DEFENDING champion Gary Langdown may have crossed the line first but finished outside the top three in Sunday’s Peter Almack Trophy at Highcliffe Sailing Club.

The event brought out the club’s big guns who were faced with a flat, calm sea with a wind between seven and 10 knots providing a challenge for the competitors.

In the first race, Langdown (Contender) and Alan Tarrant (Laser) quickly split from the main pack, both tacking wide and reaching the first mark in just two moves.

Their rivals chose a shorter course and with all 12 boats spread across the horizon, it was difficult to distinguish who was leading until they rounded the first mark.

Langdown crossed the line well ahead of Tarrant with Carl Bray and Simon Topping (Fireball) making some good tactical decisions to take third.

Race two saw Langdown and Tarrant lead from the off once more, while Bray and Topping chased third across the line but were shadowed closely by David Burrows (Laser), whose stellar racing this season has introduced fresh competition among the leading lights.

Langdown looked impressive and finished first but a determined Tarrant emerged just two minutes later and took first place in the corrected results to lift the trophy.

Pete Bell (Europe) and Burrows were among those opting for the short approach to the first mark and this tactic paid off as they overtook Langdown in the final results.

Corrected results: 1 Alan Tarrant, 2 Pete Bell, 3 David Burrows.

  • The final two races of the Sea Spring Points Series concluded on Bank Holiday Monday.

Langdown (Contender) flew round with a strong wind in his sails and appeared to round the first mark before some had cleared the start.

Josh McCormick (Laser Radial) and Steve Waite (Solo) were in competition throughout race one before Langdown again swept off the start line to take the second.

Having completed just two out of eight races, however, Langdown failed to trouble the top three as Steve Waite took the overall honours.

Corrected results: 1 Steve Waite, 2 Josh McCormick, 3 Peter Emerson.

  • Royal Lymington Yacht Club’s Thursday night racing season kicked off in style as 70 boats turned out for last week’s curtain raiser.

Mark Broadway’s Fidelitas led around the mark in the Class One fleet while William Newton’s Jelly Baby was hit with a penalty for touching Mike Saqui’s Edith at the congested turn. Robin Taunt’s decision to head off shore in Jibe almost paid dividends but finished second to Fidelitas.

Christian Sutherland’s Reach Around deservedly took the honours in Class Two ahead of Nick Kirkman’s Jane and Rory Fitzwilliams’s ¾ tonner Simplicity.

  • Some glorious Bank Holiday weather held out for Royal Lymington’s Monday Evening Dinghy race with force three-four winds across the high ebb tide.

The RS400s, led by Rob and Jan Martin, made the most of the light winds to stay ahead of the trapeze boats on the beat to the river mouth.

Close behind, despite their slower rating, were the D-Ones of Nick Simmons and Dave Gorringe.

Out in the Solent the advantage shifted to the faster RS700s and RS800s before the D-Ones capitalised on their early lead to finish a minute ahead in the corrected times.