2025 Noble Marine Travellers' Trophy Lightning 368 Southern Championship at Up River Yacht Club

Penny Yarwood finishes 2nd in the 2025 Noble Marine Travellers' Trophy Lightning 368 Southern Championship at Up River Yacht Club © Terry Bagely

Simon Hopkins wins the 2025 Noble Marine Travellers' Trophy Lightning 368 Southern Championship at Up River Yacht Club © Terry Bagely

Saturday for the training day turned out to be the perfect day for sailing with sunshine and a nice 10 mph breeze all day long. With many of the fleet travelling down the night before to attend the 29th anniversary of Penny's 21st Birthday there was an impressive 13 boats on the water for the training.

After an intense four hours on the water under the instruction of Simon and Penny the fleet retired to the sun deck and prepared for Penny's party, round two!

Sunday was a different story with the sun arriving, but the wind must have still been hungover from the party and made a very dismal appearance later in the day.

As the tide came in the RO decided to hold the 18 boats who had arrived for the Southern Champs on the bank to see if there would be enough wind to beat the incoming spring tide. After an hour it was decided there was just enough and 15 of the competitors took to the water, whilst 3 decided the bank was a better place to watch the racing.

It paid to be on the north bank out of the tide and Simon Hopkins was in the right place as the gun went and moved ahead initially. However, Jeremy Cooper and Penny Yarwood were right with him and after many short tacks up the bank Penny pulled through to the lead.

Jeremy briefly overtook Simon but had to settle for third at the windward mark. Ian Gore and John Claridge broke clear of the chasing pack to be the next contenders and gradually reeled Jeremy in.

After two painful light wind laps the RO thankfully shortened the course so we could get another race in before the water disappeared.

The finishing order was, Penny, Simon, John, Ian and Jeremy. Graham Lazell bought home the pack who finished almost line abreast giving the RO a nightmare to sort out the finishing order.

Race two started immediately as the tide rushed out catching Ian out as he missed the start gun and was over the line at the start. Then surprisingly local sailor Penny totally misjudged the tide and were pushed well over the line having to return to restart with several others.

Graham and Paul Beven made the best starts and were well clear as they were pushed upwind by the tide with Simon, Ian and Jeremy in hot pursuit and it was this order round the first mark.

Down the run it was the race to be closest to the bank and Simon managed get there and sail through to the lead with Ian close on his transom. Unfortunately, Ian failed to keep clear of Simon to windward and the resulting turns pushed him down the fleet.

Paul got ahead of Graham for what would have been second only to hit the mark, not once, but twice on the re-round, so letting the pack though before a good recovery to fifth.

On the next beat the wind had finally arrived and Jeremy was the man on the move with Jason Gallagher, in his brand-new boat, delivered to the event, close behind. Jeremy would have taken the lead but contacted Simon whilst tacking and had to do turns.

On the final run it was Simon in the lead with a blanket of Penny, Jason and Ian behind him. But hugging the bank once again paid off to keep the fast charging, Penny in second, with Jason third and Ian fourth.

With the delay and the water fast disappearing there was not time to run the third race, so the results were a tie between Simon and Penny on 3 points each, but the Southern C title going to Simon on the results of the last race. Ian Gore came home third for an Up River clean sweep of the prizes. John and Jeremy tied on 11 points as the first visitors with fourth going to John on countback.

The fleet now moves on to the rounds two and three of the Travellers' Trophy with the Midland double header, Chase SC on Saturday 17 May and Bartley SC on the 18th May.

Overall Results: