Rope4Boats RS400 Southern Tour at the Lymington Dinghy Regatta

Rope4Boats RS400 Southern Tour at the Lymington Dinghy Regatta © RS Class Association

Much has already been written about Lymington Dinghy Regatta held on 12/13 August 2023. The Rope4Boats Southern Tour event was a similar affair. Saturday was cancelled early on to allow competitors to enjoy their day off to the relief of many.

Sunday dawned and it still felt very windy. Wind readings on the Lymington starting platform confirmed that during the course of the day there was a steady 20 knots with gusts up to 25 knots. This only tells half the story though. The real challenge was the extremely steep chop generated by wind against tide conditions.

The major tactical considerations of the day were how to keep your mast in the air and how to avoid the skiff graveyard that the RS400s were racing on. Scanning across the course revealed upturned hulls everywhere. In the first race of the day, it was local boat of Liam and Julie Willis who took the win from the Scottish pair of Stewart and Sarah Robertson who had made the long trip south to sample the prestigious Rope4Boats Southern Tour.

In the second race this order was reversed with the Scottish pair taking the win. At this stage the race officer decided to call it a day which was just as well for the Robertsons who were already halfway up the river!

Overall Results: