Please select your home edition
Edition
Switch One Design

Spencers Estate Agents Royal Lymington Yacht Club Thursday Night Early Series - Day 9

by Vicky Leen 25 Jun 2019 20:58 AEST 20 June 2019
Spencers Estate Agents Royal Lymington Yacht Club Thursday Night Early Series final day © RLymYC

The last of eight races for keelboats in the Western Solent was sailed in a fresh south-westerly with an ebbing tide. Mary McGough (RO), Chris Knox (ARO) and all race team members suffered a bouncy evening as 57 boats (down from the usual 80-odd due to the weather) competed in the Series sponsored by Spencers Estate Agents but their management of the tricky conditions earned high praise from all the sailors.

In IRC-1, seven boats started the last race of the early series, with Jin Tonic (Andy Roberts), Boomerang (Ray Crouch), Fidelitas and Jelly Baby (William Newton) all in contention for a podium finish in the series.

The fleet set off on a beat to mark B off Pennington. Unfortunately, Full Chat's (Andrew Higgs and Tristan Kemp) enthusiasm on the line meant a restart! On the long run to Cowes Radio, Boomerang provided entertainment with a spectacular gybe but recovered to lead at the leeward mark and remain in the lead until the finish. Jin Tonic also suffered the misfortune of destroying their spinnaker on this leg!

At the finish, it was Boomerang, followed by Jelly Baby and Jin Tonic. The series result was Jin Tonic, Boomerang and Jelly Baby, separated by merely 1.5 points. Close racing !

In IRC-2, the lead was equally tight with Allan Hill's Colleen in the lead by two points. Hound Dog (Paul Harrison & Craig Stewart) and Seascape (Lawrence Barnett) were judged OCS and Simplicity (Rory Fitzwilliams) retired, leaving Colleen, White Mischief (Andy Hind) Gravity (Simon McCarthy & Ronan Grealish) and Mojitabel (Rory Heron & Dan Snow) to fight it out for line honours. At the windward mark, B, the stiffer Mojitabel was first around, closely followed by White Mischief, Gravity and Colleen. Nifty spinnaker work on Colleen including a tricky gybe at 10 knots with 25 knots of breeze allowed them to overhaul White Mischief sailing without a spinnaker. The beat back to D was wet for all crew followed by another fast run with many boats moving at over 10 knots. Gravity sailed further but faster and despite several spectacular broaches, crossed the finish line first, with Mojitabel, Colleen and White Mischief just behind. On corrected time, the honours went to Gravity just 9 seconds ahead of White Mischief, in turn just 9 seconds ahead of Colleen! The series overall was narrowly won by Colleen.

In the last of a strong ebb tide, 12 Folkboats came to the line. The windward mark was small and most of the fleet with the exception of Crackerjack (Stuart Watson & Matthew Jones) overstood it. Padfoot (Chris Hills), Tak (Jeremy Austin) and Paloma (Jim Tennant) followed the leaders on to the first run where some boats chose not to fly spinnakers. There were several close encounters with other fleets. Crackerjack established a substantial lead whilst Tak just edged Padfoot to arrive at the leeward mark second. The beat back to D was followed by a short run to F where Padfoot closed on Tak who had lost their spinnaker halyard during the hoist and were under white sails only. At the finish, Crackerjack was first, Tak held off Padfoot for second and Scaramouche (John Whyte) was fourth.

The Late Series begins next Thursday with nine races open to all comers in prospect!

Series results so far can be found here.

Related Articles

Steele Raymond Lymington XOD Week 2025
Blustery but brilliant event concludes in style The Royal Lymington Yacht Club's highly anticipated XOD Week 2025, sponsored by Steele Raymond, wrapped up on Wednesday 25th June after a week of challenging yet exhilarating racing on the Western Solent. Posted on 27 Jun
Folkboat Nationals at Lymington
15 boats on the start line from 6 clubs across the Solent So here I sit Monday afternoon reflecting on a fantastic weekend of racing at the Folkboat Nationals hosted by the Royal Lymington YC and sponsored by North Sails. 15 boats on the start line from 6 clubs across the Solent, many with dreams of the title. Posted on 17 Jun
Title sponsor for Lymington XOD Week 2025
Steele Raymond LLP come on board to support the event The Royal Lymington Yacht Club is thrilled to announce Steele Raymond LLP as the new title sponsor for XOD Week 2025, one of the most anticipated events on the Solent sailing calendar. Posted on 7 Jun
Folkboat Racing in the Solent
Looking at the 2025 calendar and build-up to 60th Folkboat Week Since its introduction to British waters, the Nordic Folkboat has become a staple of Solent sailing. With the Folkboat Association nurturing this tradition, the fleet continues to grow, offering a packed calendar of racing. Posted on 23 May
X 195 'Turtle' Launch
The first new X One Design in 18 years! I attended a rare event in the X One Design class: the launch of a new boat. It has been 18 years since the last new X was launched, and X195 has been a project that long in the making. Posted on 17 May
RS21 UK & Ireland Cup round 2 at Lymington
Tactical racing, sparkling sailing conditions, and vibrant shoreside camaraderie Round two of the RS21 UK & Ireland Cup delivered a thrilling weekend of tactical racing, sparkling sailing conditions, and vibrant shoreside camaraderie. With a strong fleet in attendance, the event showcased the best of one-design keelboat racing. Posted on 16 May
The Allure of Timber
The longevity, and sheer beauty, of boats made of wood In these days of exotic materials, high modulus carbon and ultra lightweight construction, it's possible to overlook the longevity, and sheer beauty, of boats made of wood. Posted on 29 Apr
Setley Cup 2024
Another great success, despite the near-absent wind The Setley Cup is an annual competition for children sailing model boats (mostly home-made), held on Boxing Day at Setley Pond near Lymington. Posted on 27 Dec 2024
Craftinsure K6 Nationals at Lymington
Three days of racing in the western Solent The western Solent and Royal Lymington YC were the fine venues for this year's K6 Nationals, sponsored by Craftinsure. Nine races were held over three days in what was forecast to be light wind. Posted on 21 Sep 2024
Lymington XOD Saturday Series Week 16
Lone Star takes the win on Jardine Trophy day With several boats missing on their way to compete at Poole week, perhaps a few deciding that the weather was a bit filthy, ten X boats appeared on the start line by mark H. Posted on 24 Aug 2024
Maritimo S SeriesSwitch One DesignV-DRY-X