Catherine shows her legs

XOD Central Solent Championship

With first place decided on the discard score, The Collars Central Solent XOD Championship lived up to the expected close racing. Sailing seven windward/leeward races in total it was Catherine, owned by Peter and Steve Lawrence and Alan Stringer, who took the championship with three race wins in the bag and a eleventh as her worst result in the thirty boat fleet.

Racing was scheduled over three days, however Friday was blown off due to the breeze quickly rising to 30 knots. Saturday saw more settled conditions in the Solent, just six hours of rain to sit through. With four races completed on the Saturday the committee from the Royal Southern Yacht Club got another three races off on the Sunday to conclude the racing.

With just a week to go before the start of Cowes Week, where upto 70 XODs are expected to race for their most important regatta of the year, many of the top boats from the various South Coast divisions used the weekend as a last tune up opportunity.

Top club was Parkstone, who filled third, fourth and fifth, which earnt them a new Collars mast and boom to share. The final prize of the weekend went to Jason Field in Onward, who won the Perseverance Award, something you definantly need in a X boat.

Peter ‘Basher’ Baines has recently returned to the fleet with the beautifully restored Palassie. Finishing in second place he is now ranked as one of the favourites for the Cowes Week title.

	Boat	Owner	Total	1	2	3	4	5	6	7
1	Catherine	P and S Lawrence, A Stinger	19	1	11	3	1	9	1	4
2	Palassie	Peter Baines	19	5	3	4	4	20	2	1
3	Athena	Flanders	22	2	7	1	3	12	4	5
4	Blue on Blue	W McNeill, Andrea Tredrea	32	29	1	12	5	2	10	2
5	Pandora III	Deavin	42	12	6	5	12	7	9	3