Lymington Town Sailing Club Sunday Late Points Series 5
by Rob Martin 19 Sep 2018 11:08 BST
16 September 2018
Lymington Town Sailing Club's Late Summer Points series continued on Sunday 9th September with two races held in 20 knots of breeze. The tide was initially with the wind but turned soon into the race creating an uncomfortable chop as it started to flow fast.
The first race for the fast fleet, a windward leeward course, was a tussle between the B14 of Liam Willis and Abby Keightley-Hanson and the RS700 of Richard Lilley with the B14 making ground upwind but the RS700 gaining downwind. It was tight to the finish but the RS700 capsized closed to the finishing line and suffered a breakage meaning that line honours went to the B14. Meanwhile behind them the 29er of George Richard and Greg Brown was revelling in the conditions to win on corrected time by nearly a minute.
Medium fleet had a triangle. The 420 of Harry & James George led at the first mark but were passed by the Merlin of John Cooper and Becci Wigley on the broad reach to the wing mark. The spinnaker boats dropped for the gybe but the leaders re-hoisted for the tighter reach to the leeward mark. This reach gave some great surfing for the single-handers. This was then the pattern for the race with the 420 hanging onto the Merlin to take a big win. Dave Ellis in the Aero 5 made the most of the conditions to finish second on handicap just in front of John Cooper and Becci Wigley and Nev Herbert in an Aero 7.
Both fleets sailed the same shorter course for the second race with the first reach being very broad, almost a run, and a short reach to the leeward mark.
The course change made little difference to the fast fleet who just took the wing mark in as part of their downwind leg. The conditions took a toll on the fleet and it was the non-trapeze boats that eventually succeeded with Kevin Podger and Heather Chipperfield in an RS400 taking the win from Giles Chipperfield in a D-One.
The medium fleet was led all the way by Nick Simmons and Fi Mayo in a Merlin but close on their transom at the first mark was the RS Venture of Will & Steve Homewood. The Aeros found the run quite difficult whilst Robbie Boyd in a Laser gained places. The 420 started well but began to fade in the conditions. The win went to the RS Venture followed by the Laser, the 420 and the Merlin.
Results can be found at www.ltsc.co.uk/results