I have owned 5 Solo’s all of them from Winder, the first 4571 a Mk1 (I don’t think the Mk2 was an option then in 2004, standard fit out and colours with a C sleeve and a North Dacron. Then there came in the bulkhead rule changes and it became apparent at open meetings the guys who could get more rake, were faster upwind so an upgrade was required to be able to compete on an equal footing. In 2009 I bought 5012 a MK1 I also decided to go for a Purple/White hull with the white at waterline and below, a lovely looking boat. M7 mast and with a North SM8. Claire Clark who some of you may remember from her time in the class and an active committee member bought this from me and I now believe it’s in Barcelona where there is a small fleet of Solo’s. Next was a two-tone grey hull 5455 another MK1, a nice-looking boat but I so often called OCS as it was so easy to spot even if not guilty. I was also falling in a lot in this one a very slippery MK1 downwind, especially to windward, I thought at the time it was a lack of fitness in not being able to move about quickly in the breezy conditions so I tried out my brothers Mk2 which was a lot more forgiving and I decided I needed to go back to the standard colours again so onto 5779 my first Mk2. This proved to be a good choice, a lot less swimming and far fewer OCS calls! I had not intended to buy another new boat, but a club member was very keen on buying it and so in 2021 I sold 5779 and I moved onto my current boat 6007 in December 2021. Another Mk2 racing with either an M7 or M2 depending on the conditions again with a standard colour hull. In June 2022 I su ff ered a major health set back and right at the start of the Fireball nationals as well which was damned annoying as I only managed one race. It took until October 2024 to get onto some medication that started to help and get back to a basic level of fitness. Prior to this sailing when I could when conditions allowed. It was good to just get out and get some exercise and my Solo was great for that. I had thought that open meetings were going to be a thing of the past and had contemplated selling my boat as it was sat in the garage for most of the time. I decided to do the Winter series at Hunts racing against my brother and the rest of the Hunts fleet. It’s always a head-to-head when racing Simon, he is very quick and on smaller lakes so it’s great racing. In the lighter conditions I cannot get near him, so it needs to be a F3-4 for me to have any real chance of beating him. Sometimes I wish I had never badgered him into buying a Solo as he often has bragging rights after racing (apart from the recent Midlands Area Championships at Northampton where he was OCS in race 1, that Blue/Aqua hull colour shining out like a beacon on the line). Gradually as the drugs began their work in December and January my results improved so I decided to do the first event of the 2025 season at Broadwater and much to my surprise, I won the event. This year I did as many open events as possible to make of for the lost years and spent a lot of time in the gym to recover fitness lost. It was great to be back racing again. I even managed a race win at Salcombe, came close to a win at Pyefleet week (but my navigation skills need improving to find my way round the courses!) and won the Eastern Area travellers and managed 2 nd in the Thames Valley Series.
Photo credit; Jane Somerville
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