Lightning368 Open at Hillingdon Outdoor Activities Centre

The Lightning 368 season starts at Hillingdon © Emma Dodd

The Lightning 368 season starts at Hillingdon © Emma Dodd

The Lightning 368 season starts at Hillingdon © Emma Dodd

The 2011 season started with a bang for the Lightning368s last weekend, when 20 boats made it to the startline of the first Open/Traveller event of the year. A record number for the first event of the year and a good omen for the year ahead.

Hillingdon OAC and Queensmead SC were our hugely welcoming hosts, on a day of fickle breeze where the venue lived up to its tricky and shifty reputation. This was going to be one for the helms that quickly grasped the shifts!

Three races were scheduled, with a course that utilised almost all of the available water - including the 'dog leg' section and some 'on your foils be it' shallows, take the short cut if you dare!

After a healthily attended training day at Haversham a couple of weeks ago, the start was noticably more competitive than ever as the multi-coloured fleet got away cleanly for the first beat. In the tricky conditions, West Oxfords' Caroline Key came out victorious to take the line from John Claridge and the home venues own Calvin Merry.

After a lunch break and the usual race-dissection, start two went off well with a little more breeze - though just as tricky for many. It was this race that showed the benefit of local knowledge when, behind the winning John Claridge and second placed Caroline Key, Hillingdons Patrick Horsley and Calvin Merry sneaked in along the bank to cleverly take third and fourth respectively, demoting a surprised Matt Hopkins into fifth.

With a win and a second place each, Caroline and John were going for the win in race three, that had the promise of more breeze but which dropped just prior to the start.

Another clean getaway, though, with John making the most of the previous two races experience to carve out a decent lead, which he held to the end to take the overall victory on the day. Caroline held on for second in both the race and the overall day. Matt Hopkins took third in this race to finish on the final podium position - a magnificent result from the youngster who is rapidly carving quite the reputation amongst the 368 fleet.

A fantastic day, then, enjoyed by all and - with 20 boats taking the start (Making this the highest attended first-race-of-the-year for the Lightnings) - some super racing all the way through the field in a fairly compact fleet.

Caroline actually leads the series from John Claridge after two rounds (Round One was winters 'Rum and Mince Pies event') with the next event scheduled for the open water of Farmoor Reservoir at Oxford Sailing Club on Saturday 16th April.

For more information, visit the class website.

Overall Results: