Salcombe Yacht Club Spring Series - Race 1
by David Greening 22 Mar 2016 15:47 GMT
20 March 2016
Salcombe Yacht Club Commissioning Race 2016 © Malcolm Bell
Twenty two hardy souls took to the water for the first race of the Salcombe Yacht Club Spring Series is a brisk and bitter north easterly wind. Race Officer Chris Cleaves set a course with two laps of beating into Yalton Creek returning to a turning mark close to the Watch House, followed by a mini lap of the harbour, making the most of the neap high tide.
First away was the Solo Fleet, joined by the Merlin Rocket of AJ and Laura Squire who were seeking a 10 minute advantage in the Handicap Fleet. Following a competitive start, Robin Hodges, Nigel Blazeby and David Greening led the fleet into Yalton Creek, with Nigel Blazeby finding some good shifts on the right hand side to lead around the Yalton mark, however Robin "no boat" Hodges came storming through unchallenged on the first run to take the lead at the X mark. But on the beat back, David Greening found some speed and some handy shifts to take and extend a lead from Robin and Andrew Thompson by the finish.
The Handicap Fleet sailed the same course as the Solos, with Peter Colclough and guest crew Pete Bennet demonstrating some tidy spinnaker work in the 505, leading the Merlin Rocket of Peter Cook and Janet Exelby home on the water, however Charlie Blazeby in the Laser Radial managed to keep in touch with the Salcombe Yawls, and in doing so took an impressive first place on corrected time.
Race 1 Results:
Solo
1st 5617, David Greening
2nd 5317, Robin Hodges
3rd 5096, Andrew Thompson
Handicap
1st Laser 203307, Charlie Blazeby
2nd Salcombe Yawl 97, Andrew Wood and Tim Petitt
3rd Salcombe Yawl 159, Dan Bridger and David Jayne