XOD Class Battle of Britain Regatta at Royal Air Force Yacht Club
by Eddie Mays 1 Oct 2012 11:48 BST
29-30 September 2012
Lark finished second overall during the XOD Battle of Britain Regatta © Eddie Mays
Due to a prior commitment the Hamble Division of the XOD Class were unable to take part in the RAFYC's main Battle of Britain regatta that was held at the beginning of September. The re-arranged weekend was combined with the Richard Donald Trophy and held over the last weekend in September.
Saturday's two races could not have been sailed in better conditions. The 8 – 10 kt NW'erly breeze blowing down Southampton Water allowed the Race Officer to set a good windward / leeward course in the morning without too much influence from the tidal flow. Elliot Motherwell helming 'Dux' and Nick Brebner's 'Lark' gradually pulled away from the rest of the fleet to take the top two spots with Hamish & Diana Wilson's 'Mischief' 3rd. The afternoon race was sailed around the cans and after the beat to the Sposa buoy the building ebb tide took the fleet swiftly down to the Royal Southern buoy before they had to work their way back against the tide to a finish at Hamble Point. Again it was 'Dux' and 'Lark' that showed at the front of the fleet. 'Lark' took the lead on the 2nd beat but failed to cover and 'Dux' sailed the better line to the next windward mark to regain the lead. The final beat was a slow affair with most of the fleet choosing to head towards shore to escape the tide. However David Oddie took 'Magic Dragon' out into the tide early, picked up extra pressure and gained several places to finish 2nd to 'Dux' with 'Lark' 3rd.
The forecast for Sunday was not promising with SW'erly Force 7 and rain on the cards for the afternoon. The start time of the first race was brought forward to 11:00 but at 10:25 it looked as if the caution had been premature. The light SW'erly breeze was barely enough for a fair windward / leeward course to be set across the flooding tide. However, 20 minutes later the breeze was up to 8 kts and continued to build during the morning until it was over 20kts on the final beat of the 2nd race. 'Lark' made the best start and held the lead on the first lap but 'Dux' slowly hauled her in and then took the lead on the last lap. Gerry Goulding sailing 'Pepper' with only one crew finished a creditable 3rd. The final race of the weekend was a sharp dash around the buoys near the entrance to Southampton Water. 'Lark' started best, again, but this time she managed to keep the lead to the gun. 'Dux' finished 2nd and 'Pepper' was 3rd.
Everyone was safely back in the clubhouse for reviving brew and a 14:00 prizegiving where the club's Rear-Commodore (Sailing) Marc Donoghue presented double winner Elliot Motherwell with both his prizes.
Overall Results: (top five)
Battle of Britain Regatta
1st Elliot Motherwell, 159, Dux
2nd Nick Brebner, 54, Lark
3rd Gerry Goulding, 150, Pepper
4th Diana Wilson, 13, Mischief
5th David Oddie, 82, Magic Dragon
Richard Donald Trophy
1st Elliot Motherwell, 159, Dux
2nd Nick Brebner, 54, Lark
3rd Gerry Goulding, 150, Pepper
4th Diana Wilson, 13, Mischief
5th John Sparshatt, 118, Xavia