Lymington Town Sailing Club Perisher Series - Day 7
by Simon Ward 19 Feb 2019 12:58 GMT
17 February 2019
Lymington Town Sailing Club Perisher Series day 7 © Sara Malek
The penultimate race of the Lymington Town Sailing Club's Perisher Series was sailed in spring-like conditions. The sunshine helped to lift the mercury to around 14 degrees and the south westerly breeze hovering around 18 knots completed the attractive scenario for the mornings racing.
The pleasant conditions which were largely predicted, were always likely to produce a sizeable entry and this proved to be the case when 48 boats signed on to take part. The entries ranged from a Topper at one end of the Portsmouth Yardstick ratings to a trimaran at the higher end.
The scheduled start time was around half tide and so two separate starts were signalled to accommodate the numbers. Both fleets got away first time with the prospect of a fetch out of the river. Moveable marks were in use again, with one laid half a mile west of the river and the other south of Baverstock. The third rounding mark was cross boom post completing a triangular course which was sailed twice.
The now increasing breeze caused several capsizes at the gybe mark. However, all was well as the boats reached back up the river to the Club Line. First home again was Team McEwan in their RS800, and this time their lead was enough to keep the top spot after the handicaps were applied. Second were visitors Jon and Mimi Gorringe in a Merlin Rocket. Third were the consistent pairing of David and Vicky Lenz in another Merlin Rocket. That third place keeps Team Lenz at the top of the leader board, but with one race to go and another discard to kick in the top three positions are still up for grabs.
The LTSC Clubhouse is open on Sunday morning for pre-race breakfasts at 09:00hrs, with the last race of the Perishers Series scheduled to start at 10:55hrs.