Puffin and Blandina were joined on the line by XOD Foxy with a lively WSW breeze which was gusting to near gale force in the middle. From the start, Foxy got away with Blandina edging ahead of Puffin. The course did have the formidable Lymington Bank and the boats did well to get out, gybe and return as the gusts got heavier and heavier.
Foxy held on to win on the water with Blandina finishing ahead of Puffin
With gusts over 40 knots in the middle and up to 30 the wise Y sailors and the other classes retreated back to bed, dreaming of sunny days and balmy winds.
3 YOD’s and 4 XOD’s took to the line on a day of contrast to the Sunday. The wind was F2 from the SW, going more southerly, the sun was out and all was well with the world. X23 Starlight made the best start followed by Diatom on the way to Black Rock. Blandina moved into second place at the mark, only to lose it after a slow spinnaker hoist. On then to H, a long run with the tide across the Solent, with the wind dropping to F1-2. Diatom did her usual ‘sail into a hole’ routine just as she threatened X23, letting Blandina back through and Genista catch up. At the mark, Blandina took too long to drop her spinnaker, letting Diatom move back through.
The leg back across the Solent proved to be tricky as the wind had firmly moved to the South, giving a beat. Starlight and Diatom tried sailing high to lee bow the tide, but Foxy, Sans Souci and Genista sailed low for speed, getting past Diatom and threatening Starlight. Blandina went further along the mainland side and Rosalita came earlier to the Island shore.
The race was shortened after 8, with Starlight avenging last year’s defeat on behalf of the XOD’s. Genista was first Y home followed by Diatom and Blandina.