Henri Lloyd Royal Lymington Yacht Club Spring Series - Day 2

Competitors in the Royal Lymington’s Henri Lloyd Spring Series races on 1st April 2007 enjoyed good windward / leeward courses in 17-20 knot winds from the N.E. with gusts up to 28 knots.

In class one Peter Schofield’s Hod35 Zarafa led the way round the first 2 marks of race one and was then overtaken by Robin Kemps IMX40 Runaway. Jeba (First 40.7) and No-Doubt (First 34.7) nearly won by going to the South in the final beat but were just beaten on handicap by Zarafa. In the 2nd race of the day it was Zarafa first again, followed by Runaway and Jeba.

The tactics during the day changed with the tide, so the second race caught many people by surprise as they struggled to cross the start line against the strongly ebbing tide. The second start for class two effectively created two fleets with the first bunch crossing the line 90 seconds before the rest.

One-Life (Sunfast 37), Brightwork (X332) and Juliette Maxi 1) all started well. With the strong tide One-Life gained the lead, by going as far inshore as she dared, but then lost it again with slow spinnaker/genoa changes. The ensuing ding-dong battle between her, Brightwork and Juliette saw the lead change several times. At the final windward mark One-Life was ahead but chose not to hoist her spinnaker, Brightwork passed her but a slow drop at the final mark let One Life win with Brightwork 2nd and Juliette 3rd. Race one of this Class was won by series leader Philippides, followed by Juliette and Brightwork.

In Class 3, the 1st race was dominated by the Contessa 32’s. Ray Mitchell’s English Rose crossed the line first and went well inshore to finally win, followed by Firefly and Contessa Catherine. Race 2 was won by Firefly followed by English Rose and Juggler.

The closest boat for boat racing was in the Nordic Folkboat fleet where the tricky tidal conditions caused close mark rounding at the leeward mark and close tacking inshore. Ado Jardine, helming Tak, again showed his mastery of the conditions with two firsts. In the first race Svenja, Crackerjack, and Box Clever all had top three finishes.

Royal Yachting Association Coach Cathy Foster was out on the water with her video camera and after the event gave some illuminating visual feedback in a debrief session at the club house. The series continues after Easter with two more races on the 15th April 2007.

Day 2 Results: