Solid first shot

A fuller report on the Royal Lymington Challenge Cup

Eight club teams each of three IRC yachts enjoyed fabulous racing, great weather and a fun packed social program at the inaugural Royal Lymington Challenge Cup sponsored by Seatrack.. The format for this new annual club team event consisted of a long Solent race on Thursday June 25 followed by two days of intense windward-leeward racing in Christchurch Bay.

The drama started before racing had even begun when Déjà Vu from the Royal Temple YC team, owned by John Barrett & Paul Woodward, was found to be too badly damaged to race following a collision in the Round the Island race the previous weekend. Determined not to let their team mates down John & Paul managed to charter another J/109 Vertigo and only missed the inshore race.

Race Officer Tony Blatchford set a challenging course in the Western Solent for the long inshore race. Starting in a shifty 10 to 12 knot northeasterly and a strong flood tide good tactics were essential to keep at the front of the fleet. Jim Macgregor sailing Flair V took an early lead which he never relinquished to win Class 1. Racing was extremely close in Class 2 with Chris & Hannah Neve sailing No Doubt for the home club just getting past David & Kirsty Apthorp’s J Dream at the last mark to take the win. Ed Holton sailing brought Shades of Blue home to win Class 3 for Royal Southampton YC. Royal Lymington were the overnight leaders closely followed by Royal Southampton & Poole YCs.

Once ashore the crews got stuck into the £1.00 a pint of beers supplied by event supporter Fullers, followed by a large curry party in the club in the evening.

Day two dawned to rain and very little wind and Tony Blachford gave the teams a two hour postponement, which was welcomed by those who had taken full advantage of the local hospitality the previous evening! As the postponement came down the sun was out and the sea breeze was building in Christchurch Bay.

The 24 yachts then enjoyed 2 very close and competitive windward leeward races in champagne conditions. Racing was incredibly tight with many positions settled by seconds. At the end of the second race 22 yachts finished within five minutes! Big movers for the day were the Royal Yacht Squadron who jumped into 2nd place just a point behind Royal Lymington, after Michael Ewart-Smith sailing Zelda bagged a pair of bullets in Class 1 and Adam Gosling scored a 1st & 3rd in Class 3 in Yes!.

Back ashore the crews raced into the £1 a pint beers, moved onto cocktails generously supplied by event supporter Wight Vodka and then enjoyed a terrific Regatta supper with a band and great food (and lots of wine by all accounts)

Those hoping for a postponement to give them respite from their hangovers on Saturday were disappointed and the fleet was sent out on time to Christchurch Bay where the sun was out and the sea breeze was already in and building fast to a cracking 15 to 17 knots.

The racing could not have been closer. In Class 1 the fleet traded places throughout the races and although Peter Schofield from Lymington in ‘Zarafa had a great day Flair V took the class overall win. In Class 2 No Doubt won the first race and although she was beaten by Peter Morton’s Salvo representing the Squadron in the last race she had done enough to win the overall.

But the knock out blow came in Class 3 from Yes!, which won both races to win her class overall and give the Royal Yacht Squadron a well deserved overall victory in the team event.

The prize giving was held on the club balcony as soon as the fleet were ashore where Michael Ewart–Smith accepted the trophy on behalf of his team. Michael was generous in his praise of the event saying: “The inter club format was great fun and as importantly “new”. It seems ridiculous that it has taken so long for anyone to come up with this format so congratulations to the Royal Lymington for doing so and then making it happen so well. There was some great close racing. To put it into context we were beaten by one second by our chief opposition in the final race, which we feared would lose the team the first overall. Fortunately our two team mates delivered spectacularly in the final race in their classes to give the Royal Yacht Squadron the overall trophy.”

Results:

1st Royal Yacht Squadron 47 points
2nd Royal Lymington Yacht Club 49 points
3rd Royal Southampton Yacht Club 64.5 points
4th Poole Yacht Club 80 points
5th Petit Bateau 80.5 points
6th Royal Temple Yacht Club 88 points
7th Parkstone Yacht Club 89.5 points
8th RNSA 103.5 points


The winners of each class were:

Class One, Flair V, Jim Macgregor (Poole Yacht Club)

Class Two , No Doubt ,Chris and Hannah Neve (Royal Lymington Yacht Club) who were also the top individual yacht with just 9.5 points

Class Three, Yes,Adam Gosling (Royal Yacht Squadron)
Adam said:

“It was a great combination of racing with the Solent and the Christchurch Bay windward /leeward races.The Race Officer did an amazing job,the boat bandings were spot on and to get most of the boats to finish at more or less the same time takes some skill.The social events and the warm relaxed welcome for all the competitors and their friends by the Royal Lymington Yacht Club made it very special .I will be spreading the word to all my sailing fiends”