Salcombe Yacht Club Sailing Club Series - Race 7
by Malcolm Mackley 9 Jun 2013 14:51 BST
9 June 2013
There were glorious sailing conditions for both competitors and spectators in the Salcombe estuary on Saturday 8th June with a brisk force four North Easterly wind, a rising tide and uninterrupted sunshine providing exciting sailing for everyone.
A strong Solo fleet was impressively led away from the start line by Liz Dyer, however the strength and power of heavier weight Chris Cleaves and Tim Law saw them work to the front of the fleet on their journey to a windy turning mark at Gerston and back into the Salcombe harbour. A close battle ensued in full spectator view, however a momentary lapse in concentration by Cleaves allowed Law to pass and power onto a fine win. 3rd and 4th places changed hands several times with Nigel Appleton just ahead of Billy Jago at the finishing line. At one stage in the race "Yotter" Simon Yates was in good contention, however an early bath put paid to his spirited challenge.
There was a masterclass of expert heavy weather sailing from the cadets with Tom Morris ahead of Torrin Blazeby. The cadet fleet at Salcombe Yacht Club is steadily growing in strength and their Saturday morning training sessions clearly are having a positive effect on their sailing ability. The fast handicap was dominated by Peter Ballantine and Theo Harris in their National Twelve "Zippy". Tom and Theo were ahead on the water of supposedly faster dinghy designs and they are currently showing true National and possibly Olympic potential in their sailing skills.
The battle of the Salcombe Yawls was won by the "Kingsbridge King", Geoff Gilson who established and maintained a healthy led from the rest of the fleet. The Charles Thompson Yawl "The Great Bustard" suffered some rig damage in the "The Bag", but recovered to be last boat home. Throughout the afternoon spectators on the Salcombe foreshore and the East Portlemouth beaches had plenty of action to watch with capsizes and dramatic sailing in abundance. It was a great day to be in, on or near the beautiful Salcombe estuary.
Cadet and Slow Handicap
1st Laser Radial, Tom Morris
2nd Laser Radial, Torrin Blazeby
3rd Laser Radial, Henry Wadey
Fast Handicap
1st National Twelve, 3431, Pete Ballantine and Theo Harris
2nd RS400, 947, John and Annie McLaren
3rd Merlin Rocket, 3640, Chris Winzar and Esther McLarty
Solo
1st 5315, Tim Law
2nd 5295, Chris Cleaves
3rd 5229, Nigel Appleton
Salcombe Yawl Red Fleet
1st 170, Geof Gilson and crew
2nd 189, Charles Thompson and crew
Salcombe Yawl Blue Fleet
1st 97, Andrew Wood and crew
2rd 108, David Edwards and crew