Stones Boatyard Yawl Open - Blue Fleet Report.

Published 20:33 on 28 May 2026

Saturday was forecast super light but in the end the breeze stayed throughout the race. There were tacking duels all the way up from the start line to mark 'Y' which the race officer (Ian Stewart) had laid a short way up south pool creek because of the low water. 

Yawl 19 and Y116 swapped the lead multiple times on the laps that followed between marks 1, 2 and 3 but on the last rounding of 3, Y19 sat on Y116s wind and then pulled away. Yawl 17 completed the top 3, followed by Y150 and Y99. Sunday brought two races, the first a short sharp race with very close racing amongst the top few boats as we sailed back and forth between 1,2 and 3, again because of the low water. The race finished with Y19 winning again, followed closely by Y17, Y126 and Y116 all finishing within a few seconds of each other. 

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Race 3 followed soon after race 2, complicated by the brave decision of the race officer to finish the lasers first race as we were lining up to start. Yawl 17 and Y116 duelled all the way to Mark 4 with Y17 pulling ahead in the light and variable wind up near the mark. Y17 pulled out a steadily increasing lead over the laps that followed. The following boats became becalmed short of Mark 1, with the small flow left in the tide causing them to grind to a halt. Y19, one of the teenagers well suited to the light winds, picked up speed before the others and pulled through into 2nd, followed by Y150, Y138 and Y123. 

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Monday brought slightly more breeze and a long race back and forth up the channel in front of the crowds enjoying bank holiday Monday in Salcombe. Again there were tight battles off the start line with Y116 eventually rounding Mark 3 first. Y116 managed to hold onto the lead for the rest of the race, closely followed by Y126 and Y123. Y19's great performance and consistency gave her the overall win, followed by Y17 and then Y116 in third.

By Toby Strauss | Photos Lucy Burn