Please select your home edition
Edition
RYA Membership

Scorpion Open at Bexhill Sailing Club

by Rob Smith 21 Jun 2006 08:09 BST 17-18 June 2006

Everyone was willing the sea breeze to arrive at Bexhill as they travelled to the Kent coast - only to find it was suncream and silence needed as race 1 started in ‘down to leeward’ weather. Dave Elston and Gavin Poullion sorted the tide versus pressure thing and led handsomely to mark 1. The gap to John Mursell & Nick Keast, then Barry & Linda Wolfenden all looked comfortable until Mark 3. In what became the last leg, Adrian and Rob Smith who had been creeping up, won out by catching the last zephyr to cross first, with the Wolfendens, Mursell/Keast and locals Rob and Lily Harrison all denying unlucky Elston/Poullion who needed a Maradonna style ‘hand off’ for their first trip past the finish buoy!

Sunday’s haze masked more of the same. After creeping off the line, a tense beat later the Smiths led and held this through a game of patience, momentum and tide angles to the finish. Elston & Poullion were always in sight until Mursell & Keast came back from a slow start to take second. Nigel & Dominic Silman gave everyone a scare for a while with great speed.

In race 3 the Wolfendens showed they have the light wind potential in No. 2002 but couldn’t quite hold off Mursell & Keast from taking a last leg win. The Smith’s dropped to a close third, but overall victory as the dying breeze heralded end of play.

Overall Results:

PosSail NoBoat NameHelmCrewClubPts
1st 1939 Ice on Fire Adrian Smith Rob Smith Hythe & Saltwood 
2nd 1936 Bottyburp the Barbarian John Mursell Nick Keast Castle Cove 
3rd 2002 Silver Balls Barry Wolfenden Linda Wolfenden Chipstead 
4th 1981 Highway Star Dave Elston Gavin Poullion  
5th 1878  Rob Harrison Lily Harrison Bexhill 10 

Related Articles

Triggernaut sponsors Scorpion Youth Series
Initiative provides young sailors with the opportunity to develop their skills Triggernaut Sports Glasses, a leading brand in high-performance sports eyewear, is proud to announce its sponsorship of the prestigious Scorpion Sailing Youth Series. This partnership underscores Triggernaut's commitment to the sport. Posted on 1 Apr
Staunton Harold Scorpion Sprints are back
The legendary Staunton hospitality will be in play with BBQ and social planned Come and join us on 5-6 April for another classic edition of sprint racing with as many sprint races as we can fit in within the race time. This event promises to be the perfect way to launch this year's Silver Scorpion. Posted on 28 Mar
Calling all female dinghy sailors!
Get your RYA Female Scorpion Project applications in by 21st March The RYA Female Scorpion Project is a unique opportunity to learn how to tune racing dinghies, not just what settings to use. It will give you a real understanding, transferable to other boats and classes. Posted on 8 Mar
Seldén Sailjuice Winter Series Prize Giving
Gillard and Gray are repeat winners of the crown More than a decade after they last won the Seldén Sailjuice Winter Series, Tom Gillard and Rachael Gray have done it again... Posted on 25 Feb
Applications open for female Scorpion academy
RYA project offers technical performance coaching for female racing sailors Female sailors aged 18-21 are invited to apply for an RYA-backed project offering an action-packed coaching schedule leading up to the 2025 Scorpion National Championships. Posted on 25 Feb
Panks sail to Bloody Mary glory
Using their light-airs skills to edge their Firefly to victory Jono and Freddie Pank used their light-airs skills to edge their Firefly to victory at last Saturday's GJW Direct 49th Bloody Mary. This is the most famous pursuit race in the UK dinghy racing scene. Posted on 14 Jan
GJW Direct Bloody Mary 2025
Very light winds and sunshine for the 99 boats at Queen Mary Sailing Club Firefly sailors Jono Pank and son Freddie won the GJW Direct Bloody Mary pursuit race, the sixth leg of the Selden Sailjuice Series, held at Queen Mary Sailing Club on Saturday 11th January 2025. Posted on 11 Jan
Gillard & Gray enjoy birthday victory
Winning the Seldén Sailjuice Winter Series Fernhurst Books Draycote Dash What better way to celebrate your 40th birthday than by winning the Fernhurst Books Draycote Dash! OK, so the conditions weren't exactly scintillating, but it was a masterful one-race performance by Tom Gillard, crewed by birthday girl Rachael Gray. Posted on 7 Jan
Scorpion End of Seasons at Pennine
In search of the legendary Pennine Force 5 Twelve brave Scorpions headed north to Pennine Sailing Club on a seemingly bleak forecast in search of the legendary Pennine Force 5. Whilst we didn't get a force 5 it was a pleasantly surprising force 2 gusting 3. Posted on 6 Nov 2024
Affordable Precision: How Atto Changes the Game
Weighing just 75g and capable of measuring 250 kg working load Digitalisation has changed sailing. Technologies once reserved for Grand-Prix are permeating every level of the sport, giving sailors the ability to adopt elite racing and training practices - elevating the game across the board. Posted on 4 Nov 2024