Please select your home edition
Edition
Craftinsure 2023 LEADERBOARD

Merlin Rocket Craftinsure Silver Tiller and SW Series at Hooe Point Sailing Club

by Peter Gray 16 Jun 2023 17:44 BST 10-11 June 2023

A quality fleet of Merlin Rockets linked up in Plymouth Sound (venue of choice for SailGP) for the Craftinsure Silver Tiller and South West Series event on the 10th and 11th June. With most open meeting winners in attendance - Matt Biggs & Beka Jones, Jon Gorringe & Matt Currell, Caroline Croft & Peter Gray, and Tom Gillard sailing with Rachael Gray - it promised to be a great weekend of racing!

Race 1 started with a very long beat across the Sound; two thirds of the way up the very long beat it was anyone's race, but in it was newly formed pairing of Mike Calvert & Chris Gould who mastered the top of the course under the cliffs to take the lead down the first run which, to everyone surprise, was the end to race one!

Race 2 and the wind picked up and shifted dramatically so the Race Officer could set a course away from the cave. Races 2 and 3 blended into one long saga... note to self: don't complain about the length of race one! The fickle conditions were mastered buy Tom & Rachael with Matt & Beka and Mike & Chris hot on their heels.

Race 3 saw some premature starters, resulting in three black flags including Mr Biggs & Beka and Mr Gorringe & Matt.

Race 4 and now the wind had dropped, and the tide increased underneath the fleet, and there were more casualties at the start; a third of the fleet returned to restart including Matt Curell now crewed by John Gorringe.

Three frantic laps of a tighter sausage-triangle course ensued with Mike & Chris taking the win! A tired fleet returned to shore, many of who explored the delights of Plymouth across the harbour!

Sunday dawned to sea fog as dense as City supporters' hangovers. Much shore work was done before the race committee launched the fleet into the Sound to a parade of the Navy's finest vessels. Some of the fleet claimed to have seen dolphins but by the time Race 5 started on Sunday you could barely see both ends of the line the sea fog had rolled in that deep.

The fleet set off up windward-ish into the fog like intrepid explorers of old navigating by nothing more than a Tacktic compass (or the hairs on your face depending on if you remembered your compass). Three laps of very tight racing with lots of place-changing between Mike & Chris, Tom & Rachael, Caroline & Peter with Tom sneaking the win at the final mark and Caroline & Peter coming in third after having done all the hard work guiding the fleet round the first lap in the dense fog.

The final race late into the afternoon in the glorious Plymouth Sound saw crews finally hiking, all dead level and then the windward mark was removed. Some competitors were unsure on the flags that followed, but do not fear, race 6 was soon to start again. Once one of His Majesty's finest had moored at the top of the race course.

Race 6 finally got away, and it looked like local knowledge had finally paid off for James Wells sailing with Anna Aylward taking a slender lead around the first mark closely followed by Mike & Chris needing a victory in the last race to secure the win from Tom & Rachael!

Three more laps of snakes, ladders and avoiding the frigate moored slightly to the right of the windward mark, and some flailing buzzes coming downwind. Mike and Chris emerged as victors of the Sound.

Some say they have been in training so secret even they were unaware. Some say Mike paid off the captain of the ship in his local village poker game, or that they were powered to victory by Jane Calvert's flapjack!

We hope Jane and her flapjack make a safe return to Salcombe next month!

Gold fleet winners were James Wells & Anna Aylward, with Tim Parsons & Andy Service taking the Silver Fleet.

The next Craftinsure Silver Tiller is at Shoreham Sailing Club on 17th and 18th June, with the next South West Series event at Parkstone Yacht Club on 30th September.

Overall Results:

PosBoat NameSail NoHelmCrewR1R2R3R4R5R6Pts
1Quick Fix3691Mike CalvertChris Gould1‑421217
2Red Mistress3759Thomas GillardRachael Gray211‑61510
3Skadi3820Caroline CroftPete Gray6‑7343319
4Poney3801Matt BiggsBeka Jones32(DSQ)39421
5Arwen3726Will HendersonRob Henderson5‑10825929
6Point n Squirt3746James WellsAnna Aylward‑139576229
7Ted3666John MeadowcroftOllie Meadowcroft46(DSQ)581033
8Didley Squat3791Jon GorringeMatt Gorringe954‑117833
9Quicksilver3787Chris MartinJohn Tailby‑128694734
10Space Hopper3757Tim ParsonsAndy Service113(DSQ)810638
11The Angel's Share3779Dave LeeAngela Bridges10‑11710111149
12Stanley3749Colin AndersonSean Anderson8129‑13121253
13Combat Wombat3772Dan HeatonDan Bevan7‑131012131355

Related Articles

Bartley SC have to postpone Merlin open meeting
Unexpected drop in water level makes the event unviable Sadly Bartley SC are having to postpone the Merlin Rocket open meeting on 30th March 2025 due to an unexpected drop in the water level making the event unviable. Posted on 28 Mar
Merlin Rocket Silver Tiller at Salcombe
David Greening is as good a race officer as any class could wish for The 2025 Salcombe Craftinsure Silver Tiller and Allspars South West Series open meeting sponsored by Helly Hansen looked like it was going to be a long damp weekend with light winds, but this little haven in the South Hams had other things in mind. Posted on 25 Mar
Allspars sponsor Merlin Rocket South West Series
The series kicks off this weekend with a two-day opening event at Salcombe Yacht Club The Merlin Rocket Owners' Association is delighted to announce Allspars as the title sponsor for the 2025 South West Series. Posted on 19 Mar
Merlin Rocket Allen South East Series at Burnham
An opportunity to have 3 races that weren't sausage/triangle/sausage The Merlin Rocket fleet were welcomed at the Royal Corinthian Yacht Club in Burnham for the Allen South East Series 2025 by barista coffee, pastries and the opportunity to have three races that weren't sausage/triangle/sausage courses. Posted on 18 Mar
Helly Hansen to sponsor Merlin Rocket Week
Salcombe YC also announce Silver Tiller event Salcombe Yacht Club (SYC) is thrilled to welcome Helly Hansen as the official sponsor for Merlin Rocket Week (28th June - 4th July 2025) and The Merlin Silver Tiller (22-23 March 2025). Posted on 8 Mar
Winter Series at Fishers Green overall
24 races with 35 boats, won by a Merlin Rocket The highly anticipated winter series at Fishers Green Sailing Club kicked off when back when on the 1st December, a 24 race series. The winter series now certainly added to the list of ones to win at the green. Posted on 7 Mar
Merlin Rocket Class Training at Hayling Island
Perfect perching weather for 9 boats The Merlin class has been running organised class training since the Olympics were last held in Spain. If you're under 30 it's a while ago. Posted on 6 Mar
Gillard & Gray take Merlin victory in the Tiger
Finally almost perfect conditions in the Seldén Sailjuice Winter Series Even when they switch from the Scorpion to the Merlin Rocket, Tom Gillard and Rachael Gray come out on top of a 110-boat fleet at a mostly mild and benign Tiger Trophy on Rutland Water... Posted on 5 Feb
Merlin Rocket Class Training is back for 2025
Something for everyone, this March in Hayling The Merlin Rocket class is running training on the 1st and 2nd March at Hayling Island Sailing Club. Open to all Merlin Rocket Owners' Association members, it is a great start to the season. Posted on 16 Jan
Gould and Mackley's Merlin wins at Grafham
In the Seldén Sailjuice Winter Series Gill Grafham Grand Prix Across three handicap racing fleets at the Gill Grafham Grand Prix, Chris Gould and Sophie Mackley race their Merlin Rocket to overall victory in a field of 130 monohulls and multihulls, with 10 different classes in the combined top 10 rankings. Posted on 31 Dec 2024