Please select your home edition
Edition
X-Yachts X4.0

Salcombe Yacht Club Winter Series - Race 1

by John Burn & David Greening 31 Oct 2022 01:26 HKT 29 October 2022

Handicap Race (by John Burn) Course 1-7-5-7

It was more of the same for the sailors competing in Saturday's racing, albeit with a slightly earlier start time of 11am.

The first beat to Blackstone was closely contested in the tricky conditions with big gusts, big shifts and a sizeable chop to contend with.

Will and Mandy Henderson, sailing in the Lark, reached Blackstone first closely followed by John Burn in a Laser with Stephen Galvin and Dan Bridger in a Yawl and Esther McLarty in a Laser Radial close behind.

Esther chose to make her way down the Portlemouth shore whilst the others crossed at Biddle Rocks, favouring the town side. After looking good initially, Esther had ultimately chosen the slower route to Snapes and the front three were now a fair distance ahead.

The loop in the bag was relatively straight forward but on the second long beat back from Gerston it was now blowing old boots. Fortunately for the racers legs the ebb tide was now at full force so progress back through The Bag was swift.

As they headed to the finish it was just a case of navigating the fastest way back round Snapes, easier said than done!

Stephen and Dan chose well opting for a wider line and sailed on to a well deserved 1st place. Will and Mandy were 2nd with John 3rd.

Unfortunately for Esther, problems at mark 5 led to her retirement form the race.

Solos (by David Greening)

15 Solo sailors remembered the earlier Winter start time to line up into a gusty and shifty Southerly breeze.

Tim Fells used his Aero 7 skills to drive out of the start line on the ebb tide, emerging alongside Tim Law at the Blackstone mark.

Those who headed for the Town shore on the downwind leg closed the gap on the Tims, with Chris Cleaves in the buffer zone chased down by David Greening and Graham Cranford-Smith.

Fells flew away on the downwind legs but two beats back across Widegates saw Law pull through, with Cleaves eventually powering past Fells.

Upon the return to the harbour fourth, Greening sailed out of wind off Snapes Point and with the anchorage becalmed Iain McGregor and Simon Dobson passed with the tide under them and caught onto the transom of a becalmed Tim Fells but he clung onto third with Dobson eventually overhauling McGregor to take fourth place.

Thank you to Simon Ballantine and the safety boat crews who were kept fairly busy all morning.

Related Articles

Salcombe Merlin Rocket Week Day 3
South-Westerly establishes itself after a windless dawn The third day dawned with light cloud and absolutely no wind in the harbour. As often happens at Salcombe, by the time the fleet started to launch a South-Westerly had started to establish itself and by the 10.30 start time there was 4-5 knots. Posted on 1 Jul
Salcombe Merlin Rocket Week Day 2
First start gets away on the top of the tide With the rest of the UK cooking in 30+ degrees, Salcombe has been veiled in sea mist for the last few days. Monday was the day when this was meant to clear but competitors woke to find the race track still shrouded in mist. Posted on 30 Jun
Salcombe Merlin Rocket Week Day 1
Over 200 of the UK's top dinghy racers are in the picturesque South Devon Ria The ever popular Salcombe Merlin Week, sponsored by Helly Hansen, Craftinsure and Creation Covers, has again attracted over 200 of the UK's top dinghy racers to the picturesque South Devon Ria. Posted on 29 Jun
Delivery to Salcombe Week - Final Call!
Devon's calling, and P&B are answering This weekend finds members of our Sail Loft team at Salcombe Yacht Club, for Merlin Salcombe Week. We'll be making the most of the conditions, the surroundings and the chance to catch up with other sailors who share our passion for competitive sailing. Posted on 26 Jun
Salcombe Yacht Club Summer Series Race 1
More classic Salcombe conditions on Saturday kicked off the series in style More classic Salcombe conditions on Saturday kicked off the Summer Series in style. Plenty of sunshine and a 15-knot south-westerly saw Race Officer Simon Dobson set the course: 1-7-1-3-2-3. Posted on 16 Jun
Merlin Rocket Week runners and riders
Who's in your flight? Who's sailing when? With Helly Hansen Merlin Rocket Salcombe Week just around the corner and the sacred PDF of doom (AKA the flights list) finally released, the WhatsApp groups are already ablaze. Sails are being tweaked, excuses rehearsed... Posted on 16 Jun
Salcombe YC Sailing Club Series final race
Despite the drenching, it was a fantastic afternoon on the water With winds forecast in excess of 30mph all week, ten hardy Solo sailors made it to the starting area, and despite the conditions seeming sailable most chose to wait until the preparatory signal by using the comparative protection of Smalls Cove. Posted on 9 Jun
Salcombe Yawls and ILCAs at Salcombe
Battling the elements in a blustery bank holiday bash The late May Bank Holiday once again saw the iconic Salcombe Yawls take to the water for the Stones Boatyard Yawl Open Meeting—a fixture now synonymous with top-class racing, fierce competition, and of course, the legendary Yeti prizes. Posted on 2 Jun
Salcombe Yacht Club Solo Open
A bumper turnout of twenty-seven sailors A bumper turnout of twenty-seven sailors turned out for the Salcombe Yacht Club Solo Open meeting over the weekend of the 10th and 11th June. Posted on 13 May
Sailing Chandlery RS400 Southern Tour at Salcombe
Boy, did it deliver: sun, wind and crystal blue water Salcombe is a highlight in the 400 calendar. We were met with a stunning sailing location which is a combination of a great race course and a beautiful backdrop. Posted on 8 May
X-Yachts X4.3Maritimo M50Hyde Sails 2024 - One Design