Summer Series Race 2 - Short Race Handicap Report

Published 14:44 on 23 Jun 2026

Thermopylae, 480 BC. A smaller force, big odds, and a result that was one for the ages. On Saturday in Salcombe, the ILCA 4's proved that history can repeat itself.

Charlotte Simmonds took off like a bullet, with George Reynolds and Christian Day in close attendance. Fumbling around on the start line, Andrew Groves was less concerned with tactics and more concerned with persuading his watch to cooperate in time for a half-decent start, though Alan Wilcox was making even that look Olympian by comparison.
On the beat to Blackstone, Emily Hoare kept herself firmly in contention, refusing to let the leaders settle. Meanwhile, quietly going about her business with maximum efficiency, Karen Ballantine in her ILCA 4 was more than staying in touch with the faster 6's all the way to the first mark.

Simmonds was first around the windward mark, closely followed by Reynolds and Day. Groves, composure now restored, had clawed his way back to within striking distance of the front three as the fleet darted for the shore, the ebb tide building pace beneath them.

The run became a five-way affair with the 6's often sailing side by side in close proximity to the shore. Simmonds' ILCA training was prominent as she danced a series of S's which seemed to make her race more interesting, Reynolds tucked into the shallows to avoid the worst of the ebb, while Groves, Hoare and Day ran in company.

A quick glance over the shoulder told its own story. Ballantine and Suzy Andrews in their ILCA 4's were closing fast. The 6's knew then that building any kind of gap on the supposedly slower 4's was going to be a tough ask.
Simmonds moved inside the pack to take the shore option but paid the price, grinding to a halt as the fleet sailed past to a decent lead. Day took the wiser wider line to Crossways while Reynolds and Groves opted for the safer line with less tide. Day rounded first, but Groves had worked an overlap on Reynolds to take control of the mark.

The beat back to Ferry Mark saw Groves open a decent gap on the fleet, with Day and Reynolds slotting into second and third. Behind them, Simmonds was back in business, closing the gap after her costly grounding at Fisherman's.

The tide now in full ebb, Groves found that on rounding his hard-earned lead was quickly nullified as the 6's gathered into a bunch once more. This time though, they found themselves in the thick of the Yawl race, the bigger boats returning from Blackstone and cutting through the middle of proceedings, their sails acting like walls, blocking just about every puff of wind going.

Another glance over the shoulder. And there were the 4's again, impossible to shake, hunting down the 6's on every run.

Day rounded the leeward mark first, followed by Reynolds who this time had control of the mark forcing Groves underneath him as they rounded side by side.

On the final beat, Groves made the shrewder tactical calls and pulled out a decent lead, while behind him Reynolds and Day had their hands full keeping Simmonds at bay as she accelerated through the fleet.
First over the line was Groves, with Simmonds second and Reynolds third. Day, meanwhile, had somehow managed to get it catastrophically wrong, finding himself swallowed up by the chasing pack, overtaken by both Wilcox and Hoare.

Groves knew that being first over the line was inevitably futile, the 4's had been too close for too long. On corrected time, Ballantine took the bullet, Andrews second, and Groves had to settle for third. The 6's had fought hard. The 4's had simply let the runs do the talking.

Thermopylae had its pass. Salcombe had its runs.

By A.Groves | Photos L. Burn