Results / Winter Championships Leigh & Lowton SC - 17/03/2012

Lee-On-Solent Typical May showers greeted the Vareo fleet to Lee-on-Solent for the third event of the year, light winds were forecast so the lighter members of the fleet were looking to take the event. The first race got off first time and Jamie Morgan was first to the windward mark and pulled away from the fleet down the run. By the leeward mark it was Morgan followed by Jim Hood and Dave Machin, pulling away from the chasing pack up the next beat. Morgan held on to the lead, while Tim Greenwood came in from 4th to overtake Hood and Machin to take second with Hood in third. The second race got under way with Greenwood making it first to the windward mark from Hood and Morgan. Greenwood pulled away with Morgan and Hood fighting it out for second, Hood managed to get away from Morgan to take second. The third race was similar to the first with Morgan leading at the windward mark from Dave Machin and Greenwood. Morgan pulled away on the downwind leg while Machin and Greenwood tustled for second, with Machin holding Greenwood off up the following beat, Greenwood showing good downwind speed and going past Machin and causing Morgan to get a little bit worried. After the first day it was Morgan in the lead with a one point advantage over Greenwood, who was 5 in front of Hood. The second day brought sun and once again light variable wind, shifting though 90 degrees after the other fleets had started, the first start was abandoned so the race team could re-lay the course. After the second start, Greenwood got the best start at the pin end and in dying wind kept in front to the windward mark, followed by Morgan and Steve Carr. On the run the wind died off completely and some very close drifting was followed by a 600 sailing between Greenwood and Morgan, with Carr sailing inside them. In the mayhem around the leeward mark and finish line with 400�s and 600�s to contend with Greenwood took first from Carr and Scott Butler. The second race got off with Morgan first to the windward mark again, followed by Hood and Greenwood. Morgan kept his lead and with Greenwood finishing second, they went into the last race tied on points. The final got under way and Morgan misjudged the tide and drifted over the line while everyone else got clean away. Greenwood led from Carr to the windward mark with Morgan catching up with the rest of the fleet. The wind started to drop again, Greenwood and Carr pulled away down the next run with Morgan battling back to 5th. The wind shifted 45 degrees so the course ended up as a fetch to the windward mark so places didn�t change, but on the downwind leg Greenwood managed to hold off Carr and Scott Butler coming in 3rd. Morgan managed to fight his way back up the fleet but it was not enough and Greenwood claimed the weekend, Morgan second and Carr third. This was Tim Greenwood�s third consecutive victory at Lee on Solent, definitely his favourite venue. A challenging weekend for all, but the race officer did a great job and thanks go to him and his team.