SYC Spring Series Race 2 Solo Report

Published 11:51 on 17 Mar 2025

Bright sunshine and a brisk east north easterly breeze greeted ten Solo sailors for the second race in the Salcombe Yacht Club Spring series.  With the race time set at low tide it was a muddy departure from the Batson slipway.

Some confusion abounded when Race Officer Andy Savell set the Fairway flag, given that the fleet had already left the Fairway buoys to port in the Boat Park.

The fleet set off to Crossways, with Bill Jago and David Greening heading toward Fishermans allowing them to get inside of a lift and rounded the first mark in 1st and 2nd place.

There proceeded a predominantly off wind course back and forth in the Bag, made worthwhile by the flat out planing reach to Gerston amid the mudflats.  The four leading boats arrived at the gybe mark together, Tim Fells and Tim Law joining Greening and Jago, all of whom survived a trepidatious forced gybe upright.

Law pursued a leeward route on his own and pulled into the lead, but Greening found the new breeze first at Tosnos and pulled away, which he maintained to Blackstone. 

On the penultimate beat, Law sailed more upright and faster than Greening, to pull ahead at Crossways, a position that he held to the finishing line. 

Meanwhile, Tim Fells who had a close race with Chris Cleaves carved a lonely furrow on the Portlemouth side on the final run to pick up a massive gust to plane past Cleaves who was on the Salcombe to secure third place at the final mark, which he held to the finish.

By David Greening.