Devon Yawl Association National Championship at the Royal Western Yacht Club

Devon Yawl Nationals at Plymouth © Paul Gibbins Photography

A total of 17 boats competed in the 26th Devon Yawl National Championship. Ten Yawls made the 5 mile passage around from the River Yealm on the Friday morning before the race. Four other boats made the trip by road, three from Topsham and one from Newport Boat Club, Pembroke. Three local Plymouth boats from RWYC and Hooe Point Sailing Club completed the fleet.

Saturday was forecast as 12-15 knots building to 17-19 knots by the afternoon. However, the Sunday forecast of 1-3 knots was already figuring in the race committee's minds and the sailing instructions were amended to allow for four races (of the six) on the Saturday.

The courses were set in Plymouth Sound, a beautiful sailing arena sheltered by the famous breakwater, providing relatively flat water.

After a rainy and breezy Friday evening, Saturday started out as forecast, overcast and 12 knots of Westerly due to build.

All four races sailed on the Saturday started in Jennycliff Bay with the windward mark set towards the breakwater.

Race 1 saw a triangle, followed by 2 windward/leeward laps. The wind was shifting to the left before the start and with a slight bias to the pin end, that was the end to start. However, with 30 or so seconds to the start, a big left shift came in and made it almost impossible to cross the line on starboard. All the boats at the pin end quickly tacked onto port and led the fleet away.

Devon Yawl Nationals at Plymouth - photo © Paul Gibbins Photography

DY377 (Elly Pegg and Claire Gribbin) led off the line followed by DY383 (Andy Williams and Dan Ailing) with DY186 (Tim Petitt and Tony Calcutt) close behind. With the first beat of the first race of the day, everyone was still feeling their way up the course, and the fleet soon spread out. A feature of the weekend was that a port hand approach was invariably favoured because of the tidal conditions and this proved to be the case in this race. Those that chose to go up the right hand side for a conventional starboard tack approach to the windward mark fell back considerably. Fortunately, the size of the course and the well behaved fleet avoided any serious port/starboard incidents at the windward mark.

DY377 led around the windward mark, closely followed by DY186 and DY383, these positions were held on the two reaching legs of the triangle.

By the second beat, the committee had moved the windward mark to the left to allow for the shift at the start. With some small shifts bringing the three leading boats back together, they all arrived at the windward mark almost simultaneously. DY377, DY186 and DY383 rounded together with DY186 just getting on to the inside. All bore away for the first run downwind alongside each other. DY377 rolled DY186 downwind, with DY383 close behind. The fleet was required not to pass through the start/finish line on the downwind leg. A decision was called for. Left or right? A few in the fleet tried passing right of the pin but most chose to pass left of the committee boat. The lead three boats, line abreast, gybed round the end of the committee boat. DY383 and DY377 fought for the inside overlap at the bottom mark with DY383 just managing to get a bowsprit/mizzen boom overlap and rounding first. DY186 went the longest way round of the three boat wheel. The following fleet all had similar experiences.

As the three leading boats separated out up the 3rd beat, DY377 elected to go left and lost out to the two other leading boats. DY383 led at the last top mark and held on down the last run closely followed by DY186. DY 383 rounded the bottom mark with a short beat to the finish line for the first win of the weekend. DY351 (Ed Williams-Hawkes and Strangler) came in 4th and DY 386 (Steve Northmore and James Gough-Allen) 5th.

The first race lasted over 80 minutes. The race committee noted this and shortened the following three races.

By race 2, the breeze was building to 15-17 knots and the sun was coming out. The course was set with a triangle and one windward/leeward. Again, the pin end was slightly biased and DY186 led off the line to the left side of the course, closely followed by DY351 and DY383. These positions held for the two laps of the course, with a bit of elastic keeping the three boats together. The long downwind run was, as always, a bit nervy when leading, as the boats behind always seem to be bringing the breeze down with them. DY351 just ahead of DY383 was having a battle for 2nd place. This lasted down to the bottom mark where DY351 was passed by DY383 on the last two tacks to the finish. DY351 was unlucky to get caught between boats coming downwind around the back of the committee boat to the bottom mark.

