Salcombe YC Sailing Club Series Race 2
by David Greening, John Meadowcroft & Mark Waterhouse 28 Apr 08:52 BST
26 April 2025
Fast Handicap Report (by John Burn)
Saturday saw 12 boats arrive on the line, despite the building spring tide and the predicted lack of wind towards the latter stages of the afternoon.
Race Officer Paul Rayson wisely kept the fleet in the main stretch of the harbour, setting the course 3-1-3-1-3-1. This would allow him to shorten the course and end any unnecessary suffering should the forecasters have got it right.
The mixed fleet got away cleanly and trundled off to Crossways in a gentle ENE breeze, allowing the different classes to settle into their natural running order.
Peter Colclough/Alistair Morley in the 505, Fran Gifford/Charlie McKenzie in a Merlin Rocket, and AJ/Sheila Squire in the Albacore made good progress along the Portlemouth shore, in that order, with the remainder of the fleet following on.
John and Frankie Burn, back in their Yawl for the first time this year, along with John and Annie McLaren in an RS400, spotted the front three motionless off Mill Bay beach and noticed the faintest of breezes trickling down the Town shore as the wind swung round to a more southerly direction. At the ferry landing, they made their way across the estuary to join Andrew and Izzy Wood in Y126, who were already making their way up the Town shore, albeit a little further back.
The RS400, the Burn Yawl, and Wood's Yawl chose the risky path inside the crab pots, where they continued to make good progress, tucked in out of the tidal stream and in what little pressure there was.
The rest of the fleet found themselves parked up as they tried to navigate around the rocks at Biddle and into Sunny Cove. The problem they faced was a lack of wind and a lot of tide; some had multiple attempts to get to the mark, but to no avail, and had to re-set and try again.
The McLarens and Burns headed all the way along to North Sands before rolling the dice and heading out into the middle of the harbour in search of the mark — a wise decision, as they both successfully rounded and were shortly followed by the 505.
Thankfully, the Race Officer shortened the course, meaning all that was left was a slow run back to the line with the full flow of the tide under them.
Interestingly, all of the top three positions were filled by teams that chose the Salcombe side. John and Frankie Burn took first place convincingly on corrected time, with a five-minute buffer over Andrew and Izzy Wood in second, with John and Annie McLaren rounding off the podium in third.
Solo Report (by David Greening)
Twelve Salcombe Yacht Club Solo sailors turned out for the second race of the Sailing Club Series, against a backdrop of a forecast for light wind that would see an East North Easterly light breeze at the start, clocking through to Southerly as the race progressed. In addition, there was a building spring flood tide to contend with.
Race Officer Paul Rayson, wisely kept the fleet in the main harbour, and optimistically set a course of Crossways Blackstone three times.
With the tide under the start, holding the fleet back was to prove challenging and an individual recall flag was flown, Simon Ballantine and Malcolm Mackley headed back, but the other proponent Tim Fells sailed on.
Simon Dobson and Fells made the most of the first beat rounding Crossways ahead of the main fleet, but on the run, upon reaching the tidal gate that is the Portlemouth ferry landing, the fleet closed up, though Dobson managed to hold on to enough of a gap to keep clear.
The fleet progressed down the beaches, and at Mill Bay with the new southerly breeze was tantalisingly visible on the water, Dobson being able to sail his own course extended his lead, with Fells also getting enough clear air to get around Biddle Head unchallenged, but by the time the following bunch of six boats had arrived, and with a stationary Yowl on the outside, there was little choice but to thread the needle between the rocks inside to the sound of crunching gelcoat.
Simon Yates is never happier than sailing with centreboard and rudder up, and finding the best route moved him up to third with David Greening making the Blackstone mark in fourth.
By this time, the shorten course signal could be heard and those who made the mark were pushed along with the tide to the finish, with Dobson securing first place, Fells crossing the line second, but OCS, and Yates third, but moving up to second.
Special mention should be made for Malcolm Mackley, the only helmsman to consider running down the Salcombe side, for a moment this move had us worried, since the leading Yawl that went that way prospered, but by the time Malcolm got to Woodcot the wind had shut down.
Full results can be found here.