Festive Series 2025 at Salcombe Yacht Club
by John Burn 3 Jan 06:41 AEDT
26 December 2025 - 1 January 2026
Festive Series at Salcombe YC © Lucy Burn
The 2025 Festive Series once again provided exciting handicap racing at Salcombe. Along with the commissioning race, it is now the only time all the different dinghy sections of the club get to race against each other.
As always, the weather played its part and, of the four scheduled races, three were able to go ahead.
Boxing Day produced a bitterly cold, overcast morning with a strong north to north-easterly wind and an ebb tide. Eighteen brave sailors rose to the challenge set by PRO Barney Greenhill, with plenty of short tacking — at least we'd keep warm-ish!
Showing the old guard how it was done, and doing so in some style, were the two youngest competitors on the water. George Reynolds and Charlie Mackenzie, sailing ILCA 4.7s, claimed the top two spots with well over a minute to spare on corrected time from third-placed John and Ollie Meadowcroft in their Merlin Rocket.
There was no rest for the wicked, with the next race following the very next day. Even more wind arrived from the north-north-east, but at least the sun made an appearance.
Once again, Barney chose to keep us warm with a long beat up the Yalton Creek before looping back in the harbour.
Any thoughts that George had got lucky the previous day were quickly put to bed as he stormed up the first beat ahead of the Solos, while also keeping pace with John Burn and Ross Borne in their Yawl.
George once again claimed the top spot, with John and Ross finishing second. John and Ollie in the Merlin Rocket came home third after taking multiple swims, along with much of the fleet.
The series concluded on New Year's Day with the largest turnout, as 22 boats took to the water. Conditions could not have been more different from the previous races. Not a breath of wind led to a postponement while Barney prayed to the wind gods. It did eventually arrive — sort of — but no one really knew where from, as in true Salcombe north-westerly style the washing machine appeared.
Very light, fluky conditions often mean one thing in handicap racing: a Solo lock-out. Of the top seven places, six were claimed by Solos.
Tim Fells drifted home first, closely followed by Dan Bridger, before there was a significant gap to third-placed Will Henderson and the rest of the fleet.
Overall Results:
1. George Reynolds — ILCA 4.7
2. John Burn & Ross Borne — Yawl
3. John & Ollie Meadowcroft — Merlin Rocket
4. Dan Bridger — Solo