayling forever went into Solo folklore back in 1983, one year before I travelled to my first open meeting but I read about Geoff Carveth’s momentous win at the World Championship in one of the Solo mags which were published back then, gleaning every word with the yearning hunger of the student who wanted to become the master.

My early experiences included first hand harsh lessons of being in a foul tide, planing flat out in front of the clubhouse but not going forward and, while negotiating the sand bar, powering down the front of never ending waves with the odd glimpse of the shingle and sand base.

My last experience was while attending FED Week circa 2012 in186 when the original 1960 built rudder broke and I floated past a packed clubhouse capsized, Sandy Point watching me go.

My underlying emotion on reflecting on the venue is of a collective appreciation of its unique qualities, the loquacious clubhouse, facilities and catering, the incredibly soft white sand and robust slipways, the sail out and in over the sand bar which provides plenty of time to warm the muscles and hone sea sailing technique and the race arena itself where, if the wind Gods choose, you can experience wave pattern which repeat themselves with the regularity of a modern geometric wallpaper design.

I have been fortunate to provide media cover for the 2013, 2018 and 2023 Championships at HISC and can testify that the modern accommodation block is high spec while the old block still stands and provides the youth element with almost indestructible interior decor.

The Spring Championship has been run since 2008 and historically was located at Oxford S.C. which, while offering its own challenge of wind bends and mouthfuls of local midges is a far cry from this weekends location.

Charlie Cumbley has won the event 8 times though he may be swapped out with another multiple Champion in the guise of Tom Gillard who has taken delivery of a brand new Winder 1.

The weekend begins with a training camp on Friday which is being run by reigning National Champion Oliver Davenport who will feature in the overall standings come Sunday evening but the club has talent in depth and local knowledge, certainly if the winds are light will be an asset so do not rule out team HISC for a podium. Do get entered via Hayling’s excellent website and dedicated event page, they clearly know how to run the show.

The Championship is being generously sponsored by CB Ultimate Hikers and CEO Chris Brown who himself is a past Champion will be competing and on-hand off the water to provide any answers regarding the benefits of these remarkable, ground breaking, leg saving apparel.

The event is also incorporating the P+B sponsored Southern Area Championship and with it the Tyler Trophy, a slightly ugly looking three eared silver cup which you would probably ignore if it was part of a display at a Sunday morning boot fare but this one, at least if you are a Solo sailor, has the allure and mystique akin to the Cup Christ swigged from at his last supper, though whether it will bless you with the elixir of eternal life is questionable.

Dripping in 70 years of Solo history, it could tell some stories though the two years that I won would probably not feature in its favourites.

This event really gets the Solo season flying, though open meetings across the UK have already given indicators of who is on the pace in 2026. I visualise these events as stepping stones towards the majors, providing the competitors with valuable ring time to hone their skills and get those cock-ups out of the way before putting reputations on the line. It does not end there though, the majors themselves are taking the sailors to a higher level of finesse and fitness before the ultimate tests, the Dutch Spring Cup at Medemblik May 1-3, the Noble Marine Nation’s Cup at Quiberon June 4-7, the P+B National Championship at Royal Torbay Aug 6-9 and the Inland Championship at Grafham Water Sep 5-6.

The class is blessed with so many events across the season at venues across the whole of the UK, so with fuel at a premium, travelling to a local open meeting will not break the bank and the experience gleaned will be invaluable.

Hayling Island S.C. is co-hosting the Finn and Europe classes so it will be a very busy and buzzy boat park come Saturday. The assembled sailors of various heights and hamstring lengths will no doubt be interested in the CB Ultimate Hikers which feature optional pad positioning which will not slide down the leg.

The NSCA will be providing media for the Solos and hopefully drone footage will be available post event. We will also be reporting via the class WhatsApp thread so if it goes quiet for a few mins I am probably attempting to land the Mini 3 on a bouncy rib.

So load your Solo up, pack your kitbag and head to one of the sailing mecca’s of the World for an experience you will hopefully remember and reminisce about in 40 years.

This event forms part of the North Sails Super Series.

See you on the water.