A THREE reef, no spinnaker flag greeted the Lymington Town sailing Club's fleet of Sea Ventures' Sun Fast 32s last weekend as the winds tested nerves with gusts of up to 30 knots against a spring ebb tide.
All crews approached the line cautiously, but the Bare Knuckles team (Darren Stansby) quickly stamped their authority on the fleet by impeccable sail setting and boat handling.
They were followed across the line by Essex Boys (Tom Taylor-Jones) and Team Felpham SC (Guy Mayger).
With smiles on all the faces at the end of the first race, the race team soon had them off around the simple course for a second race.
Yachts were much closer for this race as crews gained confidence, but finishing places were nearly identical.
Similar wind conditions greeted the fleet for Sunday but with a spring flood tide the waves were flatter, and the beats longer.
Two more races were completed in the increasingly competitive fleet but the places changed little.
Bare Knuckles goes through to the final together with runners-up Essex Boys.
The championship finals on June 15/16 will test the crews on their sailing skills and more difficult navigation.
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