Winter Series, Race 1 - Fast Handicap

Published 18:40 on 28 Oct 2025

The first Saturday of the SYC winter series saw 26 boats amass for the two starts in glorious sunshine.  The handicap fleets consisted of 8 ILCAs in the short course and nine boats in the general handicap, including six yawls staying out for winter.  With a 15-18 knot NNW-erly blowing in the general area of Salcombe, there was, somewhat predictably a whirlwind of a flat calm, gusting some occasional knots around the start line.  

The course was 7,5,7,3,5,2, and with a strong ebb tide running, starting was challenging.  There was a convenient split between the fleets with the ILCAs choosing beach side and everyone else starting under the watch-house.  The 505 of Peter Colclough and Alistair Morley and Y17, Blinkie with Tim Fells and Phil Magee onboard, made the best of it and were the first to hook into the freeing breeze out of Batson Creek.

The rest of the course was pretty lovely and fresh, with an almost true beat up to Gerston and plenty of water for the first lap allowing boats to choose which side of Saltstone they went.  Olly Turner and Chris Skelhorn watched their yawl mast breathe its last breath, breaking longitudinally before falling down, resulting in a slow sail home under mizzen.

With the course shortened on the way to two, the finishing order had the 5o5 ahead but not by enough, followed by the merlin of Frances Gifford and Frankie Burn but not by enough, and then Blinkie by enough.  Dan Bridger and John Sleep sailed a lovely race to take second on handicap from the merlin and then John Burn and Ross Bourne in the first red yawl 170.  Many competitors adjourned to the YC afterwards for the "winter series special toasties" cooked up by our wonderful chef Adam.  Not to be missed.

1st Yawl 17 Tim Fells and Phil Magee
2nd Yawl 161 Dan Bridger and John Sleep
3rd Merlin 3676 Frances Gifford and Frankie Burn

By Frances Gifford