Newtown Race at Lymington Town Sailing Club
by Barry Sticklen 25 Jun 2012 15:22 BST
24 June 2012
Contessa Catherine during the Newtown Race © Barry Sticklen
Sunday 24th June saw both dinghy and keel boats taking part in the Newtown Race. Initially racing was postponed due to winds gusting to over 40 knots at Hurst. Race officer, Tig Williams, postponed ashore until 10am in order to give the weather time to moderate. During this time the wind dropped to 18 gusting 25 knots in the Solent so in consultation with the competitors it was decided to go ahead with the race.
Both keelboat and dinghy fleets had six boats turn out in a very brisk westerly with a strong incoming tide. The keelboats went off first, following set course B, with Dunford as a windward mark. Contessa Catherine (Robin & Marcia Milledge) established an early lead which she maintained throughout the race despite some spinnaker troubles and a bit of broaching near Solent Bank. Mid way through the race the fleet was still closely bunched, but the beat from Solent Bank and the following legs saw Contessa Catherine pull away to take line honours from Google Eye (Pat Stables) and the Folk Boat, Otter (Nick Ingram). After the handicaps were applied the standings were...
Keelboat Results:
1st Kevin Podger, Yeoman, Pallas Anthene
2nd Robin Milledge, Contessa 32, Contessa Catherine
3rd Nick Ingram, Folkboat, Otter
The dinghies started 5 minutes later with a beat up to Walbank before reaching across the Solent to BWM. The reach was too tight for all but the RS400 of Becci Wigley and John Cooper and the RS100 of Richard Russell who both held their spinnaker all the way across giving them a good position at the end of the first leg. Once they could hold their spinnaker the B14 of Declan Clamp and Richard (mast breaker) Lilley surged through the fleet emerging from Hempstead Ledge at the beginning of a very long beat to the finish.
The final result on the water was B14, RS400 and RS500, but despite being over 15 minutes behind the B14, Ian Sanderson in his Blaze benefited from the reach and long beat and after handicaps were applied he came out clearly in front. Clamp and Lilley had JUST done enough to keep 2nd place by a matter of seconds with Wigley and Cooper were third.
Dinghy Results:
1st Ian Sanderson, Blaze, Orla
2nd Declan Clamp & Richard Lilley, B14, Northern Monkeys
3rd John Cooper & Becci Wigley, RS 400, Rarely Sober