Salcombe Yacht Club Summer Series 2026 - Race 3
by Chris Skelhorn & Emily Hoar 30 Jun 04:39 PDT
27 June 2026
Yawl Report
Following a week of intense heat, the slightly cooler conditions (24
degrees) were welcomed by 14 crews. Less inviting was a very gentle
breeze from the south west, against a flood tide. This would result in
a plethora of short tacking on all windward legs.
Simon Gibbens and his race team set a course 1,7,1,3,2,3.
The start was almost clean, with most boats staying to the left-hand
side of the course and looking to tack up the beach shore out of the
tide. 181 (Paul Ellis and James Greenhill) were windward boat and
tight with 186 (Olly Turner and Chris Skelhorn) underneath and almost
on the beach at the gun. 181 bailed out and back through the line,
convinced they were over.
As the fleet headed up past Mill Bay, 168 (Will and Mandy Henderson)
had started to pull away from the rest. On the town side, there were
two trying their luck with a less conventional strategy. 170 (John
Burn and Ross Borne) had an average start by their standards and
decided to roll the dice early in the race. In 174 (Mike Knowles and
Pete Morris), the Fairway curse had struck again and they were keeping
clear of the still competing boats. It's not lost on anyone that Mike
can see the Fairway from his front garden, so no excuses really!
Team Henderson were first around Blackstone in a masterclass of what
can only be described as 'show and go.'
The rest of the fleet were more tightly packed, with 181 recovering
from misdemeanours on the start line and 175 (John and Katy
Meadowcroft) in the mix. 177 (David Greening and Josie Dayment) and
184 (David Stone and Toby Strauss) were close, with 186 and 170
tracking these. The blue fleet Yawls were not far behind with 17(Phil
and Roz Magee) and 152 (Darius and Jane Panahy) leading this charge.
It was a long, processional drag to 7, with the occasional burst of
pressure to keep everything moving. With 168 long gone, the fight was
on for 2nd. 181 and 175 tracked across to Halwell Woods and 170, 186
and 184 climbed higher and stayed right, until crossing before
Lincombe. 177 also joined this group and a close battle ensued through
the moorings and out of the bag.
Once passed Snapes, the fun really got going. Team Meadowcroft (175)
had crossed for the beach shore. 181 and 170 were short tacking each
other through the moorings on the town side. 186 and 184 were
repeating this act of 'conscious coupling' until Olly and Chris broke
free and stretched towards the Ferry. On the beach side, Meds was
dead!
186 was now closing in on the fight for 2nd and on the tails of 181
and 170. David and Toby were hanging in there in 184 and stayed on the
town side, whilst the rest crossed over towards Mill Bay on a welcome
burst of fresh breeze. With 181 and 170 staying further out, 186
closed more by opting to tack up the shore, closely followed by the
revived 175.
Around Blackstone for the second time it was 181, 186, 175 and 170 and
this was how it finished as the course was shortened. Meanwhile, Will
and Mandy were already packing up on the pontoon!
1st - 168 Will and Mandy Henderson
2nd - 181 Paul Ellis and James Greenhill
3rd - Olly Turner and Chris Skelhorn
Thanks to Simon Gibbens and his team for a wonderful afternoon's racing.
Short-Race Handicap
A fairly light but enjoyable south westerly breeze, combined with a
strong flooding tide, made for some exciting racing - Course 1 7. The
first beat consisted of staying out of the strongest tide, with lots
of short tacks up the beach.
Ivy, George, Allan and Emily were first away with the rest of the
fleet close behind. Janet spotted an opportunity by venturing further
into the tide where there was a little more wind, allowing her to gain
ground despite the stronger current with Sian expertly navigating the
tricky conditions.
George rounded the first mark in the lead, closely followed by Ivy and
Emily, with Allan just behind. Once around the mark, the strong tide
quickly swept the fleet down the course, stretching the pack and
creating a gap between the leaders and those behind. Ivy and George
maintained the front positions, while Allan and Adam led the chasing
group.
The breeze eased slightly through the Bag, where we were all met with the challenge of wiggling our way through
the seaweed! Ivy worked her magic reaching Mark 7 first. George
remained firmly in second, with Emily following, while Allan and Adam
kept the pressure on behind.
The final leg brought more tactical choices. Ivy and George crossed
back towards the east Portlemouth side, Emily chose the town side
instead, making it interesting to see weather it would pay.
Further back, one of the closest contests of the race came between
Adam and Karen. Racing neck and neck up town side Adam crossed the
finish line first on the water, but Karen's corrected time saw her
take the advantage on handicap after a closely fought battle.
Congratulations to everyone who took part!
Thank you to the race officer and team, what a wonderful way to spend
a sunny Saturday afternoon!