Salcombe Yacht Club Winter Series - Race 2

Salcombe Yacht Club Winter Series Race 2 © Margaret Mackley

Salcombe Yacht Club Winter Series Race 2 © Margaret Mackley

A sunny crisp autumn day greeted the thirty one boats competing in the Salcombe Yacht Club Winter Series Race 2. Race officer John Wylie set a course to Gerston in a Force 2 – 3 Northerly, on an ebb tide.

First away were the Solos, with nineteen boats, Chris Cleaves was the early starter, returning after the Individual Recall flag was displayed. With the fleet evenly split between the Salcombe and Portlemouth shores, it was Simon Dobson, still enjoying a rich seam of form, who rounded Crossways ahead of Graham Cranford-Smith. Close behind were David Greening and Chris Cleaves, who was making a good recovery from his premature start.

By Widegates, it was a four horse race, with Cleaves and Greening looking good on the eastern shore; however the wind backed right handing Dobson a handy and what was to prove to be an unassailable lead at Gerston, and also allowed Ed Stephens to get into the mix.

Upon the return into the harbour, Greening maintained momentum to overtake Stephens on the run to Blackstone, and then overtook Cleaves on the beat to Crossways; however Cleaves recovered to take second place with Greening in third.

For a while it looked like a repeat victory for the Merlin Rocket of Peter Cook and Janet Exelby who held a considerable lead upon exiting the Bag, as the wind evaporated in the harbour, the pursuing slower boats rolled in on a band of breeze, inverting the corrected time results.

The Salcombe Yawl helmed by David Jayne with owner Dan Bridger in the front end came to the fore, with the Aero of Tim Fells splitting the Yawl and the Phantom of Alistair Morley, who enjoyed the company of a second Phantom helmed by stalwart Ian Stewart.

After what was agreed to be "frostbite sailing at its best", the fleet retired to the Bar.

Race 2 Results:

Solo
1st 5676, Simon Dobson
2nd 5573, Chris Cleaves
3rd 5617, David Greening

Handicap
1st Salcombe Yawl 159, David Jayne and Dan Bridger
2nd Aero 7 1505, Tim Fells
3rd Phantom 1357, Alistair Morley

Salcombe Yacht Club Winter Series Race 2 - photo © Margaret Mackley