Autumn Series R5 - Fast Handicap Fleet

Published 09:43 on 5 Oct 2026

A select fleet of Yawls, an RS 400 and an Albacore came to the line in the Fast Handicap fleet for Race 5 of the Autumn Series.

Sunshine and a gentle SW breeze, with light patches and big shifts were the order of the day.  Whilst it's October it was still t-shirts and shorts.  

John Burn and Emily Hoar in the 400 crossed the fleet on port off the beach and headed out into better pressure on the Town side of the Harbour and had a nice lead on the first run through to Gerston.  It looked even better for them as the wind went forward on the first run and they were well placed as they entered the Bag with the Yawls behind engaging in a bit of street fighting as they rounded Snapes Point. 

All was to no avail as they sailed into a light patch and the Albacore of AJ &  Sheila Squire sailed right up to their transom.  

The Yawls then arrived with Phil & Roz Magee making the most of the conditions to be leading the pack.

The next bit was tricky.  Running into the tide.  Not much breeze.  Stay in the middle?  Hard left?  Hard right?  It looked like more pressure to the right and John & Katy Meadowcroft in Y175 gybed off, encouraging others to do so too.  But the Albacore and Paul Rayson & Frankie Burn in Y178 punted on gybing towards the closest  shore and it was those two boats who got breeze first and were the first to escape.

Better winds took us all the way down to Gerston, with the RS400 working back into the lead.  On the way back it looked like the Meadowcrofts had sorted out the other Yawls, but the tricky beat past the beaches back to Blackstone comprehensively sorted them out and it was Rayson & Burn who tracked them down.

At the finish it came down to stopwatches and the handicapper.  Rayson & Burn won, from the Squires and the Meadowcrofts who just hung on to beat Yawl 74 of Greg Hoar and Nicky Bass.  Separated by just a few seconds after more than an hour and a half of racing.

By Paul Rayson | Photos L. Burn