Royal Lymington Yacht Club Summer Dinghy Open
by Hannah Neve 7 Jun 2011 08:19 BST
4-5 June 2011
Larks at Lymington © Eddie Mays
36 boats appeared on the start line for the RLymYC summer dinghy open, with class starts for PY Handicap, Larks, Lightning 368s, Fireflys and Laser4.7/Radials. With a start time of 12.10pm on Saturday for the first class, Race Officer Phil Lawrence kept everyone very warm on the hottest day of the year so far by fitting in the scheduled 4 races. Conditions were shifty, with a force 4 to 5 north easterly breeze. In the occasional force 6 gusts which kept the fleet on their toes, there were a few capsizes.
As the very strong spring tide began to build, the race team moved the course closer to the shore at Pylewell Lake for the final 2 races. Racing was very close with a lot of place changes particularly in the very competitive Lark fleet.
On Sunday, with dull skies and a force 4 gusting up to 5, conditions were quite different. 3 more races were run in the same area, this time the course being moved further south of Pylewell Lake as the tide finished its flood. Some of the sailors who were not local to Lymington did not seem to notice that the tide was changing, and by the last race, when the ebb had fully started at the top mark, there was at least one 360 turn completed with other boats having to shoot the mark to get round.
Winner’s mugs were presented back in the clubhouse with John Claridge of R Lym YC being presented with the Peter Webster Trophy by the Lightning 368 Class.
Overall Results:
PY Handicap
1st Pixie, RS800
2nd 1263, RS400
3rd Raise the Bar, RS100
Larks
1st Bomber
2nd Voodoo
3rd Florence
Lightening 368
1st Second Strike
2nd Blue Moon
3rd Lightning 263
Firefly
1st Featherlite
2nd Tigger
3rd Mensonge
Laser 4.7/Radial
1st Laser 4.7, 109012
2nd Laser 4.7 157547
3rd Laser 4.7, 124699