Craftinsure Merlin Rocket Silver Tiller at Whitstable Yacht Club

Sailors were greeted to Whitstable yacht club on Saturday 14th June with a 10mph breeze across the bay. In total 33 Merlin Rockets rigged up on the beach as they prepared themselves for the four races scheduled over the weekend.

Day one, race one

Out on the racecourse, the wind was shifting toward the right hand side. With the tide tempting boats over the line, the first general re-call flag was raised (no surprise there).

The race officer John Silk, quite rightly decided to raise the black flag. With 20 seconds before the start things were looking tight on the line. Soon after the gun went we were yet again told off for our premature acceleration off the start line. Second general recall of the day and it was only race one. However this time Alex Jackson & James Page (3707) along with Andy 'Taxi' Davis & Ellie Bremer (3684) were the unfortunate victims (that were caught) of the black flag.

When race one finally got underway the conditions proved tricky on the course, with 10 degrees shifts (and the rest) it was unclear which side of the beat paid off. Tim Fells & Chris Downham (3764) had a blinder of the beat, rounding the windward mark in first position. It was champagne sailing for the two and the sailed round pretty much undisturbed by the rest of the fleet eventually claiming race one. Chris Jennings & Ally Martin (3764), Tom Jeffcoate & Ben Raynor (3761) and David Winder & Pippa Taylor (3735) and Olly Turner & Alex Warren (3721) were battling second, third and forth. The shifts were hard to judge at times, making life that much more difficult for the fleet.

Race two

With the tide still pushing the fleet, another general recall was raised. This time round, the black flag kept the fleet shy of the line. On the beat, in theory with the tide, it paid to be on the left hand side of the course. However, with the unpredictable wind shifts, many of the fleet decided to choose the middle channel. The racing was tight and with the fleet being unforgiving when it comes to making mistakes a few losses and gains were made round the windward mark. Finishing the race in first, second and third were Chris Jennings & Ally Martin (3764), David Hayes & Jonny Ratcliffe (3734) and Jasper Barnham & Graham Sexton (3758).

In the dinghy park after racing, the gusts and shifts had clearly taken their toll on the fleet. If I am not mistaken, the Doombar bitter had gone in record time behind the bar (some things will never change).

Day two, race three

With a scheduled 10:30 start on the Sunday, sailors were slowly rigging the boats. It might have had something to do with the bar extension and England playing Italy in the world cup the night before.

With more breeze expected out in the bay, many were going to have the 'first wave to the face' hangover cure. When out on the water, race officer John Silk postponed the start in order to set an accurate course according to the shifting wind. The start sequence begun and with the tide against the fleet, everyone was clear on the line and pushing hard on the beat. It was difficult to decide which side of the course was paying most due to the shifts, however Olly Turner & Alex Warren (3721) got it right and were round the windward mark first, after feeling brave and crossing the fleet by port-hand flying us all on the start. They were closely followed by Dave Winder & Pippa Taylor (3735), David Hayes & Jonny Ratcliffe (3734) and Jasper Barnham & Graham Sexton (3758).

Race four

Race officer John Silk didn't waste any time and began the next start sequence for the last race. The fleet got off the line without any drama and with a huge lefty, it was Steve Mitchell & Julie Nuttall (3692) that led the fleet round the windward mark, closely followed by Tom Stewart & Hamish Kilburn (3733) and Tim Fells & Chris Downham (3764). With a close reach, both helm and crew were out giving it their all. The second beat was close at the top with all five boats having a chance of overtaking at some point. Race officer John Silk quite rightly changed to course, making the beat less biased.

Soon enough it was a battle for first between Tim Fells & Chris Downham (3764), Chris Jennings & Ally Martin (3658) and Tom Stewart & Hamish Kilburn (3733). It all came down to the final beat. Chris Jennings & Ally Martin (3658) got through, winning the race, giving them the points to claim the open meeting. They were closely followed by Tim Fells & Chris Downham (3764) with Tom Stewart & Hamish Kilburn third.

The shifty and gusty conditions made challenging conditions on Whitstable Bay over the weekend. In her first ever Merlin open meeting, Issie Bruton - who is just 14 years old - sailed with Rein Zilvold, and completed every race! Welcome, and well done Issie!

Merlin Rockets are best sailed with helm, and crew. Astonishingly, Andrea Ralph managed to keep the boat upright when her helm, not naming any names (Andy Dalby) fell out of the boat on the reach due to a broken toestrap!

A final thanks must go to John Silk, who as ever, did a remarkable job as race officer. Also on behalf of the Merlin fleet, I would like to thank all of the safety boat crew who kept us in good hands on the water.

With the Merlin Rocket Nationals coming back to Whitstable next year, we hope that we provided the fleet with a suitable warm-up!

Overall Results: