Latest News Items

Another Record Falls ! 
Yes, the Sigma 38 Class has broken another record. Although this time it's not a sailing one; the number of crew attending the Annual Party and Prize Giving is the highest it's been in the last 10 years. Everyone is very much looking forward to the chance to meet up and enjoy the fun and celebrations.
Remember all members are welcome at the AGM which precedes the party at 18:00.

Notice of Annual General Meeting and Proposed Rule Change 
This is formal notice that the AGM of the Sigma 38 Class Association will be held at 18:00 at the Solent Hotel and Spa, Fareham, Hampshire. All members are welcome. The meeting will be voting on an important rule change concerning head sail measurments. Full details of this change is posted on the technical section of the website, you need to be logged in as a member to view it. Click on the title for the AGM Agenda.
As usual the AGM will be followed by the Annual Party and Prize Giving. Please ensure your payment for this is made by the 13th Jan.

It's Time for Winter Maintanance 
Now the excesses of Christmas are behind us it's time to start getting the boat ready for next year. Click on the title for a job list. Let us know on the forum what we've forgotten. The check list will then be updated and if it all goes to plan we will have a check list that benefits from the combined experience of all of the membership. In the meantime to inspire all your hard work look at the Calendar for all the Sigma 38 events.
Merry maintenance and wishing you a very Happy New Sailing Year

Sailing and Grooving 2012! 
As the sailing year ends and we’re not all avidly watching weather sites there’s time to start planning next year. First some extremely good news – Owner membership for 2012 will be held at £150, despite IRC actually putting up the cost of racing certificates. So the Association can continue to provide the comprehensive programme of racing, socialising, and training, running the website and investing in equipment to future proof our boats please encourage all crew to re-join as associate members.
On the 2012 calendar, there’re the perennial favourites plus the new option of Normandy Sailing Week.
Before anything you need to book your places for the following:
ANNUAL PARTY – 28th Jan, Solent Hotel and Spa. Click on the title to listen to Groove Instinct who will be entertaining us. Payment must be made by 13th Jan.
TRAINING – 14th April. Specific Sigma 38 training run by Philip Meakins. Use the forum to commit and let us know what you want.
In the meantime wishing you all a very Merry Christmas.

Race Day 8 - A Fitting Ending. 
Amongst the competitive Sigma 38s the final race was never going to disappoint with the chance for some to still move up a position. With Alacrity had already won the series with their six firsts. So the story of the day was always going to be the battle for second place between Pavlova and Persephone. And what a battle it turned out to be! P3 sailed magnificently, controlling Persephone all the way to win the race, with Persephone 2nd and Rapscallion 3rd. So the Winter Series champion is With Alacrity, P3 – 2nd and Persephone – 3rd. Well done to them all for some magnificent displays of sailing.
All agree it been a fantastic series with generally windy testing conditions, great courses and most importantly strong competition. As usual none of this is possible without the generosity of all the sponsors and the hard, hard work of all at Hamble River Sailing Club – from the Sigma 38 fleet – a massive THANK YOU!
See you all at the Sigma 38 Annual Party - 28th Jan!

Race Day 7 - Fast and Furious! 
A strong gusty Northwest wind allowed the Sigma 38 class to once again show how they stand up to the competition. Had we had been racing under an IRC rating many of the Sigma 38s would have beaten class 3 boats. With Alacrity taking the gun, once again, would have finished above top Class 3 boats and Pandanova would have beaten some. Throughout the fleet there were some great displays of sailing but Marta, finishing 4th and Gambit 6th particularly deserve recognition. The 3 leaders on the overall results once again took the top spots - With Alacrity, Persephone and Pavlova. Congratulations to all crews from the front to the back of the fleet for excellent racing. See you for the finalé next week!

Race Day 6 - A One Design Racing Spectacle 
Once the fog had cleared the stage was set for one of the most spectacular and thrilling Sigma 38 race I’ve been involved in. It’s often said but it truly was one design racing at its best. Why would anyone choose not to race one design in one of the biggest and undoubtedly the most competitive fleet? Positions, including the leader changed numerous times. The difference between the first placed boat and the 9th placed boats was less than 4 minutes. There was a real nail biting finish between Light and Zanzara of 8 seconds and then to top that, Zanzara beat Marta by 1 second. In the end after various dog fights up and down the course the mighty With Alacrity took their 5th win closely followed by Rapscallion and then Persephone. Oh, and by the way, this all happened in glorious sunshine!

Mid Nov. Sunshine - Winter Series Day 5 
What a pleasure to get back out on the water in glorious sunshine and a stiff breeze after rather a dreary week. For this second stage of the Winter Series there is only one race and the committee organised an excellent tactical windward leeward course – most enjoyable. The With Alacritys sailed another blinder taking their 4th win of the season, with Persephone 2nd and Pavlova 3rd. Three races to go and only 5 points separate the top 4 boats. Further down the fleet things are also very close, particularly when discards kick in. In this competitive fleet it pays to be sailing as well as possible so with this in mind use the forum to say exactly what you want from the specific Sigma 38 training day – 14th April.

Heroes Come in Many Guises. 
Sometimes we are all guilty of getting caught up in the very competitive nature of our most complex of sport’s sport and should remember it’s not always about crossing the line first that make someone a winner. Can I urge you all to click on the title and read our very own Sigma 38 tale of heroism and good seamanship - Nick Gale’s Fastnet report. Briefly for those of you that don’t know - Nick, the 2009, Fastnet champion, prematurely ended his 2011 campaign when it became clear that an injury his crew member, Jez, had sustained, needed serious medical attention. Jez, despite being in terrible pain, tried to convince Nick, he was fine to continue. If Nick hadn’t acted swiftly Jez may have lost his leg or even his life. Both Nick and Jez are clearly made of strong stuff and are a credit to our class. The emotion of the situation for both Nick, Jez and the rest of Zanzara’s crew clearly comes across in the report. The class wishes Jez a speedy recovery and we hope to see him out on the race course soon.

Winter Series Day 4 - Hot and Humid! 
The Race Committee set 2 enjoyable races in a 16-20 knot SW breeze that really put crews through their paces, taking minds off the rather miserable drizzle. Racing was close and exciting with many of the 12 boats finishing within seconds of each other. In both races Zanzara and Gallant had real tussles, with Zanzara beating Gallant by 23 seconds in the first race and 15 in the second. And Gallant beat Mefisto by only 3 seconds in Race 1. With Alacrity took their 3rd gun of the season in race 1, followed by Rapscallion and P3. In race 2 P3 took their 2nd win followed by Persephone and then Light. Race-wise the series is over halfway through but with 4 scheduled races left there is plenty to play for with many boats showing potential. Click on the title to see the full Y&Y write up by Sigma 38's own Ben Meakins. See you after the break next weekend.

GHWS - 3 Different Winners in 3 Days. 
For Sigma 38 the Hamble Winter Series is proving very thrilling. Day 3 saw a third different winner, showing how competitive Sigma 38 one design racing is. There’s no room for even the smallest error. Our hardy yachts, revelled in the 20+ knot wind. Congratulations to Pavlova for their 1st win of the series and to Persephone, 2nd and Zanzara, 3rd. Also great to welcome Vitesse back out. Next week is the last day for 2 programmed races before the weekend break.

Rolex Middle Sea Race - Sigma 38 Entered 
The 32nd Rolex Middle Sea Race, organized by the Royal Malta Yacht Club, gets underway this Saturday, 22 October. The 606-nautical mile offshore race starts in Grand Harbour, Malta, and goes anti-clockwise around the island of Sicily, the Aeolian Islands, the Egadi Islands, around Pantelleria and Lampedusa to port, and finishes back in Marsamxett Harbour. 81 boats from 18 countries are entered including the Sigma 38OOD, Acrobat Sailing Team skippered by Amador Magraner. You can follow all the action by clicking on the title to access the trackers. Go Acrobat GO!

Winter Series - Day 2 
After a foggy start and a breeze that looked like it wasn't going to arrive the Sigma 38 fleet was pleased to get a race in. The race committee managed to set one short-ish course in a shifty 10 knot wind where the major challenge was negoiating an extremely crowded first leeward mark. Rapscallion took her first win of the series followed by With Alacrity and then Zanzara. What will next week bring?

How do those Choules do it? 
Besides an impeccable display of sailing on Sunday, Day 1 of the Winter Series, the husband and wife team of Chris and Vanessa Choules on With Alacrity had already won the RSYC Coors Moolson Double Handed Series overall on the Saturday. Congratulations to them for this great achievement showing us all that not only are Sigma 38s race winners fully crewed but double handed as well. As Chris says “You don’t need to change the set up of the boat to race doublehanded and it's a lot easier to organise crew!”

Winter Series is off and running! 
Congratulations to all the crews of the Sigma 38 fleet who raced in week one. This was a fabulous series opening Sunday and we were the largest fleet on the Solent!
Well done to WA who led us home in both races in the building breeze...and I look forward to reading the race reports as they come in.
Remember that the HRSC is open after racing with a presentation of 1st, 2nd and 3rd prizes at around 15:30. Prizes are handed out to highest placed competitor present so it's worth turning up even if you didn't win. Great Hot food and guest ales. Come along to meet up with follow competitors, toast your crew or drown your sorrows.
NRG

Pavlova III on top 
Pavlova sailed to a convincing win in the Poole Race weekend, ahead of With Alacrity and Persephone. Zanzara, Monet and No Fear also featured. WA were the leaders in the tough beat against tide to Poole on Saturday, but P3 chose a southerly route back under spinnaker, to lead class 4 and the Sigma fleet home on Sunday....a new name to be engraved on the Aitcheson Trophy!

Pandanova - Giant Fireworks? 
2-3 September - Pandanova II won the final offshore race of the 2011 season after a slow and foggy 23 hour RORC race to Cherbourg. Though only two Sigma 38s got to the start line, Pandanova’s victory was a great comeback from their testing Cowes Week (see their Cowes Week report in the results section). Vitesse finished 39 minutes later which was enough to leapfrog Rapscallion to second overall in the Sigma 38 Offshore Championship. Whilst not racing at the weekend, Persephone are confirmed as 2011 Offshore Champions after a fine offshore season which included being first Sigma 38 home in an astonishingly close finish to the Fastnet.

Still plenty of racing left this season with the Aitchison Trophy to be awarded for the combined JOG Poole Races on 17/18 September and the Hamble Winter Series starting 9th October (discount entry closes 12 September).

