Sharps Doom Bar Merlin Rocket Week at Salcombe Yacht Club - Day 4

Sharps Doom Bar Merlin Week day 4 © John Murrell / Moor2Sea Event Photography

Sharps Doom Bar Merlin Week day 6 ©John Murrell / Moor2Sea Event Photography

Sharps Doom Bar Merlin Week day 4 © John Murrell / Moor2Sea Event Photography

Sharps Doom Bar Merlin Week day 4 © Malcolm Mackley

Day four at the Sharps Doom Bar Merlin Week dawned sunny and turned into a beautiful summer's day. The biggest excitement was that Chris Kilsby and Pippa Taylor had announced their engagement the night before, which had been celebrated long into the night for a very popular couple.

The wind was round to the Northwest which provided fantastic force 3-5 conditions in the upper reaches of the estuary but a bomb site of vertical gusts and large holes in the town around the start/finish line.

Blue v Black flights. Course 7,5,8,3,7,2,3

With a weather going tide (albeit hard to determine where 'to weather' was) the fleet was very line shy in the unpredictable wind. Taxi and Alex Warren were nearest the line in the middle of the line with Tim Fells and Oli Wells up to windward. These two escaped to engage in a close battle up through the bag with Tim and Oli leading at Gerston but being passed by Taxi and Alex on the run to Saltstone.

Position remained unchanged for the tour of the harbour with Simon Potts and Ali Martin climbing up through the fleet from a poor start along with Si Blake and Pippa Taylor (clearly still on a high) chasing closely.

As the leaders returned to the town after a great hour and a half race, they were perplexed to see no shorten course flag and set about tackling the random loop around Mill Bay mark. With a strong gust coming up from behind, Mike and Jane Calvert jumped from fifth to take the lead. Taxi and Alex dropped a place to second, Simon and Ali held their third, Tim and Oli dropped two to finish fourth ahead of Si and Pippa. Chris Jennings and Pete Horn maintained their consistent series with sixth.

Sharps Doom Bar Merlin Week day 4 - photo © John Murrell / Moor2Sea Event Photography

Green v Red flights. Course 6,5,7,3,7,2,3

Another very difficult start line, but again the sharp witted managed to escape and catch the first breeze coming from Batson creek to accelerate up the estuary.

Initially Chris Gould and Chris Kilsby (also still on a high!) led but were closely pressed by William Warren and Mark Oakey who took the lead on the second transit of the Bag.

Much to the disappointment of the watching crowd, PRO Ian Stewart shortened the race without the purgatory of having to navigate around Mill Bay mark. William and Mark held on to take their second bullet to join Taxi and Alex on four points (1,1,2) after a discard which will come in tomorrow.

The Chrises picked up a third second place to be well in the mix while Will and Mary Henderson came home third to keep them in the hunt. Christian Birrell and Rob Gullan brought the Jellyfish home in fourth ahead of Matt and Hannah Greenfield enjoying their best ever Salcombe Week result. Jen and Chris Dodds rounded out the top six.

The forecast for Thursday is a much lighter NW breeze but wall to wall sunshine which should produce a sea breeze...but when!

Results after day 4:

Sharps Doom Bar Merlin Week day 4 - photo © John Murrell / Moor2Sea Event Photography