Bucket and Spade Sea Race series at Salcombe Yacht Club

Salcombe Yacht Club dinghy racers traditionally migrate to the open sea over the August Bank Holiday week end; when the harbour becomes particularly crowded, for the final two races of the Bucket and Spade Series.

Numbers were slightly depleted by the competing Yacht Club Wedding of Simon Evans and Laura Squire, drawing away a number of the regular contenders, including the bride!

Race Officer Phil King aboard the good ship Songbird set a windward leeward course with a gate on the beat off Gara Rock in a healthy force 3 to 4 North Easterly breeze and rolling waves.

505 masters Peter Colclough and Peter Bennett found the conditions, or maybe the open space, very much to their liking, and before long the familiar yellow spinnaker was raised at the windward mark, ahead of Graham and Fiona Cranford-Smith's Merlin Rocket and Christian and Sophie Day's National 12; this formation was held to the finish, the trio followed home by a gaggle of Solos.

In the Salcombe Yawls, Dan Bridger and David Jayne were to dominate, with the remaining podium places fought for between Mike and Karen Whitehouse and Anthony and Allyson Lofts.

With the smell of frying bacon wafting down the start line from the committee boat, the second races got underway; in the Handicap Fleet, the same finishing order prevailed, which was sufficient for the Cranford-Smiths to seize the Bucket and Spade series win from Simon "Yotter" Yates.

And in the Salcombe Yawl fleet, Dan Bridger and David Jayne's second win was sufficient to secure the top of the Salcombe Yawl podium from the Lofts.

Bucket and Spade Series - Handicap results:

1st Merlin Rocket 3769, Graham and Fiona Cranford Smith
2nd Solo 5601, Simon Yates
3rd Solo 4680, Peter Sturgess

Bucket and Spade Series - Salcombe Yawl Red Fleet results:

1st 159, Dan Bridger and David Jayne
2nd 132, Anthony and Allyson Lofts
3rd 171, Mike and Karen Whitehouse