Salcombe Yacht Club Winter Series - Race 3

Salcombe YC Winter Series race 3 © Malcolm Mackley

Salcombe YC Winter Series race 3 © Malcolm Mackley

With a predominantly Westerly breeze and a spring flood tide more than twenty competitors in the Salcombe Yacht Club Winter Series had to decide which side of the harbour to start. If you started on the Portlemouth side there was less wind, but you were not faced with having to cross the tide to make the Blackstone Mark, whereas the Portlemouth starters avoided the cross, but would make slower progress.

An excellent November turnout of eighteen Solos saw Malcolm Mackley lead off the Salcombe side and Peter Hammond lead a smaller group off the Portlemouth side. Peter demonstrated some excellent light wind speed and held the wind to lead from Mackley at Blackstone by a comfortable margin, with a chasing pack consisting of Chris Cleaves, John McLaren, Julian Meek and Peter Sturgess.

Despite the wind dropping to almost nothing, Race Officer Peter Cook sent the fleet for another lap and the challenge was to make any way at the tidal gates off the Ferry landing and Smalls Cove. This saw the challenges of Mackley, Sturgess and Meek fade, with Hammond winning a shortened race from Cleaves by a comfortable margin.

A smaller Handicap Fleet started ten minutes behind the Solo's, by which time the tide was flooding faster and the wind was fading. This saw all but the Yawl of Dan Bridger and David Jayne and the Musto Skiff of Alistair Morley call early doors, with Dan and David sailing around most of the Solos by taking quite an individual route on the Salcombe side to Castle Point.

Race 3 Results:

Solo
1st 5271, Peter Hammond
2nd 5295, Chris Cleaves
3rd 5278, John Mclaren

Handicap
1st Salcombe Yawl 159, Dan Bridger and David Jayne
2nd Musto Skiff 519, Alistair Morley