Salcombe Yacht Club Spring Series - Day 4

Merlin Rocket Silver Tiller event at Salcombe © John Murrell / www.fotoboat.com

Merlin Rocket Silver Tiller event at Salcombe © John Murrell / www.fotoboat.com

A light and fitful Easterly wind greeted the sailors in the Salcombe Yacht Club Spring Series on Saturday. Fortunately the tide was in, which allowed the fleets to explore the Yalton and Frogmore creeks before the Gerston mark.

In the eight strong Handicap fleet all three of the series front runners were recalled for being over the start line early. There was much shouting as the returning boats of Ballantine, Cook and Gilson headed back into the course of the boats that had started correctly.

Normal service had resumed by the Yalton mark, by which stage the Merlin Rocket of Cook and Exelby was leading the National 12 of Ballantine and Harris and the Yawl of Gilson and Lewis. This order remained until the fleets return to the harbour, when the considerable lead that Cook and Exelby had built evaporated when their boat "The Muppet Show" ran into a calm spot, and saw their advantage whittled away by the more nimble National 12 of Peter Ballantine.

Handicap Fleet Race 4 Results:

1st National 12, Pete Ballantine & Theo Harris
2nd Merlin Rocket, Peter Cook & Janet Exelby
3rd Salcombe Yawl 170, Geoff Gilson & Chris Spencer-Chapman

Fourteen Solos started after the Handicap fleet, with Julian Meek leading off the line, by the time the fleet turned into Yalton Creek, Chris Cleaves had outwitted him and took the lead which he was never to relinquish.

A breakaway pack pulled ahead of the pursuing fleet out of Frogmore, however the shifting breeze had Meek and Greening becalmed off Saltstone, allowing the rest of the fleet to close in by the Gerston buoy.

Player of the Match had to be James Hannaford who maintained the momentum from the previous leg, to overtake Meek and Greening over Widegates which he held all the way to the finish.

Solo Race 4 Results:

1st 5295, Chris Cleaves
2nd 4894, James Hannaford
3rd 5317, Julian Meek

In addition to the normal club racing Salcombe Yacht Club welcomed 45 Merlin Rockets for the Doom Bar Merlin Rocket Silver Tiller event held over Saturday and Sunday.

Matt Biggs and John Hackett from Parkstone showed the most consistency of the first day at the top of the leaderboard with a first and a second, ahead of Dave Winder and James Dawes.

The combination of ninety Merlin Rocket sailors, Salcombe Yacht Club's hospitality and the sponsor Doom Bar's product put paid to several campaigns by Sunday morning.

In light and variable conditions this made for a high scoring series, with no sailors dominating. All was resolved on the last race when Jon Gorringe and Toby Lewis from Parkstone took the series on count back from Dave Winder and James Dawes.

Doom Bar Merlin Rocket Silver Tiller Results:

Salcombe Yacht Club looks forward to nearly 120 Merlin Rockets returning to Salcombe for Sharp Doom Bar Merlin Week in July.