Lymington Town Sailing Club Winter Series - Race 2

Contessa South Haze and dinghies rounding Berthon during Ineos Solent Circuit 2013 race 1 © Chris Leighton

Dinghies and keelboats meet

With Race 1 of the LTSC Winter Series having to be abandoned due to a lack of wind last week, Race 2 got underway in a pleasant 15kt breeze from the north-west. This combined with an ebbing tide and the Solent Circuit series sailing to the east, made for some tricky course planning for race Officer Richard Lilley. A challenging course was set with a movable dumpy being laid inshore as a 'windward mark'.

The fast fleet were then sent off to 'Berthon', to the east, where some of the boats met up with the Solent Circuit yachts that were also using this mark. Required to do five rounds of the course the race was shortened after four laps. Despite starting late Nigel Walbank, in his Musto Skiff, was first across the finish line, but had to settle for ninth place after handicaps were accounted for.

The medium and slow fleets started together and stayed to the west of the river using 'Jack-in-the-Basket' and 'Colten'. They experience some very close racing with the first four boats finishing within a minute of each other.

Race 2 Results:

Fast Fleet
1st Matthew Thomas & Steve Nicholas (RS400)
2nd Rebecca & Justin Hannam (RS500)
3rd Dave Gorringe (D1)

Medium Fleet
1st Stuart Watson (Blaze)
2nd Richard Russell & Sylvia Weger (Tasar)
3rd Mark Barwell & Louise Johnson (Merlin Rocket)

Slow Fleet
1st Liam Willis Laser 4.7)
2nd Tom Goacher (RS Tera Sport)