The Most Thrilling Fastnet Ever! 
All Sigma 38s are now home. Congratulations to each and every crew member for their incredible endurance and extreme mental dexterity – at every point you have kept us armchair sailors completely and utterly enthralled. After almost 5 days of racing there is only 1 hour 18 minutes separating 1st and 7th place, it’s been one design racing at its absolute best. Persephone, who had lead all the way to the rock and then had to fight for every millimetre back across crossed the line first, followed by Marta, Festina Lente (double handed and first in IRC 4 on corrected time), Vitesse, and then 1 second later, Rapscallion, then Flying Formula, 44secs later Redcoat, then Inspiration of Boss and Joker. Results are provisional so details of how the fleet performed in IRC are awaited. However it seems Festina Lente/With Alacrity are 4th overall in the 2 handed. But no matter where everyone finished all can be extremely proud of a superb display of what our complex sport is all about. Enjoy your rest!

Rounding The Rock 
It looked like a long slow night getting around the rock! The fleet started rounding early this morning with Persephone rounding first at 5.55am follwed shortly by Festina Lente (double handed) at 6.15 and closely followed by Rapscallion and Vitesse. Its looking like Marta will be rounding shortly. Well done to all out there!

Almost in Sight of the Rock 
The trip across the Irish Sea has been rather eventful. Persephone is still in the lead followed by the double handers Festina, and Rapscallion with Vitesse close behind. No Fear retired and seems to be heading back to Plymouth. Marta and Inspiration of Boss are taking a more southerly route, which interestestingly is similar to the one taken by the current leaders of IRC4. Redcoat and Flying Formula are within sight of each other near the rhumb line. Before leaving Land's end Festina had to cope with steering problems. Then the incredible news that Rambler had lost her keel. We were very relieved to hear all her crew had been recovered safely.

Rolex Fastnet - Day 2 
Most of the Sigma 38 fleet are currently passing Plymouth with Persephone currently leading the charge. Double handers Philip and Chris on Festina Lente are close behind. Sadly Zanzara has retired as a crew member fell on deck chipping his tibia. He has now had medical attention and Nick and the rest of the crew are heading home and are planning to stop off in Lulworth Cove for some rest and sunshine.

Rolex Fastnet - The Start 
And they're off! In fact the leading Sigma 38s are already in sight of the Needles. Currently Zanzara, last Fastnet winner, Rapscallion, Vitesse and Festina Lente are battling it out at the front of the fleet. Go Sigma 38s Go! To follow all the action click on the title to see the race tracker or go to www.fastnet.rorc.org to read the blogs.

Cowes Week 2011 
Highlight of the week? Downwind on super windy Thurs, 16 Sigma 38s arriving together at the 1st downwind mark on Fri, the tea party challenge, ducking and diving the entire XOD fleet on starboard, seeing Rambler power past, the dog fight between Pavlova and Mefisto on the last race, Gambit’s utter joy at finishing 5th….there are just too many to mention. This combined with the fantastic camaraderie and encouragement amongst the fleet made for an outstanding week. Congratulations to Mefisto -1st, Pavlova 2nd, and With Alacrity 3rd. Red Macaw from the East Coast finished 4th just one point behind WA. For full results and more details click on the results section.

Record Breaking Tea Party Attempt! 
The Sigma 38 Class Association along with Lifeboat Teas is hoping to host the biggest tea party in Cowes to raise money for the RNLI. Click on the title to see press coverage. Come along to Shephard's Whalf on Mon. 8th Aug from 16:00 for a cup of tea and biscuit. All we ask is you make a donation. We need you to attend and encourage your friends so we can raise as much as possible for the RNLI as well as raising awareness for them and the Sigma 38 Class. Look out for further press coverage in the yachting press. Looking forward to sharing a cuppa with you!

Persephone on the Podium again 
Last weekends St Malo Race was a success for Persephone who won Class 4 in JOG and came a creditable 7th in RORC, followed by Rapscallion, Vitesse, Marta and Flying Formula. Check the results section for the race report.

Sigma 38 First Long Distance Cruise 
Currently Persephone, Marta and Zanzara are relaxing in beautiful Havre Gosselin on the sw side of Sark. They have been enjoying fine food, beautiful summer weather today, congenial company and the odd rum or two. They have cycled all round Sark. Plan more, exploring tomorrow, a trip into St. Peter Port, followed by Bastille day in Cherbourg, and then home. Chairman, Nigel Goodhew says "this has been the perfect anicdote to the fast furious pace of racing and a Fastnet campaign. Fabulous!"

Wow - What a Weekend! 
THE RTI – despite very boisterous conditions all 25 Sigma 38 that started completed the race safely, without any significant damage, and all finished within the top 20% of overall entries. An incredible testament of the skill throughout the class! With Alacrity were the first Sigma 38 to finish, also finishing 4th within class and a very strong 37th overall. Pavlova III sailed a great race finishing 2nd with the Portsmouth Grammar School finishing 3rd. The entire class toasted their achievements at the Pontoon Party, managing to sink the pontoon as well as quite a few glasses.
On Sunday the fleet competed in 3 short, sharp windward/leeward races run by the very efficient and hospitable Royal London YC. Mefisto won this no discard regatta, followed by Light, and then Gallant. Our thanks go to the Royal London YC for this fun regatta that is becoming a very popular fixture in our calendar. See full results and CRO report under "Results"

Persephone 2nd in class in tough Mogan Cup race 
Persephone led 4 Sigma 38's into Cherbourg last weekend after a tough beat in winds approaching gale force in the Channel. There are more details in the race report section under the Results tab above. The Sigma 38 Offshore fleet also wishes to add their condolences to those offered to the Reddish family and the crew of "Lion" after their tragic loss on Friday night.

RTI Weekend! 
26 Sigma 38s have entered with 4 sailing under the ISC rating System. Once again on Sunday 26th June 2011 the Sigma 38s will be taking part in the annual One Day Three Race Regatta racing for the 'Mary Baxter Salver', won last year by Maddie Fenner in Gallant in a 14 boat fleet entry. First start will be at 10h30 and the whole show will be over by lunchtime with the prizegiving in the club immediately after racing. Sailing Instructions are on this website and hard copies will be available at the club from Friday. This One Day series started on the 21st Anniversary of the Sigma 38 Class in 2009 and is becoming as annual feature staged the day after the ISC JP Morgan AM Round the Island Race.

Cowes Week 
Final Reminder: The discounted early bird entry fee ends at 5pm on Monday (13th June)
As usual a social programme has been organised. Shephard’s Wharf will be the nightly meeting place, with specific Sigma 38 deals. The Island Sailing Club will be hosting our legendary Sunday curry night – Thai this time! The Extreme 40s Lounge will host a hog roast giving enabling to see the spectacular Extreme 40s racing from a fabulous vantage point. Prices are still being negotiated to ensure the best deals possible but the sooner you can give numbers to Susan, the better. Further details will be posted on the website and watch out for another possible exciting press worth get together!

The Next Major Events 
Sat 25th June - Round the Island Race, followed by drinks party on E Pontoon / Sun 26th June the One Design Regatta run by the Royal London YC. The entry cut off for these events is the 28th May, afterwards the price increases significantly so get your entries in. Click on the title for NoR and Entry form for the 3 short fun races on Sun. Entry fee for this includes drinks and tapas on E pontoon. For those of you who haven't been before it's a relaxed, fun way to celebrate the RTI race.

Cowes Week Berthing 
I have negotiated a number of places for Sigma 38's at Shepards Wharf and on "E" Pontoon in the Medina for Cowes Week. Places at Shepards (walk ashore) are severely limited. I have a maximum of 4. Up to 16 can be accommodated on E.
To reserve your place in either location, please email me at nigel.goodhew@btinternet.com. Walk ashore places are reserved until midday on 26th May, so book early to avoid disappointment!

NRG

Zanzara 1st Sigma 38 in De Guingang Bowl 
Well done to Nick and his crew in being the 1st Sigma in the RORC race this weekend and finishing a credible 7th in Class 4. No Fear - 11th overall and Inspiriation of Boss - 13 had a real tussle followed by Galliver II. This RORC race had a bumper entry of over 75 yachts. Read Zanzara's story in the results section.

Nationals - film trailer 
Click on the title above for a brief preview of the footage the film crew shot on the Monday. Blink and you'll miss Persephone at 0.11 seconds in; then fast forward to 04:00 mins for 30 seconds of Gallant going out and back and then the Festina crew at the prizegiving. Full length feature will follow!

Post National Championship Press Release 
After all that excitement last weekend this week seems like a bit of an anti-climax. Click on the title for an excellent summary of the event as well as some outstanding photos taken by Steve Bell and our own Ian Luddington. Thank you and well done to everyone who took part in what will definitely go down in history as one of the most exciting Nationals ever. Plans for next year's championships need to be put in place soon so use the forum to let us know your views.

Festina win National Title 
After the combined effect of the coastal race on Sunday being declared void and the elements winning out on Monday, the 2011 championship was decided on the results as they stood on Saturday evening.

Today, Monday, saw the fleet up bright and early to be greeted by the forecast 30 knot Easterlies. The planned last 2 inshore races were discussed and it was hoped to run a pair of triangular course races today, including a final race with double points. However, the conditions were considered too boisterous and though the fleet was released to go sailing, before more than a handful of boats had left the pontoons, the N flag was hoisted, abandoning racing for the day.
Big thanks go to Frank Newtonand his team at Portland. Their last word to me was a tribute to the "community feel" of the Sigma 38 Class...surpassing that of many established dinghy classes.

Congratulations to the team on Festina Lente, winning by the closest of margins from Mefisto. My personal congratulations too, go to my fantastic team

Exciting racing on day 1 of the 2011 Nats 
Hazy sunshine and an easterly breeze of between 9 and 17knots greeted the magnificent fleet of 17 Sigma 38's on Saturday. We sailed windward/ leeward races and the competitionwas predictably tight. Persephone set the early pace leading race 1 from the windward mark, chased by Festina and Mefisto. Festina bagged race 2 and Persephone fought back to win races 3 and 4. However consistency pays in a no discard series and at the end of day 1, Festina lead on 9 points including a bullet...Mefisto have matched her and are second on count back. Persephone count a 7th and lie third on 10 points...Nuance lead the remaining fleet, some 11points behind..

The racing has been fantastically close right across the fleet with places changing regularly, upwind and downwind. Watch this spacefor more....

Massive Press Interest in National Championships 
As Sigma 38s start to gather at the Weymouth and Portland National Sailing Academy press representatives from across the board, including TV are planning to cover the event. Click on the title to read the latest release. Good luck to all for what is guarenteed to be a fun, exciting and hard fought National Championships.

WSS 6 - Wind Later! 
Eventually at 1:55 the Sigma 38 fleet started in possibly the best conditions of the whole series for a day of thrills and spills. Rapscallion sailed a brilliant race crossing the finish line first only to find they hadn't officially crossed the start line. Currently the results show With Alacrity - 1st, Light - 2nd and Kindred Spirit - 3rd. So at the end of this series where we've all learn't a lot about light wind sailing final results currently show WA - 1st, KS - 2nd and Raps - 3rd. Well done to the entire fleet who have probably sat out more postponements than ever before!

Nationals - 16 boats entered, Deadline Extended until 22nd 
16 boats are entered including Aquaessence from Plymouth and Aspiration of Dart. We are very thrilled to have these 2 boat participating and extend a special welcome to Aspiration of Dart who will be sailing in their first Nationals. For those who have been around a long time Aspiration is the famous "green" boat. The Deadline for entry has been extended to the 22nd April. Click on the title to enter and book and pay for the class dinners. The Sailing Instructions have now been posted along with a list of prizes from our sponsors. For full details go to "events."

WSS 5 - Hot, Hot, Hot! 
In temperatures that seemed more akin to Cowes Week, the Sigma 38 fleet were combined with class 3 for a sloooow drift 2 leg race. With Alacrity showed her tactical strength and won, with Rapscallion 2nd and Kindred Spirit 3rd. The results are really hot-ting up too – only 2 points separate the 3 leaders, 4th and 5th are tied on points and there is only 2 points between 6th and 7th. It should be scorching for the last race!

Sigma 38 Class on BBC1 
Advice to Sigma 38 afficionados everywhere! Tune in or set your recorders for Countryfile on BBC1, 1900 on Sunday 10th April. We have reason to believe that you will be rewarded with a piece on sailing around the Solent and the Hamble in particular. Watch out for references to Sigma 38’s, our racing and possibly more…..

WSS 4 - Finally a bit more wind! 
11 Sigma 38s boosted by shiny, shiny Gambit enjoyed a great day sailing in glorious spring sunshine. With Alacrity became the third different winner in 4 races with Kindred Spirit 2nd and Light 3rd. These headlines only give a brief synopsis of events to get the blow by blow accounts go to the “events and results” click on “results” and then open the documents. The reports give in depth views on tactics, navigational decisions and sometimes tips on how to avoid costly errors!

WSS 3 Snakes and Ladders! 
11 bleary eyed Sigma 38 crews, having put their clocks forward, arrived at the start line for the 3rd WSS race to wait out various postponements and general recalls. Eventually the race got underway and Marta hared off rounding the first 2 marks first. Positions throughout the fleet changed continually on every leg. In the end Kindred Spirit and Rapscallion showed the form they have had all series, KS 1st this time and Rap, 2nd. With Alacrity crossed in 3rd place. 3rd position and 8th were only separated by 57 seconds, with Mefisto (only 4 crew) and Pandanova (only their 3rd race ever) actually crossing the line together. If you’re after close racing this is the fleet to be in!

Sigma 38's most active OOD in Europe! 
According to Yachting Monthly, Sigma 38's are now the most active OOD cruiser/racers in Europe! With the announcement of record sponsorship deals for our Nationals, Sigma 38's will shortly hit the headlines yet again. And watch out for the April issue of Practical Boat Owner, featuring some of the less often seen Sigma's sights!

WSS 2 - And that why we go sailing! 
Sunshine, fickle breeze, challenging tides, strong competition and good company – who could ask for a better way to spend a Sunday! In true one design style positions changed throughout the fleet and many boats finished within seconds of one another. Good to see the No Fear team out. Rapscallion sailed another innovative race finishing 1st, followed by Kindred Spirit and then With Alacrity.

WSS Race 1 
Well done to the 6 Sigma 38s who managed to get their boat launched in time for the first race of the Warsash Spring Series. The breeze was fickle and patchy until it picked up at the end of a shortened course. Rapscallion finished 1st, followed by Kindred Spirit and then Gallant. Great to see the new owners of Pandanova out. As usual there are some fascinating reports under "Results," a great way to learn what paid off and what didn't. Reports are welcome from all - just submit them to Susan for posting.

Race Training - book now! 
16th April – based at Hamble River Sailing Club. A new format is being developed with a focus on boat handling. Miss it if you dare! Ideal for putting you through your paces for the Nationals or what ever your individual goal is for the season. To get the most out of the day you need to: book your place with Nigel Goodhew, tell him what you hope to achieve and turn up with a full crew. The actual training will be FREE but all crew attending must be Sigma 38 members (ie £15 per crew member.) If you are unable to print off the form on the website email Jon England with details.
Post training - get together at the King and Queen, Hamble - £12 a head for lasagne and chocolate brownies with cash bar. Numbers to Susan now!

The Re-surgence Continues 
10 Sigma 38s are entered in the Warsash Spring Series, guarantee-ing a class start. The Sigma 38s are the second biggest entry in the black group Fleet. The newer boats are warmly welcomed. Andrew Gordon will be campaigning Pandanova for the first time, having bought her back from Liverpool late last year. The top 3 boats from the 2010 Spring Series will also be present on the start line so it promises to be another thriller. Yippee - winter's almost over!

Sigma Celebrations! 
Oh What a Night! Or should it be what an early morning! A brilliant bash at the Solent Spa Hotel. It just gets better and better - our biggest turn out ever for the Annual Dinner - new boats and folk to welcome to the Class Association and lots of lovely Sigma silverware to polish.

2012 Olympic Sailing Venue 
If you are planning to viist the 2012 Olympic Sailing Venue for the actual event you will need to register. Click on the title and follow the link. "The Olympic and Paralymipic Games are a spectacular once-in-a-lifetime event which Weymouth and Portsmouth is honoured to be hosting. I strongly urge boat owners who are considering visiting us from July - September 2012 to register now" - Peter Farrell, chair of the Weymouth Harbour Board

NECK AND NECK WITH FIRST 40.7's FOR FASTNET 
With 14 entries apiece so far, Sigma 38's are neck and neck with the Beneteau First 40.7's in terms of Class numbers for the 2011 Rolex Fastnet. RORC say the 300 boat entry limit for the race this August has already been reached and there is already a wiating list., So if you're still undecided sign up soon and lets put those Beneteaus in their place!

Annual Party and AGM 
The deadline for tickets to the Annual Party is Friday, 14th January 2011. So print off the form under the forms section and send off your payment to guareentee your places. If you are unable to print the form off email Jon (address on the form) with details of numbers required and your payment. See you there!
Please note the AGM will take place at 18:00 - all welcome.

London Boat Show Deals 
Click on the title to see London Boat Show offer available to Sigma 38 members. Merry Chistmas, Happy sailing for 2011 and here's to a very successful Sigma 38 year!

Round Ireland race 2010 - document now available 
4 Sigma 38s - Persistence, Joker, Mistral of St. Helier, and Rebel competed in the 30th Anniversary of the Round Island Race in June 2010. This event is Ireland's premier offshore sailing event. Click on the title to read a fasinating report by Keith Mander, owner of Mistral. This report has already been submitted for inclusion in the Round Ireland Book.

Reflection, Planning and Celebration 
As thoughts turn to winter maintenance it’s time to start planning next year – the Sigma 38 Calendar of events is on the website. There is something for everyone.

It’s also time to reflect on all our achievements. The complete 2010 Grand Championship results are posted on the website. Our champions must be heartily congratulated for their hard fought victories but there are tales of achievement from every one of the 32 Sigma 38s that took part this year.

What better way of celebrating than the Annual Party – 29th January 2011 at the Solent Hotel and Spa - 3 course dinner, prize giving(30 prizes and 11 trophies) and dancing to a live band all for £45 pounds. Send it off your form soon to secure your crews’ table/tables for the best party of the year.

A Foggy Finale 
In fog so thick it was rarely possible to see both ends of the start-line 10 Sigma 38s crossed the line to compete in the last race of the series. The race committee managed to pull yet another race out of the hat resulting in a complete series, is this a first? Despite having secured their 1st and 2nd for the series Festina and With Alacrity were taking no chances pulling out the big guns with their super helms on the wheel. Festina finished 1st, Rapscallion 2nd and With Alacrity 3rd so Rapscallion finished 3rd overall. Zanzara’s 4th today meant they were the only boat that improved their overall position making them 5th in the series. Congratulations to everyone that took part, I’ll miss you next week! And finally a huge thanks to the race committee for providing an outstanding series, in often tricky conditions.

GHWS Day 7 - A Tough, Hardy Bunch! 
Well done to the full complement of Sigma 38s that turned up for the penultimate day of racing despite sub-zero temperatures and some heavy snow warnings. Realistically temperatures were not as low as forecasted, the snow held off and the moderate breeze allowed crew to stay dry. Kindred Spirit made a welcome re-appearance with another performance that demonstrated their talents; finishing 3rd. It was also good to see No Fear back on the race course. Festina Lente and With Alacrity were, once again, 1st and 2nd but had to weave their way through Sigma 38 traffic to get there. See you all next week for what is looking like another cold one.

GHWS Day 6 
After a very dreary week it was a pleasure to get back out on the water and make the most of, whilst not quite sunshine, at least some light. It was another thrilling contest with the leader position changing up to five times. Gambit who are really finding form followed Rapscallion and Festina round the first mark in THIRD place. On the last downwind leg Festina and With Alacrity’s duel for dominance was absolutely awe-inspiring and a huge testament to the skill in the class! Briefly a number of chasing boats wondered if they were going to be able to capitalise on this. In the end Festina sneaked in front of With Alacrity by 5 seconds and Rapscallion came in 3rd.

HRWS - Day 5 - An Extraordinary Day 
After drifting around in absolutely no breeze for over an hour the fleet could have been forgiven for thinking there was no chance any racing was going to take place. As it turned out the race committee managed to squeeze in a quick race in which the wind got up 25 knots. With such a huge wind variations, combined starts and the same course conditions were challenging on a very busy, small race course. Festina lead the way followed in by Rapscallion and then With Alacrity.

GHWS - Race Day 4 
Despite a bit of drizzle the Sigma 38 fleet enjoyed another day of excellent, close racing. Festina Lente really got in to her stride and won both races convincingly. To learn how they did it read some of the crews' reports on the results page. With Alacrity were 2nd in the first race and Light 3rd. In the second race Marta were in 2nd place for most of the race but were overtaken by Rapscallion and then Kindred Spirit. The series resumes with 1 race a day on the 14th Nov. Enjoy your lie in next Sunday and enjoy plotting how to beat the boat placed above you!

Sunshine and Breeze! 
Although the north wind was decidedly nippy the conditions for Race Day 3 were near perfect - bright blue skies and a good breeze of approximately 12knots. Festina returned to dominant form winning both races. In the first With Alacrity was 2nd and Rapscallion 3rd. In the second Rapscallion was 2nd with Kindred Spirit 3rd. Throughout the fleet competition is close with boat finishing within seconds of one another. Gallant beat Marta by 3 seconds in race 1. With 6 races completed the series has already reached the halfway point but no doubt there’s plenty of excitement to come. Points are tight but none more so than the 1 separating Gambit and Vitesse.

GHWS Race Day 2 - More Sunshine! 
After predictions all week of little to no wind for Sunday, HRSC ran 2 great races in approximately 9 knots of breeze with brilliant blue skies. With Alacrity won the first race, followed by Zanzara and then Festina Lente. In the second race, Kindred Spirit took the gun followed by Light, 2nd, and Festina 3rd again. It was a true pleasure to be out on the water. Remember the race reports, under the results section, are a great way to learn from others’ mistakes and triumphs. Writing a report not only helps you think through your race but helps other too. All reports are most welcome - send them to Susan Rainger for posting.

HRWS - What a Start! 
The Garmin Hamble Winter Series got off to a stunning start with warm sunshine, massive tides and a gusty shifty breeze that varies from 12 to 20 knots. Both conditions and the close competition between Sigma 38s made for some very challenging sailing. Crews had to get back up to speed quickly with multiple sail changes, close quarter tacking, and some very fine judgement on buoys! With Alacrity won the first race, with the newly returned Festina, 2nd and Zanzara, 3rd. In the second race Rapscallion triumphed, followed by With Alacrity and Nuance, 3rd in their first Winter Series race. At the end of the day there were lots of smiles and more than a few aching muscles.

Garmin Hamble Winter Series 
It's confirmed - The Sigma 38s will be racing one design! Our high entry levels more then justify us having our own series. There are rumours a few more boats are joining in - so come on get your entry in! Please be aware the Sigma 38 crew limit of 9 will apply in accordance with our class rules and 6.2.2 of the NOR. Good luck and have fun!

From Strength to Strength! 
The Sigma 38 resurgence continues with 12 boats entered in the prestigious Hamble Winter Series. This is the biggest one design keel boat entry and the second biggest entry after SB3. And with a crew of 9, Sigma 38 people far outnumber any other one design boat. It's set to be an exciting, competitive series.

Garmin Hamble Winter Series 2010 
The reduced price entryy for the famous Hamble Winter Series closes on MON 13th September. Get your entry in so we have enough boats to go one design racing again! Remember if you are looking for crew or to for a ride - use the crew register page.

Second Sigma 38 Cruising Rally - 5/6th September 
Following last years hugely successful inaugrual cruising rally Nick Gale is putting together an outline for a real back to roots cruising weekend. The suggestion is that boats meet up in Newtown Creek on Sat. afternoon. The tide works for dingy adventures up the creek to the New Inn for dinner, possibly following a few cocktails on the beach. Contact Nick with any suggestions and simply come along to enjoy some relaxation.

An Epic Cowes! 
The Sigma 38 Class revelled in the variety of conditions of this years Cowes. The Project, supreme as ever, won and were 3rd overall in the entire Black Group but are we all getting closer? Numerous boats popped there noses out in front in every race and on Thurs 4 boats actually beat them, a first! Even so, congratulations to The Project for their masterful sailing and to With Alacrity, 2nd and Mefisto, 3rd. Throughout the fleet racing was competitive, intense and close. Although it’s difficult to pick out individual boats - Nuance, in their first Cowes showed the strength of their family team and Gambit proved that focus pays off. The whole class has much to be proud of, not least Gallant, awarded the Britannia Salver for outstanding seamanship in two MOB incidents.

COWES WEEK UPDATE 
Check the YouTube Cowes TV video at 1.56 onwards for latest report and MOB interview!

Cowes Week 2010 
19 Sigma 38s are entered in the 184th Cowes Week – up one on last year. Sigma 38s are one of the biggest one design entries in the Black Fleet. Racing in this fleet, always close and exciting, is set to be extremely competitive with many former champions and series winners taking part. However the statistic that really demonstrates the resurgence and strength of this 22 year old class is the 5 “first timers” competing – “Gallant” skippered by Maddie Fenner, age 23, “Nuance,” owned and completely crewed by the Proctor family, the Hardings’ “Sigmagician,” David Linton’s “Sigmania,” and the Navy boat “Supercharger of Daedalus.” The class will be hosting a class dinner at the Island sailing club on Sun. and a hog roast at the Extreme 40s VIP Lounge on Wed.

Errislannan - Boat of the Week at Cork! 
The Sigma 38 Class Association is hugely proud that Errislannan has won joint boat of the week at Cork week. Errislannan, from Dublin, which is a family run boat from bow to stern proved that the 22 year old Sigma 38s are a match for any contender. They proved the point in IRC 4 by taking first places in all conditions, light fluky winds to bouncy, strong conditions. Congratulations to Paul and all the crew. With Alacrity finished second in the Sigma Europeans and Persephone third. Further down the fleet saw a great tussle between Zanzara and local boat Joker, both finishing the Regatta neck and neck on 81 points each in class 4.

CORK CAPERS 
It's not all Guiness and Gossip at the Sigma Europeans in Cork this week; the action out on the water in IRC class 4 has been fast and furious with local hero and Association Vice Chairman Paul Kirwan in ERRISLAN just holding off challenges from PERSEPHONE (who while in first place had a frustrating grounding just yards from one finish) and this season's in-form champions Chris and Vanessa Choules on WITH ALACRITY. Nick Gale's Lymington- based ZANZARRA and Mike Broderick & Dave Gibbons JOKER flying the flag for Ireland tussle for position further down the fleet. And whilst Sigmas' would have relished today's 30 knot winds and 4 metre waves out on the Olympic course, with less seaworthy designs to consider in the rest of the handicap fleet, its inshore shenanigans around the cans at 2pm today (Thursday)

Cork Week! 
Racing starts at Cork Week tomorrow. European Champion, Errislannan, will be fighting to maintain their title, in particular, against National Champion, With Alacrity. If you're unable to be there this year you can follow all the action by clicking on the title above.

Round Ireland - Persistence Home! 
After 5 days, 23 hours, 4 mins and 9 seconds Persistence is the first Sigma 38 home, having battled some very light wind conditions and tricky tidal situations. Joker and Mistral of St. Helier are within sight of the finish AND each other having a real battle royal in a dying wind. Rebel is a little way behind, so nearly there. Keep a watch on their progress by clicking the title of the article below.

Meanwhile.......Round Ireland Yacht Race! 
4 Sigma 38s are currently speeding towards Fastnet Rock having left Wicklow on Saturday 19th June. Currently Persistence is leading the Sigma 38 charge in 21st place overall. Joker is in 25th place, Mistral of St. Helier 28th and Rebel 30th. There is currently less than 7 nautical miles separating the four 38s. You can follow there progress by clicking on the title above.

RTI - Sigma 38s Completely Dominate! 
In Division 2D Sigma 38s picked up 1st – Monet, 2nd – With Alacrity, 3rd – Persephone and 7 Sigma 38s were in the top 10. An incredibly strong performance that clearly illustrates how well sailed our boats are. Monet, in particular, sailed spectacularly winning the division with over a 3 minute lead. The finish for the next 6 Sigmas was nail bitingly close with less than 3 minutes separating them all and many boats after almost 8 hours of racing finishing within seconds of one and other. Galliver, Nuance, and Sigmania successfully completed their first RTI.
4 Sigma 38s competed in ISC Division 4 which was dominated by another 38 - Amaryllis who won!

A New National Champion! 
With Alacrity is the new national champion! They raced impeccably over the weekend and their enthusiasm and all round great attitude make them very popular winners. The whole class says very well done to Chris, Vanessa and the rest of the crew! The weekend saw another fantastic championship – an offshore with breeze varying between 0 and 18 knots and then challenging shifty conditions in Poole with a windy Sun. and then a light Mon. Rapscallion were 2nd and Persephone 3rd and all through the fleet there were some excellent performances. Gallant, skippered by 23 year old Maddie, was 2nd in the offshore race. Great to see Aquaessence who came up from Plymouth to join the mainly Solent based boats. Please give us your feedback on the forum so we can start planning the next nationals.

13 Entered in 2010 Nationals 
13 Sigma 38s have entered this years National Championships which runs over the May Bank Hoilday. Everything is in place for this to be another One design classic with the Spring Series winner, the Winter Series winner, the 2009 Grand Champion and several sailors who have raced for their countries taking part! Friday evening sees the start of the offshore race, followed by a lay day on Sat and then inshore racing on Sun and Mon run by Poole Regatta. All documentation needed by competitors is available under events.

Cowes Week Mooring 
If you require mooring at Cowes Week this year you need to act IMMEDIATELY!
We have very limited space at Shepards Wharf and some on E Pontoon in the river. I can hold them open for 48 hours only, so if you have not booked your space, contact me immediately...nigel.goodhew@btinternet.com

So far, it seems that many of you are making private arrangements......as I have had 3 bookings only as I write....

Rising Stars and "Stormy Waters" 
15 Sigma 38s, 1 of the biggest fleets, competed in the last race of the WSS. For the 1st time this series a gusty stiff breeze with wind over tide made for challenging conditions. Following Sat's intensive race training, with arguably the best “couch” in the business this didn’t deter Sigmania and Galliver in their 1st race ever. Most improved boat this series, Gallant put in a fine performance. Gambit, Marta, No Fear, Vitesse and Zanzara showed they were paying attention. With all these rising stars expect outstanding future racing.
In the end Monet won, sailing impeccably, closely followed in by Rapscallion and then With Alacrity. Congrats to all crews for a thrilling series. A special "well done” to Rapscallion WSS winner, Light 2nd and with Alacrity 3rd, finishing the series with only 1 point separating them - A One Design Racing showcase!
Finally on to Stormy Waters featuring Nigel Goodhew – Thanks for an outstanding evening’s entertainment. Roll on the Nationals when we're out in force again

Sigma 38 Racing Near and Far 
Despite very light winds 6 Sigma 38s raced in Saturday's JOG Nab Tower Race. Monet on her first outing of the season won, old favourites Persephone and With Alacrity were 2nd and 3rd. No Fear, 4th, showed she had nothing to fear in light winds beating Zanzara, 5th, and Yoda, 6th.

Spring Series racing on Sunday was abondoned due to lack of wind.

However you can still click on the title to read a fasinating race report from Struan, a Sigma 38 racing in Hong Kong.

WSS4 - Snakes and Ladders 
In a patchy, shifty, 12ish knot breeze with a cross tidal course it was snakes and ladders in the Sigma 38 fleet with lots of position swapping. Rapscallion won their second race of the series managing to overhaul Light on the very last leg. Light had lead all the way round but Rapscallion was able to make significant gains on a costly spinnaker “*!*!-up” from Light and then overtake them on the beat to the finish. Just proves once again that there is no room for error in this fleet. With Alacrity scraped with Marta to come in 3rd. Gallant and Vitesse also fought all the way. A blue boat, Gambit, turned up for her inaugural race of the year. With 2 races left there is only 1 point separating the top 3 boats!

With Alacrity Dominates 1st Double Handed Race 
Chris and Vanessa Choules impressively dominated Class 2 in the RSYC Spring Double Handed Race, the first of the new Sigma 38 Double Handed Series. They beat the next contender in the 26 boat strong Class 2 by over 4 minutes and the next Sigma 38 by 17 minutes. Of the 4 Sigma 38s competing Marta was 2nd, Gallant, 3rd and they were followed in by Mustigo, who are warmly welcomed back out on the water. Although this is the 1st race it appears that this is another opportunity for our hardy British yacht to stand up and be counted so why not get your entry in for the rest of this series. Just think none of those hours on organising crew!

New S38 Double Handed Series kicks off this weekend 
This Saturday (10 April) is the first race in the new Sigma 38 double handed series, which is made up of selected events from the popular Royal Southampton YC double handed series. The first race is around marks in the central Solent, in May there are races to Weymouth and back, in July the classic round the Island double and the series is rounded off by the Nab Tower double in September. The Sigma 38 series will be decided by the best 3 results out of the 5 races from Sigma 38 extracted results.

Sigma 38s are well suited to DH sailing and all 38s that sailed the Island double last year had a great time. It is not too late to enter the first race - no modifications are needed to the boat, just enter, turn up and go sailing ! (crew is easy to organise as well !)

Sigma 38s Dominate the First 2 Offshores of the Season 
Once the big wind had passed through the channel the Sigma 38s got off to a cracking start in the results of the first 2 offshores of the season. In the Cowes to Cherbourg With Alacrity won class 4 and Persephone was second. These results were reversed in the Cherbourg to Cowes with Persephone winning and With Alacrity 2nd. Marta posted a 7th and a 5th in a class of 20 boats. These results demonstrate how suited the Sigma 38 is to offshore racing in a variety of conditions. Well done also to Galliver and Zanzara for getting their boats to the start line and enduring some rather challenging conditions.

WSS3 - Good Breeze and Course! 
Yesterday the 10 Sigma 38 on the race course were treated to 10 to 15 knots of wind, a good testing course and fortunately none of the much forecasted rain. Light was the first Sigma 38 home and was 3rd in the very competitive IRC3 Class. With Alacrity (2nd) fought all the way to eventually overtake Marta (3rd). The series which resumes after Easter is set for drama with Light and With Alacrity tied overall in 1st place and very few points separating many of the rest of the fleet.

WSS2 - Lots of Laughter and a Short Race 
Judging by the amount of laughter drifting across the smooth glassy water lots of fun was had by Sigma 38 crews waiting out the postponements. Eventually the race committee managed to start a fascinating 3 leg race. The 1st leg; a slow drift to the, then, windward mark, the 2nd leg; a run which turned into a beat and back to a run, then a rather congested mark rounding followed by a reasonable beat to the finish. With Alacrity read the conditions best winning the race, Gallant, with very few crew on board, sailed impressively throughout to finish 2nd and was followed in by Light only two seconds behind. What a lovely way to spend a Sunday.

WSS1 - Sunshine! 
The 9 Sigma 38s racing in the 28 boat IRC 3 Fleet were treated to near perfect conditions. The top 3 boats finished within 50 seconds of each other and there was strong one design racing throughout the fleet. Great to welcome No Fear back to the race course. We are interested and keen to publish all competitors' stories so get typing. It doesn't have to be long and detailed and it's strangely therapeutic just send them to raingersh@btinternet.com

Race Training - Sign up Now! 
The un-missable Race Training is 24 April at Hamble River SC run by Jim Saltonstall, who is widely credited with putting Team GBR at the top of the sailing medals table. Jim would never say this himself; he’s extremely modest with a wonderful sense of humour which makes learning an absolute pleasure. Get a flavour of the day by reading his interview on the events page. To get the most out of the day come with your boat fully crewed. If you are unable to do this we can slot you in. Cost is £80 per boat and each associate member is free. Non associate members will be charged £15 which will entitle them to the training as well as membership. You must confirm your place now – email Nick Gale nick7gale@hotmail.com with boat name and numbers.
Evenings entertainment will follow at the King and Queen. Supper - £15 a head and entertainment will be provided by our esteemed chairman, Nigel Goodhew and his band.
Remember you can enter the last Warsash race on Sun. to put into practise what you've learnt.

Caribbean Sunshine 
If boat maintenance and the continuing wintery weather are getting you down click on the title to cheer yourself up by reading the Meakins' excellent tales of crossing the Atlantic and their West Indian adventure. It looks like Festina Lente is revelling in the Caribbean Seas. Warning - don't look if you are prone to jealousy!

Oh What A Night! 
137 Sigma 38 sailors representing 14 boats partied hard at the Annual Party and Prize Giving on Saturday. The should be band which briefly included Nigel Goodhew on bass guitar were a great hit with the dance floor continuously full. Rumour has it that some including the chairman lasted until dawn! At the AGM earlier in the evening a number of small rule changes were accepted. These will be posted on the website. Paul Kirwan of Errislannan was unanimously voted in as vice-chairman. Both Philip Meakins and Chris Choules stepped down for the committee. They were both thanked for their invaluable input. Click on the title to see the Chairman’s full report on an outstanding Sigma 38 year. Finally huge congratulations to all winners but in particular to With Alacrity – the 2009 Grand Champions – photo under results on the events page.

Annual Dinner Quiz 
If you were'nt able to make what proved to be a great evening at the Solent Spa, you can still enter the annual quiz. Try and beat the highest score on the night, won by MONET, as there are still prizes to be won. No cheating or Googling now! Just email your answers to: fenners@waitersfriend.com before the end of February.

Sigma Sailor signs up for Sydney-Hobart 
Not all Sigma sailors curl up for Christmas or so it seems. So whilst you’re unwrapping your new thermal sailing socks with the central heating keeping things nice and cosy, spare a thought for Nick Carter, sometime Mast man on Marta who’ll be battling across the Bass Strait in this year’s Sydney – Hobart.
Nick, a Sports Medicine Consultant when he’s not sailing Sigma 38’s, has signed on as ship’s doctor onboard the RAF’s entry DISCOVER of HORNET an ex Challenge 67 footer. Not somebody to take life at a leisurely pace, His lovely wife Adele tells me he’s previously competed in the Three Peaks Races as both sailor and runner, took part in this year’s Fastnet and is currently putting a team together to campaign Sigma 38 Mistral in the Round Ireland Race next year! Phew! Just hope he’s got time to fit in the Nationals somewhere along the way. So Nick, every best wish for a great race and a safe return from all of us at the Sigma 38 Association.

National Attendance Numbers - Sigma 38 in Top 15 
Yachts and Yachting have published new data tabling attendance levels at Class Nationals. With 14 entries last year the Sigma 38 Class comes in at number 15. In big boat terms only the J109s had a larger attendance. Yet another statistic that demonstrates the strength and resurgence of this 21 year old class. Click on the title for the detail. Can we make it into the top 10 next year? Start planning your entry now – last May Bank Holiday 28th – 31st May as part of International Paint Poole Regatta.

Winterising your Sigma 
The Winter Series is over at last and you can now snuggle back down under that duvet on a wild Sunday morning with a clear conscience. But what of that boat? She has worked hard for you all year and now deserves a well earned rest and plenty of TLC. Click on the title for a few tips to get her set for the long winter ahead.

GHWS Marks Sigma 38s 21st Anniversary 
The GHWS class winners are in for an extra treat at the Hamble River SC prize giving on Saturday. To mark their 21st Anniversary, the Sigma 38 Association is presenting an award winning bottle of bubbly and a souvenir champagne sealer to each class winner. Following a fantastic year of celebrations during which the number of Sigma 38's racing has increased significantly the Class Association have made this gesture to thank fellow competitors and the hard working Hamble Race Committee. Click on the title to read the Yachts and Yachting article.

A windy finale 
What an end to the 2009 season! With gusty conditions and a base wind strength of 22 knots, the hardy Sigmas who made it to the line were obliged to deal with squally rain and hail with winds in excess of 40 knots at times.
Kindred Spirit showed some more of what they are made of, starting with a port flyer and leading at the first mark in a race which had 3 leaders at different times. This last race of the season was a test for gear and crew resilience. Persephone took the gun with Light and Gallant close behind. Light win the 2009 GHWS . Congratulations go to them!

Respite Between Storms 
During a brief respite in storms the Garmin Hamble Race Committee treated the 10 Sigma 38s in IRC 3 to another outstanding race on Sunday. After Saturday's torrential rain and gale force winds it was a tonic to be out in a warm 13 -16 knot breeze and even see some sunshine! With Alacrity pulled off another commanding 1st followed in by Light and then Mefisto. Once again Zanzara, Marta, and Gallant had a real tussle finishing in that order with only one second separating Marta and Gallant. Great to see Gambit’s orange lion spinnaker flying!

Close Racing or What! 
In IRC3 (aka the Sigma 38 Class) Race Day 5 the top 4 boats finished within 64 seconds of each other. With Alacrity pulled off their third 1st, followed in by Rapscallion, Persephone and then Mefisto. Just over halfway through the series and competition is intense with postions on the overall score board swopping continually. It's going to be watch this space all the way to the end!

Hamble Winter Series Race Day 4 
In a stiff gusty breeze and rather choppy seas the Sigma 38 Class revelled in the conditions. Light finished 1st, and Persephone 2nd, but the really battle in the fleet was between the next 3 boats. Kindred Spirit (3rd), Gallant (4th) and Marta (5th) finished within 38 seconds of each other. An absolutely fantastic performance by newcomers Kindred Spirit and relatively new boats Gallant and Marta. However you have to feel for With Alacrity and Rapscallion who sailed impressively, crossed the line 1st and 2nd only to find out they were OCS! It keeps being said but it really is a showcase of one design racing. Glad we've got next weekend to recover.

Stop Press - Winter Series update 
With recent entries from Yoda, No Fear, Gallant and Kindred Spirit, the Sigma 38's number no fewer than 14 in the GHWS.

And there are rumours of special guest star appearances from one or two others. You know who you are...come out and join in!

HWS Race Day 2. 
For the 10 Sigma 38s racing in IRC3 competition throughout the fleet was intense with positions swopping throughout the race. With Alacrity fought hard all the way to win, beating Rapscallion by 11secs. Persephone followed them in in third place and Mefisto in fourth. Further down the fleet Light held off Marta by 17 seconds and Gallant battled to beat Zanzara by 15 seconds. Billy Whizz managed to beat Gambit despite a brief spell on Bramble Bank. Somewhere in the mix the 3 non-Sigma 38 IRC3 boats must each be having an identity crisis!

Nice and Easy Does It! 
The Hamble Winter Series started kindly with a steady gentle warmish breeze that eased crews into the series. In the 1st race Light, Persephone, and With Alacrity took the podium positions with the top 4 boats finishing within 22 seconds of each other. In the 2nd race With Alacrity finished 1st with a strong lead, followed in by Light and Rapscallion. Billy Whizz in their 1st Winter Series pulled out an impressive 5th and 6th. It was a pleasure to be out there again racing in a strongly competitive one design fleet

10 Sigma 38s entered in Hamble Winter Series 
Out of the 14 boats in HWS IRC3 10 Sigma 38s are entered. It's sure to be another showcase of closely fought one-design racing. New comers Gambit and Billy Whizz are warmly welcomed. And it will be fantastic to have the well sailed Rapscallion back on the race course. The old favourites Light, Marta, Mefisto, Persephone, Vitesse, With Alacrity, and Zanzara make up the numbers. All's set for an exciting series!

5 GO WILD IN CHICHESTER 
The inaugural cruising rally took place over the weekend of the 19th/20th September. Click on news to read the full story.

Monet win the Aitcheson Trophy 
In "Champagne" sailing conditions for the JOG double to Poole and back over the weekend of 12th/13th September, Monet came out as deserved winners after a superbly close fought race in both legs. With Alacrity sailed a canny race to win the outbound race ahead of Persephone and Monet in the gradually decreasing northeasterly breeze at Poole Bar. In the second leg, after a grippingly tense beat across Poole Bay, the Sigma 38 fleet was convincingly led home from North Head buoy to the JOG finish at Gurnard by Monet, who extended their lead over Dragonfly, driven by none other than Neil Aitcheson. A new name to engrave on the largest trophy in the Sigma 38 "cabinet", congratulations to Dave Cooke and his team.

Annual Rally and Treasure Hunt 19th and 20th Sept 
After a busy season for all now is the perfect time to get together, cruisers and racers, for a relaxed beach BBQ, fun and games. East head in Chichester Harbour will be the venue Saturday, so make sure you bring your tender. Sunday we will have a treasure hunt leading back into the central Solent. More details will be posted soon under events.


This is what we all need to bring:

one Rub a Dub with oars
disposable BBQ with food for your crew
a musical instrument to serenade the wild life
the ingredients for a shooter (design your own boat shooter)
We should all aim to meet at east head about 2-2,30pm. Start the games around 3pm and open the beer
and cook the food from about 5.30pm and sing a few sea shanties into the night.

The treasure hunt on Sunday will start about 10am and finish in Osbourne bay about 2.30pm.

All 11 Sigma 38s complete Fastnet. 
This year's Fastnet will be remembered as being long and very technically challenging - all 11 Sigma 38 entered patiently battled the light wind and strong tides to complete the course in just over 5 days. Congratulations to all teams and especially to Zanzara, With Alacrity, and Persephone who finished 1st, 2nd and 3rd. To get a feel for the highs and lows around the course as well as the supreme team efforts read the fascinating reports under the results section

Fastnet 19:00 Wed 12th Aug 
Zanzara, With Alacrity and Persephone are round the Fastnet Rock in what looks like an incredibly close fought battle. Go Sigma 38s go - we're watching you all and can see the duels developing throughtout the fleet. Click on the title for updates.

2009 FASTNET 
MONDAY AM: Its amazing! Despite light winds we've 3 boats in the Class 111 top 4 as they cross Lyme Bay with Nick Gale's ZANZARA leading the Class. The Choules in WITH ALACRITY are third and Nigel Goodhew keeps up the good work with PERSEPHONE closely in contention in Fourth. Behind them are a mass of old class 111 rivals usually hard to beat in light conditions. Wll done guys, keep it up!

RORC Channel race 
Despite not being part of the Sigma 38 offshore championship four Sigmas lined up for this year's RORC channel race. After around twenty four hours of racing the finish was amazing close, Zanzara just edging ahead of Vitesse by 23 seconds at the line. Torbellino coming in a mere 2 minutes and 15 seconds later and Inspiration of Boss 13 minutes later. One design racing at its absolute best.

Sigma 38s in the Three Peaks Yacht Race 
Three Sigma 38s took part in this year’s Three Peaks Yacht Race: Starship (Cardiff), Torbellino (Cowes) and Mistral (Conwy).......(click on title to read more)

21st Cowes Week Social Activities! 
The Sigma 38 Class Association has organised a Cowes Week packed full of social events to mark their 21st Anniversary. To ensure you are part of the action book your places now!
CURRY BUFFET - 19:30, Sunday 2nd August, Lower Marquee, Island Sailing Club. 15 pounds a head with cash bar.
MICHELIN CHEF CARIBBEAN BUFFET - 20:00, Wednesday 5th August at the beautiful grade 2 listed, Northwood House and Gardens. Once again only 15 pounds a head with subsidized Rum Punch bar as well as normal cash bar.
INFORMAL DRINKS – from 7pm, Saturday and Thursday, the Sail for Gold Bar, the Parade.
To secure your places for the Curry Buffet and the Michelin Chef Buffet please send payment IMMEDIATELY.
Bank Transfers - Account name: Sigma 38 Class Association, Account number: 00801958, Sort Code: 80-02-14, send advice of this remittance and numbers by email to: jonengland@ejwood.co.uk
Cheque:- Sigma 38 Class Association
Please post your remittance with numbers to:
The Treasurer 43, Beacon Way, Rickmansworth, Herts

Sigma 38s Dominate in Their 21st RTI! 
8 Sigma 38s finished in the top 10 out of the 41 starters of IRC Division 2D of the challenging 2009 RTI. Special congratulations go to Festina – 1st, Monet 2nd and Mefisto 3rd and Amaryllis who won division 4C. For this special birthday the weekend continued with a Celebration Supper in the evening attended by 160 people including David Thomas, the yacht’s designer and many other people who in the past have been instrumental in the Class. On Sunday 20 boats participated in 3 one-design races ably run by the Royal London YC. Once again Festina Lente won and were presented with the Queen Victoria Trophy by the Commodore of the RLYC. All in all a memorable weekend and a fantastic birthday party!

4 Races and a Proposal! 
On the dawn of the 2009 RTI Max Walker of Pavlova 3 must have been even more nervous than the rest of us. The reason became clear to all 1779 competitors as Pavlova rounded the Needles and the Spinnaker popped up. Written across it was “Rebecca, will you marry me?” This must easily be one of the most romantic moment ever in the RTI history. Down the leg to St. Cats a ring was produced and Rebecca said “YES.” On top of all this Pavlova finished 4th in Class and 64th overall and then went on the next day to compete in the 3 Sigma 21st Anniversary races the next day and finish 3rd! The Class Association wishes to say huge CONGRATULATIONS to Max and Rebecca. MEDIA CONTACT: For pictures and full story - Paul Fenner, Hon Press Officer paulf@waitersfriend.com Tel: 01483 560695

21st Anniversary Photo Competition 
Calling all photographers…. as part of our celebrations we are running a competition for the photo which best sums up the spirit of the Sigma 38s 21st Anniversary. The competition is open to all with no limit on number of photos submitted. The prize will be a bottle of champagne. Photos will be used in press releases and on the website. Submit your photos by email to Paul Fenner fenners@waitersfriend.com by 28th June 2009 and the winner will be announced on the website.

De Guingand Bowl 
Well done to all 8 Sigma 38 crews who entered the RORC race at the weekend. Another "RORC drift" requiring supreme concentration in the light airs. All the Sigma 38's finished in the testing conditions.

Congratulations to With Alacrity who came out on top of the 38 fleet in the end...a fleet led out of the Solent by Premier Cru, if I am not mistaken.

Cowes Week Berthing 
The Class Association has arranged berthing on "E Pontoon", the river pontoons near East Cowes otherwise known as Sigma City.

To reserve your slot email nigel.goodhew@btinternet.com as soon as possible because places are limited.

SOLD OUT - 21st Celebration Supper - SOLD OUT 
Tickets for the 21st Celebration Supper on the 20th June at the Sir Max Atkin Museum have sold out. We are delighted that as well as many other famous “yachties” who have played significant roles in the Sigma 38 Class, the yacht’s designer David Thomas will be joining us to toast the success of our hardy British built yachts.
The good news for anyone who is too late to get supper tickets is that there are places available for the 21st Anniversary One Design Races the next day - so far 19 boats are entered! However you must fill in and send off your form immediately – click on events, then 21st Anniversary.

RORC Myth of Malham (Round Eddystone) 
Congratulations to With Alacrity, Flying Formula, Persephone, Vitesse, Premier Cru & Marta who grimmed it out to finish a frustrating light air RORC race around Eddystone over the bank holiday weekend. The 230 mile race took over 60 hours, probably one of the slowest offshore races most boats have experienced - a sobering thought that if the Fastnet is sailed in similar wind it could take 7 days!!

With 10 starters Sigma 38s made up a quarter of IRC class 3 but with many boats retiring the 6 S38s that completed the race made up a third of the finishers - testament to the single-minded determination of Sigma 38 crew if nothing else?

Round the Island Race...overnight berthing 
Your Class Association has reserved 20 places at Venture Quay, on the East side of the harbour in Cowes, for the Saturday evening after the RTI race. Venture Quay is therefore exclusively for use by Sigma 38 Association members.

To reserve your place, email nigel.goodhew@btinternet.com as soon as you can!

14 boats complete 2009 Nationals 
Congratulations to Festina Lente, Sigma 38 National Champions for a record 5th year! Going into the final race the leading 3 boats were split by just 1 point but Festina produced the goods when it mattered by winning race 7 ahead of With Alacrity and Pavlova III to determine the overall podium positions.

The real story of this Nationals though was the high standard of close racing throughout the fleet over an action packed bank holiday weekend. With 14 boats on the water it was the biggest Nationals turnout for a decade with many boats under new ownership competing for the first time. It was great to see Zest sailing from Plymouth to participate and Gallant competing in their first ever offshore race.

Royal Solent YC proved to be excellent hosts and a representative from sponsors Tacktick competed in the event. Photos, reports and overall results can be found under the Results section.

