Lymington Town Sailing Club Newtown Race (to Yarmouth)
by Pat Stables 17 Jun 05:55 BST
It was a bit of "Déjà Vu" with a breeze of about 5 knots from the South East for a race that was supposed to go to somewhere off Newtown and finish at Yarmouth for lunch, but little possibility of anything more until midday.
The best course the Race Officer, Nick Hopwood, could devise with the wind speed and direction, and with the ebb just about to start was another "There and Back" avoiding the deep water and the possibility of being stuck in the middle of the Solent with no wind.
Despite having arrived late for the start due to RIB engine problems the Race Officer very quickly anchored, issued the course (2J (Zwerver) to starboard and back to the finish at 2C (Colten) leaving it to port) and started the fleet. Traffic Jam (J80) got the best start inshore at Baverstock while the rest of the fleet bunched up together at the pin end. All boats sailed directly towards the first mark inshore except for Google-Eye (Trapper 300) who headed out in the vain hope of getting the last of the flood and less tide than those inshore and would then raise her spinnaker knowing that otherwise it would be hopeless for her under white sail. She did gain an additional knot of speed under spinnaker and was in less tide at first but was unable to make the gains she had hoped with the increasing ebb.
Traffic Jam meanwhile was well away followed by Strega (Spirit 37) and Just Do It (J80), with a new crew aboard. Pallas Athene (Yeoman) brought up the rear of this group with Club Commodore Heather Chipperfield. The wind then veered sufficiently for Strega to launch her Asymmetric kite but the other boats resisted and although Traffic Jam's was ready to go she had already built up a winning lead on the fleet and with only 2 up there was no point in complicating things, though that normally does not stop Toby! Having rounded the windward mark first she was back to the finish almost before the tailender, Google-Eye, now fighting the increasing tide, got to the first mark.
The leg back to the finish was a straight white sail fetch. The wind never got up above 5 knots for the whole of the race and it proved to be a good decision not to finish in Yarmouth as planned as under the lee of the Island it never got up above 3 knots until after midday with a light sea breeze.
The leading three boats headed back into Lymington to lunch in the club and Pallas Athene and Google-Eye motored over to Yarmouth where both crews enjoyed a lovely lunch sitting on the balcony of the Royal Solent Yacht Club overlooking the calm Solent watching yachts sailing backwards and the Wightlink Ferry crab into the harbour.
The next two races are on Saturday 4 July, the "Cowes and Back", with a fleet lunch in Cowes and fingers crossed for a decent wind after 3 with light winds.
Overall Results:
YTC
1. Traffic Jam (Toby Collyer)
2. Pallas Athene (Kevin Podger)
3. Just Do It (Adrian & Mandy Bateman)
LAH
1. Traffic Jam (Toby Collyer
2. Pallas Athene (Kevin Podger)
3. Just Do It (Adrian & Mandy Bateman)