Lymington XOD Autumn Wednesday Series - Race 3
by Roy Froud 17 Oct 2015 14:52 BST
10 October 2015
The spring ebb tide and NE wind made life difficult for Race Officer Steve Green and the nineteen XODs and crews and made for snakes and ladders racing!
The first leg was down wind to Black Rock off Yarmouth and understandably the fleet closed up as they approached with much shouting for water as the tide washed boats away from the mark; this is not a mark to mess with in view of its robust construction! Paul Woodman in X32, Ibex lead the few who took the direct route to No 2 buoy to the east of Yarmouth Pier whilst James Meaning the guest helmsman on X178 Beatrix, together with the majority of the fleet, elected to go slightly inshore in the hope of avoiding the extremely strong ebb tide.
The beat to D (south of the starting platform) across the ebb tide provided for gains and losses as the wind was not only very shifty but there were patches of very light wind that a number of boats fell into. Quite a few boats gained much by using the shifts and avoiding the lulls while others lost out badly. Rory Paton on X48 XL applied his usual expertise in finding the correct route on this leg and lead at the windward mark. The second run back to Black Rock caught out a number of boats as they faced the strengthening tide off the Island shore and the final beat back to the Lymington River again proved a test of both helmsman and crew with Nik Froud on X72 Venus clawing his way past Paul Woodman on X32 Ibex to finish a close second to Rory Paton in XL.
Race 3 Results: (top five)
1st X48 XL - Rory & Stuart Paton
2nd X72 Venus - Nik Froud and Giles & Henry Lloyd Williams
3rd X32 - Ibex - Paul Woodman & Oliver James
4th X42 Julia - Stephen & Rosemary Whiteman
5th X178 Beatrix - James Meaning, William Norris and Bill Dunsdon