Second King Cup Race at Exe Sailing Club

Guy Farrant and Marilynn Booker in their Comet Trio reaching at the Second King Cup Race © Bob Horlock / www.fotoboat.com

23 boats competed in the second race of the bank holiday series at Exe Sailing Club, for the King Cup. With a fast ebbing tide and a fresh breeze from the north west, race officer Bob Horlock had to set a course in the channel, starting at Buoy 10, just off the Exmouth sea front near the Pavilion, which provided the bank holiday crowds with some entertainment.

Les Arscott in his Supernova soon established a lead, which he was to hold throughout the race, although when the statisticians had done their magic with the handicaps, Andrew McAusland’s Comet Trio came out ahead of him. There was fierce competition all the way down the fleet, and not a few capsizes. By the final lap, the strong wind over tide off the sea front had set up some challenging conditions. A very creditable third place went to Ben Cornish and Sam Matson in a Cadet – their form has been increasing steadily since winning the under 14 cup at the Cadet Inland Championships last month. In another of the Cadets, Jessica Blick also did very well to finish in eighth place overall.

This race marks the half way point in the King Cup. The overall leader is now Les Arscott, with Andrew McAusland second and Rick Newcombe third. The points difference between them is quite small so there is a lot to play for in the next two races (31 May and 30 August).

Overall Results: