RS400s at the Lymington Dinghy Regatta

RS400s on a sparkling summer day © Alex Irwin / www.sportography.tv

There are few things more certain on the RS400 tour than Lymington laying on a superb regatta. Built around their popular annual dinghy event that attracts 120 boats, the racing and the organisation this year was excellent once again.

Twenty two 400s entered the event and with a forecast of 15-20 knots aligning with a flood tide for most of the day, conditions looked to be spot on.

When it came to it, the breeze turned on a little stronger with gusts peaking at around 25knots kicking up the notorious Solent chop. All of which made life a little trickier than expected.

With tide playing a big part in the tactics it was important to head inshore on the upwind leg to get out of it, before heading offshore on the downwind leg to stay in it. Such asymmetry in the course can frequently make for a less tactical race course, but this time the sea state made life pretty taxing in both directions. Indeed, for some teams, getting around the windward mark and bearing away downhill proved particularly challenging and resulted in multiple capsizes before the spreader mark. Easy to laugh at perhaps, but even easier to do in the heat of the moment.

The testing conditions meant that getting around the course cleanly was the order of the day and for most this meant keeping gybes to a minimum.

But there are always those that manage to find a faster route through anything and for the first race it was Jon Heissig and Nicky Griffin who stole a march on the fleet to take the first win of the day.

While those that had avoided a swim were counting their blessings as they waited for the next race, it became apparent that the punchy conditions had taken their toll throughout the Lymington fleet. And while the rescue facilities were handling the situation well, there was going to be a delay before they could get back to their stations ready for the next race. The pause, along with a slight further increase in the breeze meant that the next race was at risk of seeing the tide change direction against the breeze, which would mean a significant hike in conditions. With this in mind, the race officer pulled the pin and there was no further racing for the day.

Sunday brought more benign conditions with a 10-12 knot breeze and a flood tide for the bulk of the day keeping the sea state mellow.

All three races saw plenty of tactical play with crews balancing more breeze offshore against less tide and breeze inshore. In the first race it was Russell and Emma Hivey who led the fleet around the course with Francisco Lobito and Roger O'Gorman hot on their heels, while Jon and Nicky took third.

Keen to get back to their winning ways the second race went to Jon and Nicky with Francisco and Roger trading places with Russell and Emma. A gang of three was starting to emerge.

A special mention has to go to Nick Martin who demonstrated just how far a 400 will sail before capsizing when the helmsman exits the stern after a gybe - one of the few times perhaps when a helmsman would criticise Dan Martin's legendary enthusiasm for hiking hard while looking ahead.

The final race of the day saw the breeze taper off a little but the top two boats remained out in front as Francisco and Roger took a win from Jon and Nicky. (Spurred on by frustration no doubt, Nick and Dan scored a third.)

Just one point separated first and second on the final score line with Jon and Nicky winning the event, Francisco and Roger second and Russell and Emma just pipping Nick and Dan on the tie break for third.

Another great event from two clubs (Lymington Town S.C. and Royal Lymington Y.C.) who know how to lay on a flawless regatta both on and off the water.

It was also a perfect reminder of what the water will taste like for the Nationals at Mount's Bay - yummy.

Overall Results: