Lymington XOD Autumn Series - Race 2

Lymington XOD racing © RLymYC

Even with with the season drawing to a close, a strong fleet of 18 XOD's were chafing at the bit for their second Saturday race of the Autumn series. Race team of Paul Stickley, Mel da Cunha and Frances Evans laid a very interesting course running clockwise around the western Solent and across to Yarmouth and back. The tide was initially ebbing with a change expected towards the end of the race; but where would this occur first, on the island or mainland shore?

The wind was NE with the an initial beat up the Pylewell shore to the first mark at Tanners. The pin end of the line proved to be the favoured end with boats starting at this end gaining advantage on those inshore, especially as a number of boats at the platform end were over the line and had to re-cross the line. Having started at the outer end, X57 Red Coral and X5 Madcap were the first boats to lay the shore, closely followed by X140 Lucrezia, and once they tacked onto port tack they were clear ahead of the pack behind that were engaged in tight tacking duals all the way into the shore with an emphasis not to go aground on the falling tide.

The decision as to when to tack out from the shore for the first mark was a difficult call especially as the second mark, Solent Bank, was further up tide. Red Coral was round first closely followed by Lucrezia with X48 XL not far behind. Positions stayed the same on the run to Black Rock with X87 Excalibur and X92 Persephone in fourth and fifth.

Whilst the first four boats rounded the mark and beat up the island shore, Persephone made the first split and headed to the mainland shore hoping to get the first of the flood tide. The overall fleet split was 50/50 island/mainland but at the last mark with a favorable wind shift before Jacksons buoy the first five boats including X164 Diana took the edge off of Persephone and her initial bold move. Meanwhile back on the island shore, Red Coral unfortunately touched the bottom inshore and, whilst she got going again quickly, lost the lead to Lucrezia and appeared to lose speed afterwards. Again, there was a difficult decision to be made as to when to tack out from the shore, this time for H, Paul Jackson, with all the boats going too early and having to tack out in the middle.

Lucrezia rounded first followed by Red Coral with XL a boat length behind. However, on the spinnaker run to the finish XL got away through sailing a lower angle. At the finish it looked as if Lucrezia had won, however fate played her hand and as the poet Rabbie Burns said "the best laid plans of mice and men oft gang astray" and it was in this case; Lucrezia was deemed over the line at the start so no hooter.

Overall Results: (top five)

1st X48 XL, Rory & Stuart Paton
2nd X57 Red Coral, Robert Young & Roy Froud
3rd X87 Excalibur, John Oliff-Cooper, Dunlop Stewart & Eric Williams
4th X164 Diana, Ian Burr
5th X92 Persephone, Richard & Liz Field