Solo Southern Area Championships 2025 at Lymington Town Sailing Club
by Paul Davis 10 Jun 08:52 PDT
31 May - 1 June 2025
Solo Southern Area Championships at Lymington Town © LTSC
Well, what a weekend, those that made it were certainly treated to what Lymington Town Sailing Club and the western Solent really has to offer! But before we get into that, none of it is possible without the people that give up their time to make weekends like this happen, so a massive thank you to the club and the team there, Chris the events coordinator, bar staff, galley staff, registration and slipway teams, race officer along with his team and the mark layers. Thank you, you put on a weekend that will be remembered for many many years to come!
So, to kick start the weekend the NSCA put on a training day spaces rapidly being filled and we put on a second rib to cater for the increased numbers and demand. Coach for the day was North Sails Charlie Cumberly, who, as always gave a great insight into solo sailing and the set up with an onshore session before heading out on the water for what can only be described as some champagne conditions, blue sky, sunshine and 14-15 knots! Out on the water 20 Solo's get an insight to what would be the weekends battle ground for the Southern Area Championships as Charlie put them through their paces with some starting practice and short windward leeward races. This gave plenty of time for Charlie to work his way through the fleet giving words of wisdom which proved invaluable. The commitment throughout the fleet during the training session was definitely noticed, some trying harder than other like Andy Wilde! During one of the starts, Andy went for a big hike to power off the line but someone must have removed his toe straps as he launched himself off the side for a quick swim! Thankfully this was caught on camera from multiple angles, and will no doubt surface soon enough! After several hours on the water the fleet headed back ashore, de-rigged changed then upstairs in the club for a debrief. Many enjoyed the stunning views from the club balcony afterwards across the Western Solent.
Shortly after the debrief, the club bar was opened for a well earned beer or two along with a generous portion of fish and chips. This training is supported by Noble Marine who are a supporters of the class association and help make it possible to run such days!
Saturday morning soon came round and it was race day one, but not with the blue sky, wall to wall sunshine and 15 knots we were all expecting, but a good old solent peasoup which greatly reduced visibility across the solent. The fleet were welcomed by some of the local solo fleet and the lovely ladies at registration which also had a few freebies from Lifejacket Skin Protection (SPF 50+ Sun Gel which is Lightweight, non-greasy and water resistant with a fresh linen fragrance—this is a sun protection game changer that won't get in the way of what you're doing and highly recommended by your very own VP along with the sackets of Daily Repair Moisturiser) www.lifejacketskin.com, check out Jono's story and the team and get protected even in the British summer it is very important, and those off to Como!
Local Fleet Captin Malcom welcomed the fleet to the club, followed by PRO Karl Thorne's swift briefing with a game plan of going on time as long as the peasoup had cleared, sadly this wasn't the case and the fleet were held ashore briefly under AP. Thankfully this gave Chris Brown enough time to get his fix of ice cream before going on the water. Once the fleet were allowed to launch they made their way to what was a stunning western Solent, blue sky, sunshine and a slowly building breeze which promised to be a great day on the water. A trapezoid course was swiftly set of off we went. Race one looked like it was committee boat end favoured and then a short tack onto port to get inshore, around 10 knots, and who was there lurking, you're own VP (Davis), Mark Lee and Andy Wilde thinking I'll stick with the locals. Paul Davis won the committee boat end tacked off and headed inshore with Wilde, Mark Lee was quarter of the way down the line and also followed inshore. Initially it was looking fantastic for these three, thinking a run away 1, 2, 3 was on the cards, but it wasn't meant to be, a bit of a left hand shift and a slightly longer line than expected gave it to the fleet starting off the pin who all pretty much made it in one. Amongst those was Chris Brown, Chris Aston, your Midland Area Rep, Jonathon Swain and Alex Butler. This group ran away with it with Simon Dereham in the mix to. It finished Swain, Butler and Aston. Wilde, Lee and Davis managed to recover to 8th, 11th and 13th after rounding the first mark in the back 5. To this day people are saying Davis is still taking the moral victory for race one!
Building breeze for race 2, 12-14 knots and the tide beginning to change. Usual suspects came off the pin end, Brown, Swain, Wilde (who decided to ignore the locals this time), Butler, Aston and Mark Lee in hot pursuit. This group got the jump on the fleet and had a battle to the finish with Wilde taking the win from Butler and then Brown. Jumping in a solo so the weekend was Andy Rushworth who's known for building OK's, one of his last builds was for some chap called Jim hunt who maybe know within the solo fleet for doing reasonably well in a solo over the years. Jim may have been spotted having a leisurely cruise around in his Finn, and clearly gave Andy some words of advice as he greatly improved on the 1st race 22nd and chased the leading bunch to get a 7th in front of Davis.
Race three and the breeze was averaging 18 knots gusting 20, tide was ebbing and making the run a little bumpy so the PRO elected a starboard rounding trapezoid. On and the ebbing tide may have caught a couple of people out at the start (we will come onto that shortly). Once again your usual suspect made it to the front with Wilde making a point he was he one to beat closely chased by Butler and Aston, which also remained the finishing order. Mark Lee was chasing the leading pack and worked his way down inside Davis on the run, but then gybed and rolled it in to windward. Mike Dray was going very well in the breeze even getting a little wobbly at the bottom of the run with chasing spectators waiting for him to go for a swim, but stayed upright, making it to 4th at the finish (training day obviously was worth it), and your host for the weekend and Lymington Fleet Captain Malcolm Buchannan was inside the top 10 in 9th clearly enjoying the conditions. Andy Rushworth was again in 7th (we will never know the wisdom Jim shared nut it clearly worked).
That was it for the day and the fleet headed ashore to be greeted with the usual LTSC Hospitality of tea, coffee and doughnuts once signed back ashore. Once ashore the fleet reflected on a great day on the water with some very close racing, some closer than other may have wanted. Then it was back to the bar to rehydrate, followed by the evening meal which is very very kindy taken care of by your very own Class Association! While a beer or two were consumed including a free beer from Marston brewery, there were many conversations about the days racing next years calendar, but one that stood out was the conversation about going to Turkey for Turkey Leg Extensions......... Chilli and Lasagna went down a treat followed by desert, another beverage or two, cant complain with ending a great day like that. But wait, there is a twist, and to some the night got even better! How does a champagne days racing followed by a few beers with friends and lovely food get better you ask, well........having the ARO sat opposite you, checking the 'provisional' results to spot there may have been a slight error.....In the efficient manner that the club got the results from the ARO, and published as soon as we were in, but there was a note that was missed about a couple of boats that fell foul to the U Flag on race three! During the sequence for Race 3, the U Flag was raised with a couple of sailors asking whats that flag...... So, to answer the question, two boats were over in race 3 under the U Flag, one being non other than Mr Solo / Ice Cream's himself Chris Brown! That was the icing on the cake for some as Chris has left the club only moments before the discovery.
Day two rapidly came round with a slightly punchy forecast with the breeze really building shortly after lunch and wind against tide, so the aim was to get on the water and away on time. 10:25 warning signal and the fleet were ready to go, 18-21 knots, trapezoid course again, it was going to be a cracker. This time Aston set off like a robbers dog making a point that you don't need to be big to be quick in breeze, and took the win. The top reach was one to be remembered for a while, boats bouncing off the waves, back of the bus hanging on stuff! But, it wasn't straight forwards as the chasing pack of Swain, Butler, Wilde, Davis and Dray were certainly keeping Aston honest and having to think about it. Davis managed to work his way through the pack with Swain who made him work for 2nd just beating Swain to the line after a hike off from the leeward mark. 4th was Butler breaking his string of 2nds for the weekend, followed by Wilde.
Karl the PRO put a very short postponement up with quick shuffle of the marks, and swiftly got the now depleted fleet away for race 5 with the breeze around 18-23 knots, wind against tide. This was going to be full on! This time Simon Derham, lead from mark one to take a very well deserved win and being pushed all the way by the chasing pack. In the pack was Davis, Wilde, Brown, Butler, Lee and Rushworth enjoying the conditions. Chris Aston and Mike Dray dropped off the pack slightly. This pack had a little lead over the fleet, down the first run Wilde gybed and went for a quick swim but was upright swiftly (apparently well practised from sailing a must for years) and still in the ack at the leeward mark. Davis, yes opted to tack round and keep the rig pointing upwards, sailed a slightly hotter angle and made it work. PRO had decided this was to be the last race of the day, so sent the fleet for the full three laps. The top reach of lap 2 was full on, back of the bus, spray everywhere, Derham rolled straight into a gybe at mark 2 doing mac 10, Wilde and Davis in close pursuit. Upwind Davis had the edge over Wilde and get back on his transom by the windward mark for the final downwind legs. Derham just need to keep it upright and the win was his, Wilde gybed down the run, Davis again opted for the slightly higher angles and tacked round. These three had a comfortable lead over the next bunch. Last leeward mark, Davis was still on the transom of Wilde (even tacking round and not gybing), but ran out of runway to pip Wilde for 2nd as the PRO has shortened the been to the finish. Derham for the win from Wilde, Davis and then Swain, Brown, Rushworth, Lee and Butler.
The PRO called it for the day as the western solent was getting a hand full with 20+ knots wind against tide. The fleet headed back ashore for a very well earned rest, this time the LTSC hospitality had stepped up their game from doughnuts to a lovely selection of homemade cakes, flapjacks with tea and coffee!
Well, what a weekend, certainly you missed out if you weren't there. Andy Wilde took the overall win and took the Southern Area Championship from Alex Butler and Chris Aston, with Swain in 4th and Davis 5th. Andy Wilde commented that was the best event he has done for a very long time since his return to sailing!
Off the back of comments like Andy's, its only fitting to say a massive thankyou to everyone who made a weekend like this happen and the list is endless. The registration team for a warm welcome, Malcom Buchannan for helping put the event on with your Southern Area Rep, Maria! Then we have the slip way team making launching and coming ashore nice and easy, the providers of the cakes cant be forgotten either! Then there is the club itself and the people behind the scenes, Chris Arnell pulling the strings behind closed doors ensuring everything ran smoothly, the bar and galley staff for making sure we were all well fed and watered, and we cant forget the race team who simply made it like clockwork on the water. So, a massive thank you to Karl Thone and his team on the committee boat, plus the mark layers and safety teams who all did an amazing job! A massive thank you to you all!
On top of the people who made it happen there is also a list of supporters / sponsors who also made the weekend what it was, starting off with a special thanks to main sponsor- Super Spars, and to the support sponsors: CB Trailer and Covers Solo Specialist Store, Triggernaut and Magic Marine. Local Solo sailor Steve Haggott won the live draw for the brand new Super Spars boom which was raffled off thanks to Super Spars.
Plus, Life Jacket Skin Protection, Noble Marine who made the training day on Friday possible, LTSC / Marston brewery for the free beers on Saturday, and your very own class association providing the class evening meal on Saturday.