The race finished with DY186 1st, DY383 2nd, DY351 3rd, DY80A (Tim Yonge and John Leal) 4th and DY100A (Andrew Matthews and Caroline Pellow) 5th.

Devon Yawl Nationals at Plymouth - photo © Paul Gibbins Photography

Race 3 saw a breeze of 18 knots plus. DY80A led into the pin end of the start line. However, they were just a little early and had to gybe round and cross behind the fleet on port. DY186 nailed the pin at 0 seconds at maximum speed, led the fleet towards the Jennycliff shoreline, tacked ahead of the fleet onto port and led up the favoured left hand side of the course. DY 186 held its lead from start to finish focussing on holding a fast DY383 behind. The wind direction had settled down as it increased in strength and with clear air a two tack beat kept the need for manoeuvres down. DY186 kept a loose cover on DY383 and DY377. DY391 (Jay and Graham Williamson) came in 4 with DY80A 5th.

Race 4 saw the breeze still up and beautiful blue skies. Perfect sailing conditions. The course was another single triangle, windward/leeward.

At the front of the fleet, the race was a repeat of race 3. The pin end was the place to be. It was full speed at the gun, head across to the left into the shoreline on starboard, get the lift along the shore and then tack out onto port into the middle of Plymouth Sound for the long beat to the windward mark in a lifting ebb. Again, DY186 led from start to finish, keeping loose cover on DY383 and DY377. DY351 was 4th and DY80A 5th.

Sunday dawned with weather as expected. Drizzly fog and light airs. But it looked sailable. In the event, the breeze built from the South/Southeast.

The start line for Sunday was in the middle of Plymouth Sound and, significantly, out in the tide. A strong ebb was pushing the boats over the line. In race 5 it took a general recall before everyone got away. Even then, three boats were OCS.

With a new start line and different wind direction the fleet soon spread out left and right looking for the best way up the course. DY186 went up the middle. Within a couple of minutes, it became obvious the left was paying with DY351 (unfortunately OCS), DY377, DY383 and DY391 getting a nice lift inside DY186 on port tack. Taking some pain, DY186 tacked onto starboard and headed over to the left. At the windward mark it was DY351, DY377 and DY186 around in that order. The reach out to the wing mark was quite brisk considering the conditions, with a gybe and very broad reach to the bottom mark. With a building tide sweeping the boats left to right, the reach turned into a run to try and get around the mark. The right side was favoured for avoiding the start/finish line on the way to the bottom mark. DY186 and DY377 got inside DY351 at the mark and led up the second beat. They were closely followed by DY383 and DY391. The downwind involved several gybes to try and get some better angles and speed in the light airs. DY377 tried the hotter angles. On the gybe onto port for the bottom mark, trying to keep a transit to the shoreline behind proved just how strong the tide was flushing out of the Sound. DY186 led with DY383 and DY377 very close behind. DY383 just clipped the mark and its penalty turn gave a bit of breathing space for DY186 to short beat to the finish for a fourth win, which sealed the championship. DY391 came in fourth and DY100A 5th.

By now the sun had come out and the mist had mostly lifted. The 5 knot plus breeze was fairly consistent, but the tide was still pushing boats over the line early. For race 6 the pin end had become a busy place and after another general recall the black flag made an appearance.

DY383 led away from the pin end, closely followed by DY186 and DY36 (David and Sally Sheppard) heading out to the favoured left side of the course. These boats held the top three positions for the standard course of triangle, windward/leeward. DY383 got their second win of the series, followed by DY186 and a very happy, from the sound of the shouts, DY36. DY391 was 4th and DY 96 (James McNaughton and Lewis Banfield) 5th.

The prize-giving was held at the RWYC.

Many thanks to the team at RWYC, on and off the water and to the event sponsors: Allspars Rigging, MDL Marinas, NorthStar UK (Twisted Marine) and Rooster Kit. Between them they provided marina berthing, a happy hour on the Saturday evening and some fantastic prizes for all the competitors.

More photographs can be found at paulgibbinsphotography.pixieset.com/devonyawlnationals2024

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