Winter Series Race 6 - Solo

Published 15:12 on 15 Dec 2024

|Your correspondent reflected on the lengths that sixteen Solo sailors would go in order to avoid the Christmas chores when greeted by a flat calm ria and a spring tide.  

With the race officering in the hands of the Meadowcroft family, many flags were flown in deference to it being a Winter Series club race, and new course boards being substituted faster than the course could be written down.

After a short postponement to allow for a light breeze from the northern sector to settle in, the first Solo start was recalled, due to the Race Officers inability to identify which of the grey boats were over.

A second start was completed under a Black Flag, with no miscreants, and for a moment it looked like Malcolm Mackley had aced it from the Watch House end, unfortunately for him and the others at that end of the line, the wind shifted right, from which emerged Chris Cleaves.

As the fleet headed past Snapes Point into the Bag, those who pursued a leeward route picked up the forecast North Westerly breeze first, with Cleaves, Simon Dawes and Dan Bridger amongst the leading pack.

It looked like a good beat up to Gerston, however the fleet turned left at Saltstone heading back to the harbour, with Cleaves leading the way.  On the return at Snapes, Simon Ballantine made big gains, and at Fishermans Cove Will Henderson, James Greenhill, David Greening and Simon Ballantine headed to the Town Side, as the leading pack became becalmed off Smalls Cove.

By the X mark there a bunch of seven boats made the tidal gate, and on the beat back to Crossways, Will headed toward the Salcombe shore to move from fifth to first, he then extended his lead on the final run back to X. 

Down the final run Ballantine surged down the harbour in more pressure into the mix of the chasing pack, and at this point the hotly contested Winter Series hung in the balance, series leader Simon Dobson needed to finish in the top four to prevent Henderson from winning the series, which came down to which of the group of now five boats gained room at the final mark; Ballantine rounded second, with Dobson holding  onto third place to take the Winter Series from Will Henderson.  Chris Cleaves sailed a consistent series to secure third place.

By David Greening 

Photos Lucy Burn