Merlin Rocket Porteous and Sondown Cups at Tamesis Club

Merlins racing for the Sondown Cup at Tamesis © Richard Mourant

Richard and Harry Harris with the Sondown Cup © Richard Mourant

Commodore Stewart Colley presents the Porteous Cup to Sue Harris and Berry Ritchie © Richard Mourant

Berry Ritchie and Sue Harris win Porteous and Southcott Cups at Tamesis

Berry Ritchie and Sue Harris won both the Porteous and Southcott Cups in a nine boat fleet at the Tamesis De May Series open meeting for Vintage Merlins on Saturday 12 April. The closely fought three race event came to an exciting climax in the third race, in which only seven boats competed.

Sailing Crescendo (607), Berry Ritchie and Sue Harris won the first race after completing six rounds in a light westerly wind, with Stuart and Ollie Jenkins of Hampton SC second in Luka (3560). The second race, sailed in a stronger westery wind, was won by Rob Wilder and his young daughter Milly in Flinkidink (1097). Unfortunately, they were unable to stay for the third race, so were placed third overall.

Race Officer Charles Fox set a popular Tamesis course with an upstream start to Canbury, a downstream reach to Lensbury and an east-west dogleg mid-stream near the clubhouse. In the final race Luka got away to a clean start, leaving Crescendo hemmed in by other boats, and the first time round Canbury the order was Luka in the lead with former Tamesis member Steve Bartlett, now Thames SC, crewed by Constantin Gerber, second in Wishbone (908). By the time they reached the dogleg Crescendo had pulled through to second and after closing on Luka in the approach to Canbury slowly sailed into the lead to finish just over two minutes ahead.

Porteous and Southcott Cups Results:

Sondown Cup and Elizabeth Bowl won by Richard and Harry Harris

The Sondown Cup and Elizabeth Bowl were won by Richard Harris and his son Harry sailing Passing Cloud (1079) at the Tamesis Merlin Rocket Thames Series open meeting on Sunday 13 April. Seventeen boats from four clubs, including Thames SC, Wembley SC and Fishers's Green, took part in the three race meeting, which was held in a light to moderate north westerly wind and warm sunshine over a course which took the contestants on a long down river beat to the northern end of Trowlock Island followed by an upstream run to a Canbury mark set just below Steven's Eyot. Passing Cloud won all three races.

The fight for second place was, however, hotly contested and led to a protest following a collision in the final race, as a result of which Berry Ritchie and Sue Harris in Crescendo (607) moved up from third to second and Matthew Peregrine-Jones and Eddie Lowe in Masquerade (995) dropped to fourth overall. The upward adjustment of all other places led to a tie-break for fifth place.

Richard and Harry Harris won the first race by a clear margin of three minutes, with Charlie Morgan and Fiona Cotteril second in Lady Anne (1978), Rob and Helen Wilder third in Flinkidink (1097), Matthew Peregrine-Jones and Eddie Lowe fourth in Masquerade (995), and Berry Ritchie and Sue Harris fifth in Crescendo (607)

In rhe second race Flinkidink was second, Masquerade third, Crescendo fourth and Ken Duffell and Brian Corking fifth in Harry (3599).

Sondown Cup and Elizabeth Bowl (for first Vintage Merlin) Results: