Lymington Town Sailing Club Winter Series - Race 4
by Richard Russell 3 Nov 2015 13:55 GMT
1 November 2015
On arrival at the club the signs were not too encouraging with fog and all the anemometers at the western end of the Solent showing under 3 knots from different directions. The race officer Richard Russell signalled a one hour postponement giving a 11:30hrs start. Although a few competitors left their covers on and headed back home thinking it would never happen, by 10:30hrs the keelboats in the Solent were moving and there was just enough wind to sail out to the starting area. Even better the sun was breaking through and the fog disappearing. Those that had waited for the race were to be rewarded with a reasonable 8 to 9 knots of breeze from the east.
The fast handicap were set a windward leeward course with a movable mark set to the east, as their windward mark, and Oxey Entrance as their leeward mark. The medium handicap were given a smaller triangle course. With the tide flooding the faster downwind boats held the advantage.
In the fast handicap fleet after the first lap on handicap the trimaran sailed by Toby Collyer & John Levell was in the lead followed Rob & Jan Martin in their RS400 and Peter Conway & Tig Williams in their International 14. However on the following lap Nigel Walbank sailing a Musto Skiff established a lead he was able to hold to the finish of the three lap race.
In the medium handicap fleet Keith Willis in his K1 had a good start and was able to lead on the water for the first lap but the superior speed of John Claridge & Claire Sleigh in their Seafly had them in the lead on handicap and eventually clear ahead on the water by the end of the race. In third place on handicap after the first lap was David Smethurst who was having a close battle with Peter Wills both sailing Laser Radials. In the end Peter Wills came out of that battle best but by then the RS Aero sailed by Nick Eales and the Blaze sailed by Stuart Watson had overtaken the laser radials on handicap.
Race 4 Results:
Medium Fleet
1st John Claridge & Claire Sleigh
2nd Keith Willis
3rd Nick Eales
Fast Fleet
1st Nigel Walbank
2nd Toby Collyer & John Levell
3rd Rob & Jan Martin