Autumn Series, R3 - Fast Handicap

Published 14:45 on 23 Sep 2026

An afternoon of high winds and rain didnt stop four hardy teams from taking to the water on Saturday for the third instalment of the Autumn Series.

Fran Gifford and Frankie Burn in the Merlin opted to return to Batson, but not before enjoying a few blasts across the Estuary as the powerful gusts funnelled down the harbour.

This left Peter Colclough and Alistair Morley sailing the 505, Ross Borne and John Burn in the RS400, and Team Meadowcroft in Y175 to battle it out on the water.

The race got underway, with the teams working their way up the short first beat, meaning there was very little separation at the first mark rounding.

The high-speed downwind leg that followed quickly split the fleet into order, until Ross and John tipped the RS400 in at Salstone, allowing John and Katy in Y175 to sail back through.

The second lap through the bag was much the same — gusty, shifty and certainly not for the faint-hearted. This time, however, Ross and John managed to keep the mast pointing skywards… just!

A quick lap of the harbour and the race was done, with John and Katy claiming victory on corrected time, ahead of the 505 and RS400 respectively.

By J.Burn | Photos P.Emery