Merlin Rocket Open at Salcombe Yacht Club sponsored by Holt

by Judith Massey 6 Apr 2005 08:48 BST 2-3 April 2005

Lighter winds on the Sunday for the Merlin Rocket Silver Tiller event at Salcombe © Tom Gruitt / www.fotoboat.com

Lighter winds on the Sunday for the Merlin Rocket Silver Tiller event at Salcombe © John Murrell

Sunshine and a fantastic F3 sailing breeze with a few meaty gusts greeted the 36 strong Merlin Rocket fleet for their annual open meeting at Salcombe on the weekend of 2/3rd April.

Following a course change prior to the 5 minute gun, Saturday’s race took the fleet through the “Bag” and down to Gerston twice, whilst a notable few (William Warren/Tom Perkins, Steve Tyler/Emma Jackson, Dave Lee/Ian Smith) continued to sail the originally published course, only to gain no placing at the end of the race. There were a variety of leaders throughout the race including Glen Truswell/Paul Davies, Judith Massey/Phil Dalby and Mike and Jane Calvert with the eventual winners of this race being Dan Alsop and Jennie King. The Calverts had pulled out a big lead down to Blackrock, but then short tacked against the tide up the Millbay side of the estuary, thinking that they were going to Crossways again, only to lose the lead to Alsop/King, who led the charge back to Gerston via the town side.

Sunday morning’s race was sailed in a fitful, mizzly, breeze on the end of a rising tide and ensured the usual game of snakes and ladders that is so strongly associated with sailing at Salcombe. With the tide still flooding and the wind now blowing up the estuary, everyone wanted to start right under the Watch-house (starters box) and when a fishing boat decided to come through what he thought was the Fairway (channel that normally allows space for other craft to come and go underneath the Watch-house during race starts but which doesn’t operate at this time of year), it made for some interesting manouveures and a bit of verbal! That start was abandoned at 25 seconds to go and after a further general recall, the black flag was brought into play which caught out two unfortunates – Alsop/King and Warren/Perkins. Alsop/King sailed on and won on the water, only to cross the line to a deafening silence – they subsequently protested the race committee (and lost) for a late start gun by three seconds. This race also saw several different boats in the lead including John Bell/Graham Williamson, Richard Whitworth/Elena Bremer and the eventual winners, Rob Wilder and Liam Dempsey.

This was a high scoring event where consistency paid with Bell/Williamson taking the final honours with a 2nd and 4th to count.

Overall Results:

Pos	Boat Name	Sail No	Helm	Crew	Club	R1	R2	Pts
1	Time & Tide	3652	John Bell	Graham Williamson	Hampton	2	4	6
2	Business as usual	3626	Mike Calvert	Jane Calvert	Axe	3	5	8
3	Wild Card	3656	Rob Wilder	Liam Dempsey	Tamesis	11	1	12
4	Delirium	3637	Richard Whitworth	Elena Bremer	Hollingworth Lake	9	3	12
5	Rong Number	3573	Glen Truswell	Pual Davies	Salcombe	4	8	12
6	Ministry of Pleasure	3634	Phil King	Christina King		5	9	14
7	Smart Tart	3640	Patrick Blake	Alex Jackson	Cookham Reach	8	6	14
8	Artemis	3653	Judith Massey	Phil Dalby	Papercourt	6	12	18
9	Poached Salmon	3644	Duncan Salmon	Ian Garwood	Wembley	10	10	20
10	Savage	3471	Mike Mackie	Matt Buckle	Starcross	15	7	22
11	Millennium Falcon	3601	Keri Harris	Stuart Woodger	Salcombe	7	17	24
12	Phantom Menace	3611	Phil Plumtree	Jill Blake	Tamesis	12	14	26
13	Carbonator	3639	Steven Leney	Gillian Leney	Blithfield	13	13	26
14	Needlemakers	3610	Paul Hoillis	Rachel Williamson	Midland	14	16	30
15	Prologue	3581	Mike Anslow	John Hackett	Midland	16	19	35
16	Cloud 9	3483	Mark Emmett	Andrew Douglas	Parkstone	19	18	37
17	Gangsta Paradise	3539	Dan Alsop	Jennie King	Lyme Regis	1	OCS	38
18	Rabbit	3578	Andrew Harris	Sara Warren	Tamesis	DNF	2	39
19	She'sacracker	3550	Lou Johnson	James Davies	Weston	20	21	41
20	Dark n' Stormy	3619	Richard Page	Liz Page	Hampton	21	22	43
21	Wasp	3348	Andrew Squire	Laura Squire	Salcombe	22	23	45
22	The Matrix	3600	Hywel Bowen-Perkins jnr	Lucy Burn	Hampton	17	29	46
23	Puff the Magic Dragon	3641	Steve Tyler	Emma Jackson	Parkstone	DNF	11	48
24	Yes It Is	3513	Mark Waterhouse	Alice Lovell	Salcombe	23	26	49
25	Blues and Two's	3638	David Humphries	Margaret Simpson	Maidenhead	27	24	51
26	Gilt Complex	3546	David Lee	Ian Smith	Starcross	DNF	15	52
27	Raunchy	3621	Graham Scroggie	Frances Lovell	Parkstone	18	DNF	55
28	Chanbulls	3580	Natalle Fuller	Alan Fuller	Hampton	30	25	55
29	Ra	3591	Kevin Anderson	Sadie Anderson	Hampton	DNF	20	57
30	Lounge Lizard	3484	Robert Heath	Benjamin Heath	Hampton	29	28	57
31	Space Odd At Sea	3544	David Downs	Elaine John	Corus	24	OCS	61
32	The Holy Grail	3574	Hywel Bowen-Perkins snr	Morgan Bowen-Perkins	Hampton	25	OCS	62
33	Le Chein Lunatique	3494	Hugh Fletcher	Myrrh Walker	Royal Southern	26	DNS	63
34	Moondance Asasin	3547	Peter Male	Tim Male	Salcombe / Blithfield	DSQ	27	64
35	Carrera	3488	Guy Wood	Fran Lofts	Hampton	28	DNF	65
36	Moist	3643	William Warren	Tom Perkins	Shoreham	DNF	OCS	74