Lightning 368 end of season Rum & Mince Pies open meeting 2026 at West Oxfordshire Sailing Club
by Simon Hopkins 11 Nov 09:20 PST
24 October 2026
Perfectly upright - Lightning 368 Rum & Mince Pies open meeting at West Oxfordshire SC © Adrain Hollier
With Storm Austin passing through on Friday night and Storm Boelo due to arrive on Saturday afternoon there were many people who decided that conditions would be too much and dropped out before the event. But West Oxfordshire SC agreed there was a window to get three races in so nine Lightings were set for the end of season Rum and Mince Pies Open.
Race 1 started in quite light conditions considering the weather report but with some interesting gusts making with life interesting. There was a very biased line favouring a pin end start and get onto port as soon as possible. Simon Hopkins timed it perfectly, creating enough space to tack away and as it turned out a big wind bend around the clubhouse helped him lay the first mark in one tack.
Simon held what he thought was a safe lead until the first run when a large gust picked up the fleet and by the next mark it was John Claridge and Caroline Hollier leading the way. Unfortunately, on the next lap John mistakenly headed to the club windward mark and not the temporary mark we were using and Caroline took the lead, which she held to the finish ahead of John and Simon.
Race 2 was started back-to-back in an effort to get at least two races in ahead of the storm. On a similar course this time it was Andy McLeish who got to the pin end ahead of Simon and they rounded in that order closely followed by John, Kevin Isles, Jason Gallagher and Caroline. Simon, with one eye on the traveller's series, was determined Caroline would not go above him on the run. This allowed John and Kevin through to chase Andy down.
The fleet was now having to be wary of the big gust coming through at interesting angles to the base wind. This caught Andy our as he bore away on the final run and after a very quick dip in the lake he recovered for second place with John taking advantage and taking the win he missed out on in the first race. Kevin kept a fast-charging Simon at bay for third.
West Oxfordshire SC Galley provided a fantastic Cottage pie to warm all the cold sailors and as everyone warmed up there was a distinct reluctance to go outside as the wind was now seriously up and the gust very severe. Storm Boelo has certainly arrived!
Only 6 boats made the start line for the last race and it was now full hiking weather, if you were brave enough to commit to toe straps as the gusts came from every direction at once. Simon took the early lead, but hot on his heels was Kevin and these two pulled away from the rest of the fleet with Paul Beven heading the chasing pack. After lap two a particularly savage gust saw Andy and Jason upside down and John decided his result was safe with Andy not likely to win the race from there and called it a day. Jason soon followed him in and then there were four.
At the front Kevin kept Simon very honest and challenged him all the way to the line, but Simon held on for the win. Behind Paul Beven kept it upright and came home third. Andy must have capsized multiple times but was determined to finish so he could claim to have finished every race in in every open meeting all season.
The final results saw John Claridge win the Rum and Mince pies with his morning results of 2,1. Simon's win in the last boosted him to second ahead of Kevin isles in third.
The Rum and Mince Pies at West Oxfordshire SC is the traditional season closing event and Prize giving. Simon Hopkins successfully defended his Sander Sails Travellers Trophy title, but by only one point from Caroline Hollier who had pushed him all the way. John Claridge was only a further two points back in third.
Andrew McLeish won the silver fleet ahead of Jason Gallagher and Ian Ransom.
The trophy for first Mark 1 Giles boat also went to Andrew McLeish who racked up enough point to win this before changing to his new Mark 3 boat later in the season.
Event Results:
| Pos | Sail No | Helm | Club | R1 | R2 | R3 | Pts |
|---|
| 1st | 450 | John Claridge | Royal Lymington YC | 2 | 1 | (DNF) | 3 |
| 2nd | 428 | Simon Hopkins | Up River YC | 3 | ‑4 | 1 | 4 |
| 3rd | 337 | Kevin Iles | West Oxfordshire SC | ‑6 | 3 | 2 | 5 |
| 4th | 451 | Andrew Mc Leish | Up River YC | ‑7 | 2 | 4 | 6 |
| 5th | 438 | Caroline Hollier | West Oxfordshire SC / Bassenthwaite SC | 1 | DNF | (DNC) | 10 |
| 6th | 325 | Paul Beven | Calshot SC | ‑8 | 7 | 3 | 10 |
| 7th | 449 | Jason Gallagher | Otley SC | 4 | 6 | (DNF) | 10 |
| 8th | 446 | Andrew Yuille | Upper Thames SC | 5 | 5 | (DNC) | 10 |
| 9th | 437 | Paul Taylor | Burghfield SC | (DNF) | DNC | DNC | 20 |