As the Race Management team made their way to the Hamble River Sailing Club clubhouse at 0730 hrs on Sunday morning, thermometers were showing -1.0 C. They ventured onto a chilly CV Wetwheels for a delayed departure to the Solent. Initially, the CV Wetwheels headed for Hamble Yacht Services (4V) before deciding that Hillhead (4M) was a better choice for the 11-15 knots of breeze from 320-325 degrees. On arrival at Hillhead, HRSC PRO Kathy Smalley, announced that it was 5.0 C but with sunny skies. The Smalley/Bateson ROs decided to “keep the races short and the legs fairly short, to warm crews up a little whilst tacking, gybing and rounding marks.” A slightly shorter course than normal was used along with mixed starts (IRC 1&2 then IRC 3&4) to get competitors back in time for the free mince pies. The finish was at the windward mark William (4L). Lee Pollock from Hamble Yacht Services was present to give the series prizes after racing. First, he gave champagne to all those on the podium in Week 8. In addition to the glassware, HYS gave the successful teams discounted lifts at HYS and a t-shirt. Lee’s final duty was to present the two major series awards. The Paul Heys Trophy for the best performance by a J/Boat was won by Martin Dent’s J/70 JELVIS, who scored a very impressive 10 points in the J/70 fleet. With neither Martin nor his wife present, Ian Southworth accepted the trophy on his behalf. For more Hamble Winter Series information, visit https://www.hamblewinterseries.com/.