Lightning 368 Rum & Mince Pie open meeting at West Oxfordshire Sailing Club

The traditionally named Rum & Mince Pies Open Meeting held at West Oxfordshire SC on Saturday 12th November did involve a bottle of Rum and several mince pies but was also the venue for the finale of the Lightning 368 Noble Marine Insurance Travellers Trophy.

Fifteen visitors joined the four home boats on a sunny and warm day with a nice breeze coming down the lake which made a change to the usual cold, damp misty conditions we usually see with no wind!

Race 1 got going with everyone having to use their sitting out legs. There was a starboard biased line and quite few were early leaving Simon Hopkins and Jeremy Cooper to win the pin end above Robbie Claridge and Penny Yarwood. However it was Robbie who was first onto the left hand shift and tack on the lay line whist Simon had to give him room with Jeremy following a close third.

After the run Robbie and Simon had pulled clear of the chasing group but still within a boat lengths when Robbie uncharacteristically hit the leeward mark and whilst doing turns let Simon back through. It was short-lived and Robbie got through on the next run and then extended away for the first of his race wins.

Behind these two Jeremy and Jason Gallagher were having a quiet, lonely race clear of the pack until the recovering Penny got though to fourth just before the end. Tony Jacks lead the main pack home in sixth.

Jason Gallagher - Lightning 368 Rum & Mince Pie open meeting at West Oxfordshire - photo © Ian Marshal

After and excellent lunch and a course change the fleet started race 2 with a heavily biased port line. Jeremy went for the clear air at the pin end, whilst Robbie, Penny and Simon were all crowded on the committee boat.

Approaching the windward mark what should have been a simple rounding in that order got messed up by a sudden drop in wind strength and a big shift. Robbie slipped round 1st but Jason and local youth James Ball came in from the left to round second and third.

Unfortunately James in his Mark I, LN 49 did not have the downwind speed of the new boats and by the end of the first lap the order was Robbie, Jason, Penny leading the chasing pack.

After a couple of laps Simon had recovered from the windward mark mess escaped the pack and joined Jason and Penny in the chase of Robbie. These three then swapped second place several times letting Robbie free to sail away for the win until Simon finally got clear into second.

However the close battle had let John, Jeremy, Tony and Caroline Hollier close in and on the penultimate lap Penny caught Jason on starboard at the windward mark and in forcing him to tack he infringed and after turns dropped to eighth at the finish which was unfair after such a strong performance.

On the final beat to the Simon was under renewed pressure from Penny but caught her on starboard at the mark forcing her to tack, which allowed John to gain an overlap. In the short reach to the finish Penny had to got full attack to stop John getting the overlap at the finish. All in all a great close race!

Penny Yarwood - Lightning 368 Rum & Mince Pie open meeting at West Oxfordshire - photo © Ian Marshal

Race 3 was due to start in a falling breeze Simon (with second secured) decided to let Paul Beven have a go of his mark 3 and sat out the race.

The line was once again heavily port biased catching most people out who had to bail out. Timing it perfectly Duncan Cheshire, now sailing a very orange Mark I, LN104, tacked away from the crowd to the right hand side and found a good lift, rounding first followed by Penny, Jeremy & Robbie.

But, as James found out previously the new boats were too quick downwind Penny and Robbie sailed through and left everyone behind to have a very close intense battle out at the front. Penny held the lead for two laps before Robbie spotted a big shift and got though to the lead which he held to the end.

Behind these two Jeremy sailed another solid race for third ahead of John and Jason having another good race.

With three wins Robbie Claridge won the 2022 Rum and Mince Pies Open ahead of Simon Hopkins and Penny Yarwood.

Local WOSC sailor James Ball won the Junior trophy.

Lightning 368 Rum & Mince Pie open meeting at West Oxfordshire - photo © Duncan Cheshire

Overall Results:

1st Robbie Claridge - Lightning 368 Rum & Mince Pie open meeting at West Oxfordshire - photo © Duncan Cheshire