XOD Wednesday Series at Royal Lymington Yacht Club - Overall

Race Officer Chris Baldwick made the most of the tricky tactical conditions by sending the seventeen strong fleet over to Black Rock, to the west of Yarmouth, in a shift southerly breeze and with a tidal change just after the start. This made for excellent tactical racing with skippers and crews having to decide whether to leave the mainland shore immediately to gain from the ebb tide once it had started, as most did, or to take an inshore route where the tide was already ebbing.

At the start a few boats ran out of runway at the platform end of the line and were OCS. Most went back for a clean start, but one didn't and was therefore denied a finish!

Four boats, led by X9 Zest, Phil & Jo Brewer and X72 Venus, Nik Froud, Charlie Cox and guest Steph Olliff from X67 on board, decided to tack immediately after crossing the start line to take advantage of the ebb tide that had already started inshore and followed this line for some 10 minutes beyond Oxey Lake. Meanwhile the rest of the fleet continued on starboard tack towards the Island and it was impossible to say which group was ahead. However, as the inshore group came across towards the Island they were able to make the most of the wind shifts and it was clear that they had gained. First round Black Rock was Zest followed by Venus and then X140 Lucrezia, Ado Jardine, who had made the most of the wind shifts to move up to third followed by X57 Red Coral, Roy Froud & Robert Young and X53 Quest, Jay Devonshire and James McGill, with the fleet tightly grouped behind.

Zest during the final race of the Lymington XOD Wednesday Series - photo © Lymington XOD Class

With the tide now ebbing across the race course the key decision was whether to sail across the channel where the tide was strongest on port tack or to gybe and take, what looked to be, the more direst route to the mark. Both Zest and Venus decided not to gybe whilst the rest of the fleet did and by the leeward mark off of Pylewell Lake on the mainland shore their decision was shown to be correct as their lead increased substantially with Lucrezia still in third, Red Coral in Fourth and Quest in fifth.

With the wind still very shifty there were many place changes below the top two and on the leg into the river Lucrezia got past Red Coral with an interesting luffing manoeuvre but also succeeded in letting Quest through into third from fifth! However, at the finish Quest was denied a finish as she was OCS at the start! This gave X117, X-Ray, Robin Balme and John Renouf fifth place!

As this was the final Wednesday race of the series and their was no race on Saturday, the final positions for both series and the overall Cock Boat Cup can be announced:

Wednesday Series Overall:

1st - X48 XL - Rory & Stuart Paton
2nd - X119 Lone Star - Stuart Jardine, Doug Rogerson & Andy Baker
3rd - X140 Lucrezia - Ado Jardine, John Evans & Chris Baldwick
4th - X117 X-Ray - Robin & Louise Balme & John Renouf
5th - X57 Red Coral - Roy Froud, Robert Young & Rob Mconnel

Saturday Series Overall:

1st - X119 Lone Star - Stuart Jardine, Doug Rogerson & Andy Baker
2nd - X32 Ibex - Paul Woodman, Oliver James & Simon McCarthy
3rd - X48 XL - Rory & Stuart Paton
4th - X9 Zest - Phil & Jo Brewer
5th - X63 Asra - Steve Adshead

And finally, winner of the Cock Boat Cup, combining the results from the Saturday and Wednesday series is:
X48 XL - Rory & Stuart Paton

Full Royal Lymington Yacht Club XOD Series results can be found at rlymyc.org.uk/OnTheWater/Fleets/XOD/XOD_Results.aspx