Lymington XOD Wednesday Autumn Series - Race 4
by Roy Froud 23 Oct 2014 14:08 BST
22 October 2014
Twelve boats appeared on the start line for the penultimate race of Lymington's XOD Autumn series. With a strong ebbing tide and a puffy westerly breeze, Paul Woodman positioned X32 Ibex just below X92 Persephone helmed by James Meaning at the starboard end of the start line.
A drag race to the first mark C, Colten, took place with Ibex bust breaking the overlap on Persephone and rounding first with X140 Lucrezia helmed by Ado Jardine in third. On the run to leeward mark E, Folkboats UK, Lucrezia took a direct route to establish what appeared to be an impregnable lead with Ibex and Persephone swapping second and third places and with John Miller's Mystery, X16, and Rory Paton's XL, X48, challenging for fourth place.
Behind the top five boats there was also a lot of place changing as the fleet wound it's way around the windward leeward course.
The final leg of the course involved a beat from mark F, Berthon, back to the club to finish. This was a tricky leg with shifting winds and shallow water in the river and in a final twist Persephone caught and passed Lucrezia in the last 100 meters to the Club with Ibex just holding off the challenge of XL.
Top 5 results:
1st Persephone Richard & Liz Field and James Meaning
2nd Lucrezia Ado Jardine, Chris Baldwick and John Evans
3rd Paul Woodman, Olly James and Roy Froud
4th XL Rory Paton, Stuart Paton and Rodney Charman
5th Mystery John Miller, John Tudor and John Barns