Largest Entry at Nationals for Many Years! 
14 boats have confirmed their entry at the 2009 National Championships being held in conjuction with the Royal Solent YC in Yarmouth.
Class Chairman Nigel Goodhew said “ I am delighted with the entry list….we have many more boats this year, with a strong field including our current National Champion, the European Champion, the Cowes Week winner and our Grand Champion. But even better, we have several newcomers entering the competition for the first time.”
Sailing Instructions for the Inshore Races are now posted under "Events"

European Champion to Helm at National Championships. 
It has been confirmed that Paul Kirwan of Errislannan (the Irish boat) which won the European Championships in Cork will be helming at the Nationals in Yarmouth. This promises to be a fantastic event with very close one design racing at its absolute best. The Sigma 38s are being hosted by the Royal Solent who are putting on a barbeque on Sat. and a dinner on Sun. at their club with unrivaled views over the Western Solent. Tacktick Wireless Instruments are providing prizes. With both an offshore and in-shore races competition throughout the fleet is sure to be intense.

Saltonstall Training Pays Off 
9 boats were put through their paces in an outstanding day of training run by Jim Saltonstall on Saturday. The Spring Series results on Sunday showed that Persephone (1st), With Alacrity (2nd), Monet (4th and 2nd), Gallant (a 3rd) and Marta (a 4th) had been paying close attention. Pavlova without benefiting from the training pulled out an impressive 3rd and a 1st. After 2 fabulous days out on the water in a testing, shifty breeze the Sigma 38 fleet want to say a big “thank” you to the Chief Ferret!

Get Your Entry Forms In! 
To partake in the best, closely fought, most exciting ONE DESIGN racing of the season you need to get your entry forms in now. The Notices of Race and Entry Forms for both the Sigma 38 National Championships and the 21st Anniversary Regatta are now posted on under events. Print off, fill in the forms and send off your payment. The closing date for the Nationals is the 23th April and for the 21st Anniversary Regatta, the 31st May.

Enter now to guarantee your boat’s place at these un-miss-able regattas!

IRC3 Warsash Spring Series Race 1 Abandoned 
In almost no wind but welcome Spring sunshine 6 Sigma 38s patiently fought their way around the already shortened course. Frustratingly when the wind finally filled and with the finish line tantalizingly close the time limit kicked in. Great to see the new owners of Yoda out for their first race.

Yachts and Yachting Sigma 38 article 
Sigma 38 class celebrates 21st birthday -This year’s JPMorgan Round the Island race will see the Sigma 38 Offshore One Design Class Association coming of age with post-race birthday celebrations at the Max Aitken Museum in Cowes.......(click title for more).

Annual Party Quiz 
The quiz held over dinner at the annual party kept plenty of brain cells occupied. It was won on the night by Festina Lente and Vitesse came up trumps on the picture round - but we have some prizes left over if you want to have another go and for anyone who couldn't make the dinner! Find the questions in the events > Results section of the website and email your entries to paulf@waitersfriend.com by 21st Feb. Answers will be posted shortly after this date. We expect the standard to be even higher with the extra time available but be warned - Google won't help with all the questions!

Another Sigma 38 Night to Remember! 
Over 100 crew representing 14 boats really let their hair down to celebrate the many Sigma 38 successes over the year. Sigma 38 sailors, never shy on the dance floor, boogied to “the Should Be Band” with more vigour than ever in a room decorated with 21st balloons in a “naval numeral one” colour scheme and David Harding’s excellent photos.
At the AGM held before the party the chairman, Nigel Goodhew stated he was “delighted to report that the Sigma 38 OOD Class is in rude health and that 2008 was another successful year for us.” Most encouragingly membership continues to build and race attendance is strong. Nigel ended by “thanking all the owners, skippers, crews, and supporters for making the Sigma 38 Class the strong community it has become.” Click on the title to read the full report.

First Call for Sigma Training Event 
Where - Starting from Hamble River Sailing Club
When - Saturday 18th April
Who - Jim Saltonstall - the best coach in the world
And - aided by members of crew from Festina Lente
Why - learn more in a day than the rest of the year put together
And - its 2 weeks before the nationals.
Cost - Max £75 per boat and £10 if you come without a boat .
Provided - you have paid your membership !
How - ( do i make the most of it ) Bring a full crew
What - (if i cant ) - OK we will make up the numbers.
Beds - Available.
Party - Afterwards
Contact - dosh to Jon England plus post name on Forum.

IRC 3 Dominated by Sigma 38s in Final HWS Race 
Festina, Persephone, and With Alacrity finished 1st, 2nd and 3rd in a freezing northerly wind. 38s probably would have taken the top 4 places if the ferrets on Light hadn't hared off to the wrong mark! Pandanova finished a repectable 8th in her 2nd outing of the series.
Festina Lente won the series overall with an outstanding 7 wins out of 9 races. With Alacrity finished 3rd. Well done to all 11 Sigma 38 crews who competed in a challenging Winter Series.

3rd HWS Race Day Cancelled due to Strong Winds 
In a bitterly cold northery wind a third race day has been lost. It's lucky the race committee had the foresight to run 2 races a day. Let's hope the weather is kinder for the last race day of the Winter Series next week.

HWS Day 6- Sigma 38s Show Their Class! 
Nine Sigma 38s turned out for race day 6 of the Hamble Winter Series and showed the competition what our boats are made of. In the first race Festina Lente crossed the line 1st ,with Persephone 3rd and With Alacrity 4th. In the second race With Alacrity lead until they were overtaken at the last mark by Festina. Persephone followed them in making it another 1, 2, 3, by Sigma 38s. Zanzara, in her 1st Winter series, finished mid-way up the fleet proving they are going to be a future boat to watch. Great to see the stunning Gambit who would surely be the winner of a Concours d'Elegance!

Autumn Championships 
Read the excellent reports on the results page for all the ups and downs of this new addition to the Sigma 38 racing calendar.

Sigma 38s dominate IRC3 in HWS Race Day 3 
In winds starting about 15 knots and steadily increasing to appoximately 19 knots, Sigma 38s once again showed their class in IRC3. In both races Festina took the gun very closely followed by With Alacrity. In the 2nd race Light took third position making it a one, two and three by Sigma 38s. The other boats in IRC 3 must be wishing we would stick to one design racing!

HWS Race 2 - A Glorious Autumn Day 
After the first day of racing was cancelled due to gale force winds the 7 Sigma 38s who raced yesterday were treated to warm sunshine and a steady breeze. In both races Festina Lente won followed by With Alacrity and Persephone, although in the 2nd race Persephone and Light were actually tied in 3rd place. A great example of how close Sigma 38 racing is. Festina Lente were also 2nd and 1st in IRC3 - who says Sigma 38s stuggle in lighter conitions? Have a look at the reports in the results section for vital information on how to improve performance.

Zanzara Win Final 2008 offshore Race 
Nick Gale & his Crew on Zanzara have rounded off their first season in a Sigma 38 with style by finishing 1st S38 in the JOG Cowes-Cherbourg race and 3rd in IRC class 5. Five 38's turned out for the final race in the class offshore championship, making up nearly half of the entries in JOG class 5. With wind speed ranging from zero on the way out of the Solent to 25 knots at the finish and the direction covering most points of the compass, this was a fiendishly complex tactical race and Zanzara positioned themself perfactly to pick up the new breeze first and finish 37 minutes ahead of 2nd placed Persephone.

Congratulations also to Persephone whose 2nd place was enough to win a fascinating 2008 Sigma 38 Offshore Championship which has seen 5 different race winners in the 7 event series.

Click on the title to see a video report from Cowes Online.

JOG to Poole and Back 
A windy weekend with big waves greeted the fleet on the weekend of 6th/7th September. The penultimate event in the 2008 offshore series was held in 25 knots plus with windier squalls. Check the events section to see how it panned out.

2 weeks to go to the final offshore to Cherbourg....

JOG St Peter Port 
Just two Sigma 38s turned out for the JOG race over the August bank holiday weekend but With Alacrity and Monet were rewarded with a stunning sail to Guernsey, most of it on a tight spinnaker reach in a cloudless star filled night and 17 knots of wind. The Sigma 38s covered the 95 mile course in just over 13 hours to finish 3rd & 4th on handicap. Click on the title to see Cowes TV coverage of the start....

Sigma 38s do the double 
Festina Lente & With Alacrity finished 1st & 2nd in class 2 in the Royal Southampton YC Nab Tower double handed race. Click on the title to find out more......

Gallant victory at Falmouth week 
Whilst the good and great of the Sigma fraternity were licking their spars, or whatever you do after a bruising Cowes Week, one lone 38 flag was flying further west, as Gallant took on the locals in the Falmouth Week Regatta PY Division.....click on the title to read more.

Wintery Conditions for Last Day at Cowes 
11 Sigma 38s braved the driving rain, choppy seas and gusts of 30 knots for the last race. The Project pulled out another win making them the overall winner of the week. With Alacrity was 2nd, Persephone 3rd and Gauntlett, Zanzara and Flossie followed them in. Unfortunately Mefisto, on starboard, was involved in a collision that resulted in their dis-masting and Dragonfly, Pavlova and Monet retired due to incidents. Overall Light finished 2nd and Mefisto 3rd. The week has been another great showcase for Sigma 38 One Design Racing with brilliant competition on the water and lots of post sailing fun!

Penultimate Day Upsets! 
Day 7 of Cowes Week saw Gauntlett of Tamar finish 1st to upset the leaders board. Monet produced another excellent 2nd. The pressure obviously got to some of the lead boats who were OCS. Tomorrow's results will be crucial as the top 2 boats, The Project and Light are tied on points, Mefisto is only 4 points behind and Persephone 6 points. It will be another thrilling day on the water tomorrow as the Sigma 38s prove once again what one design racing is all about.

Day 6 - Cowes Week 
Today Mefisto became the third class winner of the week, making them 2nd overall, in the hotly contested Sigma 38 One Design fleet. Monet finished in second to put them in 5th overall. Pavlova pulled out a 3rd for their 2nd day on the water after their dismasting on Tues. The Project, 1st overall, had an un-characteristic bad day and finished 9th, after4 firsts. Light, 3rd overall, is the other boat to take the winner's gun. Persephone, with some good strong results are lying 4th. New comers Torbellino have had 2 impressive 5ths. With many boats seeming to improve as the week goes on the next few days will prove interesting.

Cowes Week Waypoints 
Attached are some GPS ready lists of Cowes Week Waypoints that you can download to your GPS using either MapSource or GPSU.

Alternatively find me in Cowes (I am on Pavlova for the week) and I can download them for you.

Jamie Wilkinson - 07748 992874.

CORK WEEK DINNER 
Click on the link to read about the dinner held in Kinsale . You can also see just how poetic (sic) The Sigma Fleet is!

MARTA'S double handed island race 
Yes just two weeks after the RTI, I was back to try a spot of double handed 38 racing. Read on......

Errislannan wins Sigma 38 Europeans at Cork Week 
The testing, varied courses of Cork Week 2008 clearly demonstrated the close, exciting One Design racing that the Sigma 38s are renown for. The Kirwan family and friends on Errislannan sailed masterfully, pulling off 5 firsts, to win the Sigma 38 Europeans. The Morrison family on Enigma from the Clyde were second and the East Coast boat Red Macaw finished third. In addition Persistance was 3rd in Gentleman's Class 1. As usual all teams also threw themselves into shore side social activities - limericks from the Class Assoc. Dinner will be posted on the website soon. Congratulations to the winners and all other crews that made it a week to remember.

Sigma excells in 3 Peaks Race 
Just when you thought that the Sigma fleet which is currently bashing its way to Cork was about as crazy as it gets , click on the title and read about Keith Mander' exploits in the 3 Peaks Race. This race sounds fun , terrifying snd masochistic in equal measure and it looks as if his Sigma did him proud.

Rules Clinic to be tried out at Cork 
Maximise your party time by keeping out of the protest room. Click on the title to see the Committee's latest idea to make the Sigma 38 the best - and quietest racing fleet to sail in.

RTI - Sigma 38s Revel in Lively Conditions 
The 29 starters in the RTI produced a strong set of results in lively, challenging conditions that favoured the Sigma 38. Out of 1875 entries overall 4 Sigma 38 finished within the top 100 boats. In IRC6 Div. 2 five boats finished within the top ten - Festina Lente - 2nd, With Alacrity - 4th, Light - 6th, Dragonfly - 8th, and Monet - 9th. In ISC Rating Div. 4C Zest finished 8th. The smiles at the Sigma 38 Pontoon Party told the whole story - a magnificent day out!

BMW Round Ireland Race 
Confratularions to Jerry Collins and his crew on the Sigma 38 Persistance who finished the BMW round Ireland race after 5 days of horrendous sailing conditions. After a "Fastnet style" 20 hour postponement the fleet battled through three separate gales in what has been rated the toughest round Ireland race since 1990. Persistance finished 5th in class with nearly half the fleet retiring.

Post RTI Treasure Hunt - version 1.2 
Click on the title for the SI's for this event. Maybe have a sneaky look at your strategy during the week- its probably best not to start thinking about it with 10 mts to go and a hangover to boot. If you spot any glaring errors let us know and we will put thenm right before the weekend. Note the scoring system has been subtly altered since first announced.

Marta Overall Winners JOG St Vaast - 20/6/08 
After 16 hours racing in a tricky Southerly wind, this week it was Marta’s turn to continue the great run of results of Sigma 38s in the 2008 JOG season. As well as finishing an hour and three quarters ahead of the next Sigma 38, With Alacrity, Brian & his merry crew won class 5 by an astounding 32 minutes and recorded the fastest time on handicap of all classes.

Cowes Week 
The Class Association has once again, arranged a limited number of moorings on "Sigma City" the traditional E Pontoon in the river close to East Cowes. Costs are £175 for the week.
If you have not yet reserved your place, contact Nigel Goodhew as soon as possible.

Monet Win JOG Weymouth - 14/6/08 
Though not part of the class calendar, 2 Sigma 38s turned out for the JOG Cowes to Weymouth race and had a fantastic sail when the light winds eventually fillied in to 15 knots. Monet lead from the start to win class 5 by 6 minutes after 7 hours racing and continue the excellent record of Sigma 38s in JOG races this year. With Alacrity couldn't match Monet's upwind boatspeed and finished 8 minutes later for 3rd in class.

Round the Island Race -Sigma 38s out in Force 
25 Sigma 38s are entered in the Round the Island Race, making the class one of the biggest one design entries! Competition on the water promises to be fierce so you and your crew will need to relax at the Sigma 38 RTI Celebrations - a pontoon party at Venture Quays, Cowes on Sat. night (drinks and snacks provided) and a Treaure Hunt in the Solent on Sun. To book your place see details on the Events Section, send off your form and payment immediately.

Womens Open Keelboat Championship 
With Alacrity was the sole Sigma 38 representative at the innaugural Womens Open Keelboat Championship organised by Royal Southern YC over the weekend of 7/8 June. Seven girls from the regular With Alacrity crew were supplemented by Maxine & Mary on loan from Premier Cru. The light air racing was dominated by some very well sailed smaller boats in the handicap fleet and WA was not quite able to break into the top 3, finishing a respectable 4th in class. With 6 close races held in sparkling sunshine a good time was had by all and looks like this could become a regular event in the WA calendar – it would be great to see some other S38s out next year! Click on the link for Y&Y event report.

Dragonfly shows the way in JOG Alderney 
Dragonfly continued her run of offshore form by leading the 4 Sigma 38s home in the JOG Cowes-Alderney race and finishing 2nd in IRC class 4. Monet was the 2nd Sigma 38 to finish just one minute ahead of Persephone after 11 hours racing!
Check out the results section for race reports.

Dragonfly 3rd in class in JOG Deauville 
Whilst most of the attention for the Sigma 38 class was on the Nationals over the bank holiday weekend, Dragonfly was competing in the JOG Cowes-Deauville race - needed for them to qualify for the new JOG Illingworth challenge event (a 400 mile race from Cowes to La Trinite in July). Dragonfly finished the course in 14.5 hours for a fantastic 3rd in a class with just a few minutes the difference between 2nd, 3rd & 4th!. Click on the title to read more from Dragonfly....

Festina Lente Wins 2008 Nationals 
Festina won the Nationals for an amazing 4th time in a row, but crikey it was close with just 2 points the difference between the first 3 places after 7 races (including the double counting offshore race). Just 5 boats made it to the start of the Monday inshore race due to the ferocious weather forecast - those that braved the wind & rain were rewarded with one of the most exciting and closest races of the championship in wind that eased through the race from 27 knots down to 17 at the finish. With Alacrity won the final race but Festina hung on for second which was enough to take the Nationals title by one point from local boat, Pavlova III. Congratulations to all crew who made the 2008 Nationals one to savour, it will be remembered for some stunningly close racing that demonstrated one design racing at it's best.

Nationals Update (Sunday) 
The 10 strong Sigma 38 fleet had an outstanding day of light air racing on Sunday to follow the windy first inshore race on Saturday afternoon. Click on the title to read more, with a possible 2 races to go it is wide open though the weather forecast for Monday is not looking great......

Festina Take early lead in the Nationals 
The overnight double-points offshore feeder race to Poole was won by Festina Lente after fighting off a determined challenge from With Alacrity. After exiting the Solent to the East the 2 boats frequently crossed within boatlengths of each other during the night until Festina built their lead by going close inshore on the approach to St Catherines Point. With Alacrity closed the gap in the long spinnaker reach to the finish but Festina finished 10 lengths ahead for a well-deserved win after 8.5 hours of racing. Persephone finished 3rd & Light 4th after a similar battle and Marta got the better of Premier Cru & Monet to finish 5th.

2008 Sigma 38 Nationals 
The 2008 Sigma 38 Nationals are confirmed as having the largest entry in recent years. This is a real testament to the growing resurgence in the class. The aim of the Class Association has been to put together an event that is both relevant and attractive to members as well as providing the showcase for the exciting One Design racing that the class can provide. The event gives excellent exposure to inshore racing; as part of International Paint Poole Regatta, and a gentle introduction to the offshore racing that the boat was designed for; with a specially designed feeder race. The offshore leaves Hamble on the Friday evening of the last May Bank Holiday with inshore racing starting late Saturday, on Sunday and Monday allowing the minimum expenditure of holiday time. A special welcome is extended to the new owners of Gallant, Gambit and Monet participating for their first time.

Antigua Week 2008 - Alliance 2nd in class 
After winning the fourth race on Thursday the Sigma 38 "Alliance" went into the final race tied for first overall with 2 other boats in their class. The last race was held in unusually light and shifty wind with huge holes for the unwary. Though not able to keep up with the J109 who sailed into the new breeze first Alliance held on for 2nd place which was enough to secure 2nd in class for the week (click on the title to read more about Alliance in Antigua).

Beefeater wins final WSS Race! 
In an incredibly fluky wind which saw shifts of up to 180 degrees Beefeater pulled off an impressive win in the final race of the Spring Series. Marta followed in second and Light, 3rd. A huge hole at the windward mark allowed the fleet which had spread out to catch up and effectively re-start the race. Big congratulations to Beefeater and all the crews who agonizingly fought their way to cross the finish line.

2008 Sigma Nationals 23-26th May 
Click on the title above and find out why this event has been designed specially for you. It should provide the One design racing of the year. If your boat really cannot make it - why not join a boat that can . Contact your committee who will arrange it for you. Enter now to benefit from the early entry fee. Go to "Events", click on Poole Regatta to enter the inshore races and uplooad the Offshore Entry Form for the Sigma 38 offshore race

WSS 4 - A Brilliant day on the water 
After the sturm und drang of the previous days race training - we were treated to a peach of a day .The the wind delivered more shifts than an NHS beaurocrat , and was up and down like a whores drawers .Lastly the sun shone throughout. What more could a sailor ask for?

Race Training 
The crews that gathered to improve their racing skills were certainly put through their paces not only by coach Jim Saltonstall but the weather gods as well. The wind got up to 34 knotts bringing with it the biggest and most painful hail stones I've every seen. As the wind built most of the boats (unfortunately 2 boats had to retire following damage) retreated up to Southamton water and after making snowmen in the cockpit got on with the days business. After the debrief in the clubhouse everyone enjoyed a delicious and incredibly reasonable dinner organised by the Asociation.

Offshore Races Re-scheduled 
The Sigma 38 events calendar has been revised after the Easter gales have forced JOG to re-organise their race schedule. Cowes-Cherbourg & the return will now be sailed on the first May bank holiday weekend. Cowes St Vaast, originally scheduled to be sailed that weekend has been moved to 20th June.

Light airs for Spring Series 2 
After several postponements race 2 of the spring series got away in light winds and ended in glorious spring sunshine. Despite the patchy breeze the Sigma 38s had a surprisingly close race with Light leading the way until eventually being overhauled by Festina Lente who also finished 2nd in IRC 3.

Easter Offshore Races Postponed 
JOG Cherbourg races 1&2 over Easter (which are also race 1&2 for the Sigma 38 offshore championships) have been postponed to a later date due to the horrible weather forecast. Check the JOG website (click on the title) for more info.....

Marta wins first race of the season 
Cloudy skies, drizzle & wind building to a solid 25 knots was not enough to put off 4 hardy Sigma 38s for Race 1 of the Spring Series. As ever, the racing was neck and neck with the lead changing several times, but it was Marta who came good with a devastating final beat to sneak ahead of Light at the finish. See results for Light's report.

Ten ways to Improve your Performance 
Cant get the boatspeed up? Fed up with not winning ? You need to spend a squillion quid on sails!
Right? Wrong!
Click on the link and find out how with with just a scrubbing brush and alarm clock you too can get in the chocolates.

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