SYC Winter Series Race 2, Solo Report

Published 12:35 on 2 Nov 2025

With a marginal forecast on the Weather Apps, a hardy group of Solo sailors gathered at the Salcombe Yacht Club start line for the second race of the Winter Series, in a gusty and shifty West South Westerly breeze, gusting from the mid-teens into the low thirty miles per hour, coupled with a flood tide.

Race Officer Mike Hodges spared the fleet a gnarly Blackstone, setting Mill Bay as the windward mark, followed by a run into Yalton and two short laps of the harbour.
The fleet made a clean start into the tide at the Portlemouth end of the starting line, with Will Henderson calling room to tack first, which allowed him to get clean air and rounded the windward mark first from Simon Dobson, with Graham Cranford-Smith, David Greening and Martin Hodgson in pursuit.

Henderson rounded first from Dobson at a gusty gybe mark at Yalton, followed by Greening who worked into the lead on the windy beat out of Yalton Creek, which he maintained to Mill Bay and back to Crossways, however a fluffed tack saw Henderson and Dobson into first and second through the moorings at Ditch End, whilst Greening had to fight off Hodgson and Cranford-Smith for the last lap to keep third.
These positions were maintained to the finish.  An excellent morning of nip and tuck sailing in challenging conditions.

D.Greening | Photos L.Burn