Selden Merlin Rocket Nationals at Lyme Regis Sailing Club - Day 1

Merlin Rocket nationals at Lyme Regis © Ian Wallace / www.fotoboat.com

Merlin Rocket nationals at Lyme Regis © Ian Wallace / www.fotoboat.com

The 160 competitors in the Selden Merlin Rocket Championships woke to a glorious sunny morning in Lyme Regis with a forecast of light to moderate south westerlies. After a practice race which was mainly an exercise in how far over the line you could start (but was won ominously by Stu Bithell and Christian Birrell), race one started first time under a black flag.

Playing the shifts up the left hand side seemed to be the winning strategy, although having a distinct speed advantage and going the right way as Stu and Christian did was a pretty good option. Showing that there is something special about this Olympic stuff, they sailed off into a commanding lead ahead of some of the country's best dinghy sailors.

Chasing hard for some time were Nick Craig and James Stewart until the bit in the Nick Craig winning manual which says 'it is impossible to pull the kicker on too hard' proved more than his poor boat was willing to take. A broken boom sent them for an early bath.

Next to take up the challenge of chasing Stu and Christian were Tom Stewart and Steve Hall but as the wind and waves built they slipped back letting first National Champions Taxi and Tom Pygall through and then Geoff Carveth and Graham Williamson.

On the final beat, with very tired legs after more than two hours racing, Jon Gorringe and Toby Lewis found an extra gear to pinch third from Geoff and Graham on the line. Tim Fells and Chris Downham got the better of Tom and Steve to take fifth.

This was meant to be the light wind day of the week but with some pretty big lumps of water coming down the course, there is some apprehension about what the windy days forecast will bring. Monday's race is borderline due to strong southerlies forecast.

Results after Day 1: