Noble Marine Lightning 368 Rum & Mince Pie Open at West Oxfordshire Sailing Club

Twenty keen Lightning 368 sailors from far and wide turned up for the traditional season closer "Rum & Mince Pie" Open Meeting on Saturday 9th November at West Oxfordshire Sailing Club.

It was followed, after the racing, by the Noble Marine Travellers Trophy Series Prizegiving, the Class AGM, and an evening of beer, games and merriment followed by a clubhouse and campervan sleepover for the majority of the participants.

There wasn't a breath of wind when the fleet started to rig on the shore, but after the briefing at 11am a few zephyrs rippled the water surface, so the Race Office set out a simple short figure of 8 course.

For Race 1 there were 19 hopeful competitors who initially drifted to the start line, followed a bit later by National Champion Robbie Claridge, who clearly had a lie-in and was late in arriving and getting launched for the start. He carved through the fleet from the very back, only to be told he'd missed a mark, so he doubled back to correct himself, was last again and couldn't recover to higher than 9th!

In the real 1st race action, most of the fleet started on starboard towards the pin end, and both Simon Hopkins and Jeremy Cooper were deemed to be over, stuck head to wind whilst trying to stay the right side of the line. Both eventually roll tacked onto port and headed back towards the committee boat end to dip the line and restart correctly.

It proved to be a stroke of fortune, as they both continued to sail over to the right hand side, tacked onto starboard after being headed, and crept up to the windward mark. They quickly closed up on the initial leader of the rest of the fleet, Caroline Hollier. Caroline was then headed at the mark, got stuck head to what ever wind there was, and eventually touched the mark. Simon and Jeremy sailed around the stricken Caroline and got away, whilst Caroline was swamped by the others coming in from the port side and dropped way back into the pack.

This allowed Penny Yarwood to emerge into 3rd place, but Caroline made a miraculous comeback by the end of the final lap to claim 4th by the finish, followed by another local sailor, Kevin Iles. Meanwhile, up front, Jeremy took Simon downwind and sailed away to win.

After a break for an excellent hot lunch, there was a little more wind of maybe 4-5 knots, and all boats headed out in expectation of a more satisfying sail around a changed, now rectangular course.

This time Robbie had the best of the very port biased line start, rounding the top mark ahead of Simon and a tight gaggle of chasing boats. Penny, Caroline and Jeremy sailed past Simon on the subsequent run, leaving him floundering. Robbie sailed away into the distance, whilst further back on the windward leg Simon was able to pass the chasing trio again, only to concede 2nd place to Jeremy before the race was shortened at the end of the second lap. Creeping along to split Simon in 3rd and Penny in 5th was newcomer Andrew McLeish in an old 1982 vintage Mk1 Giles boat (66) with an all aluminium mast and a Dacron sail.

In the final race it proved impossible to cross the line on starboard, and once again it was Robbie who dared to loop around the pin end buoy on port, crossing the whole fleet and sailing off into the distance, never to be challenged.

Of the remaining competitors who chose to drift down towards the pin end on starboard, it was Caroline who tacked away first and was next to the windward mark, leaving Simon in a tussle to stay ahead of Penny. Showing exceptional downwind speed, it was then Jeremy who caught and passed all of them, including Caroline, and emerged in 2nd. Simon took Caroline on the final upwind leg to the finish, demoting her to 4th ahead of Penny.

Whilst at the front of the fleet it was essentially the same group that were fighting for the top places, further back there was also intense rivalry as the fight for the Silver Fleet and Mk1 Giles trophies in the Travellers Trophy Series went down to the wire.

Hardly the most exciting day's sailing, but Robbie was clearly in a class of his own in the prevailing conditions. Jeremy's 1st and 2nd ensured he claimed 2nd overall, whilst Simon's consistency allowed him to grab 3rd.

Robbie Claridge - 2nd Travellers Trophy Series - Lightning 368 Rum & Mince Pie Open at West Oxfordshire Sailing Club - photo © John Butler

In the Noble Marine Travellers Trophy Series, counting the best 12 race results from the various events across the whole year, it was Jeremy who came out on top, with Robbie in 2nd and Penny 3rd. The Silver fleet trophy was won by Jason Gallagher, and the new Mk1 Giles Travellers trophy by Paul Beven.

Jeremy Cooper - 1st Travellers Trophy Series - Lightning 368 Rum & Mince Pie Open at West Oxfordshire Sailing Club - photo © John Butler

The event concluded a very successful year for the Lightning 368 class, one in which turnouts at open meetings, the National Championship at Chase SC and at both the Inlands and Northerns reached levels of participation not seen in the last decade, signalling a significant resurgence in this now popular 46 year old class.

The introduction of the new all-carbon masts and booms, an optional smaller sized sail, and the introduction of new sailmaker Sanders Sails this year has allowed older boats to be bought cheaply and then upgraded to be competitive.

Competitors in the Lightning 368 Rum & Mince Pie Open at West Oxfordshire Sailing Club - photo © John Butler

The boat has proved especially popular with lighter lady helms, whilst the junior fleet category has also been hotly contested this year, with Delyth Hopkins winning the Junior Nationals title and Clayton Parker picking up the Junior Travellers Trophy, proving that serious junior racing is not just confined to the RYA Pathway classes.

Both Chase SC and West Kirby SC now boast the two largest Lightning 368 club fleets in the country, whilst 42 sailors travelled to and competed in at least one event, and 20 helms did 12 qualifying races across 11 events to appear in the Travellers Trophy Series Results.

Overall Results: