Looking Ahead to the 2026 Salcombe Solo Season

Published 14:20 on 18 Jan 2026

The 2025 season was a standout year for the Solo fleet, delivering consistently high-quality racing and some of the tightest contests seen in recent memory. From the opening races to the final showdowns, the fleet demonstrated impressive depth, with hard-fought results reflecting both rising skill levels and a strong sense of camaraderie on the water.

Looking ahead to 2026 at Salcombe Yacht Club, the Solo fleet shows every sign of building on that momentum. Numbers remain healthy, with one of, if not the largest fleets in the country, standards continue to rise, and the competitive bar is being lifted year on year. With so many well-matched helms lining up, consistency will be key and every race will count.

With the help of AI (and as a bit of fun), we now have the 2026 Salcombe Solo seedlings list. Take a look to see who features in the top 10. As expected, breaking into that group will be a serious challenge and a notable achievement.

All the signs point towards another closely contested and thoroughly entertaining season for the Solo fleet.

2026 Salcombe Solo Seeding List

Derived from 2025 Performance Data

The 2026 Solo seedings are calculated using a Weighted High-Point System. Results from seven qualifying events are included, with points for each event calculated as:

$$\text{Points}=(\text{Fleet size}\text{Finishing position}+1)\times \text{Event Weighting}$$

Event weightings:

• Regattas ×2
• Open Meetings ×1.5
• Club Series ×1

Sailors must compete in at least two qualifying events to be seeded.

Tie-breaks are applied in the following order:

1. Best Regatta result
2. Best Open result
3. Most recent result

Master Seeding Standings

Seed	Helm	Seeding Index
1	Simon Dobson	156.4
2	Tim Fells	150.2
3	Tim Law	143.9
4	Simon Yates	137.6
5	Chris Cleaves	131.4
6	David Greening	125.2
7	Roger Guess	119.0
8	Robin Hodges	112.8
9	Will Henderson	106.6
10	Gavin Stevens	100.4

Event Data Included

1. 2025 SYC Regatta (Multiplier: 2)
2. 2025 Barney Greenhill Open (Multiplier: 1.5)
3. 2025 Salcombe Brewery Solo Open (Multiplier: 1.5)
4. 2025 Solo Sailing Series (Multiplier: 1)
5. 2025 Summer Series (Multiplier: 1)
6. 2024 Autumn Series (Multiplier: 1)
7. 2025 Winter Series (Multiplier: 1)

Seeding Logic Summary

• Performance vs. Fleet Size: Points are awarded based on the percentage of the fleet beaten, ensuring a 1st place in a 20-boat fleet is weighted more heavily than a 1st place in a 5-boat fleet.
• Weighting: Major event (Regattas) carry double the weight of weekly club racing to reward performance under pressure and against larger fleets.
• Aggregation: Results are averaged across all events entered to identify the most consistent top-tier performers.

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By John Burn

Photos Lucy Burn