Helly Hansen Merlin Rocket Week - Day 1
Published 19:29 on 29 Jun 2025
The ever popular Salcombe Merlin Week, sponsored by Helly Hansen, Craftinsure and Creation Covers, has again attracted over 100 of the UKs top dinghy racers to the picturesque South Devon Ria. The forecast for the week is for a high pressure system to be in control with light airs at the beginning of the week but the hope of more to come later on.
Race 1 - Red v Green, Course 1,3,1,3
The start of the first race was in 4 knots of Southwesterly with the start of an ebb tide taking the fleet over the line. Not surprisingly there was a final rush for the line which caught six boats as BFD.
Starting at the town end of the line, Will and Arthur Henderson together with Alex Jackson and Alex Warren hooked into starboard lifting pressure to clear away on a lovely line down tide to the first mark at Blackstone.
They were then able to gybe back into the pressure on the town side and extend away before the ebb really started to take hold. Will and Arthur led back across to Fishermans but the Alexes managed to get inside them at Crossways to take the lead on to the beat back down tide to Blackstone. Chris Gould and Sophie Mackley had successfully kept to the town side all the way down the run to sneak into third.
On the second run, with the breeze dying and the tide building, the leaders gybed across to the town side. The Hendersons then gybed back across the tide to Mill Bay where they fell into a hole dropping out of the top ten. Meanwhile the Alexes led down the town side past the Ferry with Chris and Sophie close on their heals. On the final approach to Crossways the fleet compressed with Tim Saxton and Holly McArthur getting inside berth on to the final beat to the line.
On the final beat to the line the Alexes reasserted their dominance to come home for the first bullet of the week. Chris and Sophie took second ahead of Tim and Holly. Dave Winder in his new boat with guest crew Beka Jones ahead of Andrew Harris and Sarah Warren in the venerable 3625. Rounding out the top six was young gun Ollie Meadowcroft and Pete Gray who had climbed up through the fleet.
Race 2 - Blue v Black, Course 1,3,1,3,2,3
For the afternoon the breeze had built slightly but had swung into the SSE which meant it was very patchy and bouncing off both sides of the harbour. The fleet started first time with only two caught over.
John Meadowcroft and Rory Gifford nailed the first beat and were away with a good lead onto the first run.
With the wind switching on and off across the course there were moments when one side of the run looked heroic before crashing out. Chasing the leaders were Matthew and Ben Shorrock and William Warren with Andy Price. Tom Gillard and Rachel Gray were not far off the leaders and Mike and Jane Calvert in their new (back to the future) boat were progressing well.
Inexorably the red boat of Tom and Rachel came up through the fleet seemingly being able to fathom the randomness better than anyone else. By the second run they had taken the lead and held on through all the winds vicissitudes to take their first bullet. John and Rory did a great job to withstand the challenge of the Calverts to take a well earned second. Coming through the fleet to take fourth with a stellar third beat were James Goss and Chris White. George Yeoman and Mark Oakey kept their heads well to keep close to the leading pack all race to come home fifth. Mark Stockbridge and James Gifford finished strongly having been up and down the top fifteen to take sixth.
~ Tim Fells
Photos Lucy Burn
