Sailing Club Series, Race 8

Published 18:54 on 9 Jun 2024

Fast Handicap 7, 3, 5, 2, 3, 2

With a fleet of 11 boats, 7 of which were Salcombe Yawls, the Fast Handicap fleet started in very little wind from the NW. First to escape the doldrums of the start line were the Merlin Rocket of Fran Gifford and Charlotte Simmonds and the Red Fleet Yawl of John Burn and Mark Waterhouse, who were then the first to sniggle around Snapes Point to get into the much cleaner and stronger wind blowing directly down from Kingsbridge and through The Bag. 

The fleet then enjoyed the long beat to 7 with lots of gusts and shifts, with the rapid-paced Blue Fleet Yawl of Olly Turner and Roz McGee making the best use to overtake boats and fight for the lead. Running down to 3 was a little trickier against the now-flooding tide and patchy breeze through the bag (when is it not?) with the fleet compressing at moments and some managing to escape and maintain their placement. 

Fran and Charlotte now began to stretch their lead on the water, along with the RS400 of John and Annie McLaren and the Albacore of AJ and Shiela Squire, leading the fleet by some margin to the Yawls. Given the NW direction, it was always going to be a fickle affair at the start and finish line in the Lee of Salcombe, and the PRO made the right call in shortening the race. 

Fran and Charlotte managed to finish in good breeze and time, but the fleet behind them was stuck in the doldrums, with the leading Yawls finding what breeze they could at Ditch End and overhauling the Albacore, which was parked in strong tide and little wind in the middle of the estuary. These four boats went from beat to run, coming into the finish line with patchy gusts, to cross the finish line within 18 seconds. 

Overall, Fran and Birthday girl Charlotte had done enough to take the win on handicap from Olly and Roz in Y68, who also sealed the series overall, with Ross Bourne and Matt Chubb coming in third in Y75.

By - Olly Turner

Photos - Lucy Burn

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