Noble Marine Comet Trio Mark1 National Championship at Brixham Yacht Club - Overall

Noble Marine Comet Trio Mark1 Nationals at Brixham © Sue Frost

The last day of the Championships started with beautiful blue skies and glassy seas but with the promise of sea breezes later. The racing was postponed for an hour to allow the sea breeze to fill in. Much comparing of rigging took place while the fleet waited by those trying to see why they didn't go as fast as others.

Race 6 started in a steady breeze of 7/9 knots from the south east. The race officer set a windward-leeward course towards Berry Head. Sadly there was only one sighting of a seal and none of the pod of porpoises that swim around there.

Mike and Jenny Hart recovered strongly from their dunking the day before and were proud that they were first to the windward mark on every lap but sadly this didn't translate into a win. However racing was extremely tight at the front and neither the McAuslands or the Horlocks were sure who had won until the results showed the McAuslands had.

Further down the fleet there were tussles too with competition between the Sallis family, Poppy and Jane nearly beating their dad, Richard, sailing with Carole Williams. On the second lap, Karen Wilson and Sue Frost hit Ashley Keniston and Andy Douglas, did their turns and then forgot to go around the spreader marker so retired to eat their sandwiches.

Race 7, the final race, started promptly after the regatta boats, with the same course. This time, the front runners were obviously feeling the pressure. Adrian and Callum Padro had to do a turn after the windward mark because Callum, in his enthusiasm to lean out to bear away, touched the mark with his back.

On another leg, Andrew was covering Adrian to the windward mark. Adrian bore away to avoid the Biglins coming up on starboard but Andrew tried to tack in front of Chris Biglin and ended up doing turns as a result. In the end, Bob and Alex Horlock went on to win the last race, making the race results very interesting, with the two front runners having equal points.

The race officer decided the result on number of firsts, meaning Andrew and Caroline McAusland won the Comet Trio trophy for the ninth time, Bob and Alex Horlock a very close second and Adrian and Callum Padro coming 3rd. Sam and Chris Mayne won the Comet Masters for those trios with the original rig and Richard Sallis and Carole Williams winning the Comet Masters.

Heartfelt thanks were given for a wonderful weekend of racing, to the event director, Adrian Morrall, race officer, Peter Lytton, safety boat crews and mark layers and beach team from Brixham Yacht Club.

Overall Results: