Wanderers at the Salcombe Yacht Club Regatta

Yet again Chris and Vicky King trounced the three other Wanderer entries in the newly formed Medium Handicap fleet at the 2010 Salcombe Yacht Club regatta. Nobody had any answer to the straight six wins they chalked up. Not even a close finish such was their supremacy. Now working and living in Kuwait, it is evident that the ban on alcohol and pork pies in Kuwait has a beneficial effect on sailing skills. First among the Wanderer fleet and a very creditable fourth overall in the Medium Handicap fleet the Kings will return to Kuwait with the Universal 500 silver salver and goblets and face excess baggage charges for their pains.

Conditions were light to moderate for most of the week, but Wednesday morning’s race course took the fleet outside the harbour in a rather lumpy and disconcerting swell. On that day only the Kings sailed and Vicky decided that son Martin would take her crew place. (On the following day Martin had a very nasty fall from the rocks adjacent to Mill Bay and suffered a complex compound leg fracture. This required the services of the Salcombe Inshore Lifeboat, the South Hams First Responders and the helicopter from the Devon Air Ambulance. He was taken to Torbay Hospital for emergency surgery where he is now recovering.)

Bob Grainger and Nick Millard in Whisper looked set to notch up a string of seconds after the first two races but the Meadowcrofts in Presto messed things for them up by taking second place behind the Kings in the Tuesday and Thursday races.

By the final day, Friday, both Whisper and Presto shared the same points total after the Wednesday discard when neither crews sailed.

However, Friday’s weather was dreadfully miserable with particularly poor visibility, drizzle, and an unsummery chill. That was too much for the Meadowcrofts but the Whisper crew, firmly deciding to take second place and the Sick as a Parrot trophy for the second year running, set off and led the Kings for some time. However an injudicious spinnaker hoist left them to practise their righting skills after capsizing. However they managed their best place in the 20-strong Medium Handicap fleet by finishing fifth thanks to the other fifteen boats in the fleet deciding that the Friday weather was also too unpleasant for summer holiday sailing.

Overall Results:

1st (and 4th in the Medium Handicap fleet) Chris & Vicky King W1575 “It Takes Two” (Kuwait SC) - Universal 500 Silver Salver
2nd Bob Grainger and Nick Millard W1041 “Whisper” (Bewl Valley SC) - Sick as a Parrot Trophy
3rd Philip & Jill Meadowcroft W1024 “Presto” (Salcombe YC & Henley SC) - Ted Shepherd Tankard
4th John & Irene Crawford W953 ”Bottom’s Dream” (Henley SC)