XOD Wednesday Series at Royal Lymington Yacht Club - Race 8

With an ebb tide just starting and a wind range of 8 to 10 knots from the South West our stand-in race officer Chris Torrens on his first outing on the platform who nobley, having left his boat on the mooring, set the fleet of 17 XODs on a course to the West the first buoy B (Pennington).

Zest (9), Clair de Lune(33) and Red Coral(57) timed the start at the pin end and were away in clear air with the remainder of the fleet well spread along the line. From Pennington there was a long run to (G) Tanners mark with the two leading boats Zest and Clair de Lune and Lone Star (119) opting for an inshore line, out of the tide. Red Coral and Diana (164) opted for a middle course hotly pursued by Crumpet (176) and Ibex (32).

At the second mark with Zest and Clair de Lune well ahead, Lone Star just managed the overlap on Diana and the main group of Crumpet, Ibex and X-Ray close behind.

On the next leg with the tide still falling the fleet beat back to Berthon buoy and a spinnaker run back to Tanners buoy for the second time. On the next beat to the outer distance mark (D) an outpointing dual between Lone Star and Diana forced Lone Star to tack away giving the third place to Diana.

The race finished at the club and spinnakers were carried to number 10 post. Zest (Phil Brewer) and Clair de Lune (Max Crowe) were firmly in first and second place, but the oncoming outward bound ferry above the wave barrier required a quick decision to be made as to which side of the ferry to go - west or east? The wily fox Stuart Jardine on Lone Star opted for East side of the Ferry and Ian Burr on Diana opted for the West. The result was that Lone Star just pipped Diana on the line, snatching 3rd place.

Results:

1st X9 Zest
2nd X33 Clare de Lune
3rd X119 Lone Star
4th X164 Diana

Full series results can be found here.