Salcombe Yacht Club Summer Series - Race 7

After the Summer holiday recess, it was back to business as usual for the Salcombe Yacht Club Summer Series. The racing was held on the top of a neap tide in a force 3 Northerly breeze which flicked to North West.

Race officers Dan and Gail Bridger set a course to Gerston and back to 0, set in the Range, followed by a loop of the harbour.

In the Slow Handicap race, Tom Morris finished clear ahead of the Laser Radials of Torrin Blazeby and Sam Lloyd setting them up for a last race of the series showdown next weekend.

In the Fast Handicap Peter Cook and Janet Exelby were once again able to get away from a trio of Merlin Rockets and finished in first place on elapsed and corrected time. The Ballantine family retained their place at the front of the National 12 fleet, this week in the shape of mum and dad Simon and Karen rather than Peter, who has dominated the class this season, they finished second from the Lloyds who were in third place.

Once again the Solos were the most numerous, with 22 starters. Paul Ellis sailing the Boatyard at Beer works boat was an early front runner, however a Paul mistook the Fast Handicap shorten course for the Solo's, which allowed Chris Cleaves to take first place, with Paul finishing in second place equal with Simon Dobson. Bill Jago and Peter Hammond took fourth and fifth places.

Seven Salcombe Yawls came to the line, with "Spruce Goose" emerging from the Bag in first place, with Jon and Clare Lewis in "L'Eagle" crossing tacks with Geof Gilson and Chris Spencer-Chapman in "Guillemot" all the way to Gerston. On returning to the harbour, Gilson and Alistair Morley, helming "Great Bustard" ate up "Spruce Goose'" substantial lead by finding more wind on the Portlemouth shore, which meant that Greening and Galvin had to work back past Gilson and Morley to regain and finish in first place. Jon and Clare Lewis were first of the Classic Yawls.

Race 7 Results:

Slow Handicap
1st Laser Radial 154646, Tom Morris
2nd Laser Radial 161391, Torrin Blazeby
3rd Laser Radial 176294, Sam Lloyd

Fast Handicap
1st Merlin Rocket 3616, Peter Cook and Janet Exelby
2nd National 12 3431, Simon and Karen Ballantine
3rd National 12 3534, Charlie and Helen Lloyd

Solo
1st 5295, Chris Cleaves
2nd= 5424, Paul Ellis
2nd= 5313, Simon Dobson
4rd 5316, Bill Jago

Salcombe Yawl Red Fleet
1st 177, David Greening and Stephen Galvin
2nd 189, Alistair Morley and Charles Thompson
3rd 170, Geof Gilson and Chris Spencer-Chapman

Salcombe Yawl Blue Fleet
1st 150, Jon and Clare Lewis
2nd 97, Andrew Wood and Bobbie Galvin
3rd 108, David Edmonds and John Berry

A Cruiser Race was held in the Range on Sunday morning in a Westerly force 2 to 3 breezes, the X-362 "Xotic" of Ian and Wendy Stewart took first place from Graham and Meredith Parker's Mystery 35 "Bluebird" with the YW42 "Firefly" of Paul and Susie Ellis in third place.

The second edition of the Hawk 20 Open Weekend was raced at Salcombe on Saturday 31st and Sunday 1st. On Saturday Race 1 saw five Hawks racing the Sailing Club Summer Series course around the Estuary. The moderate breeze at the start fell away resulting in a shortened course with Beangel (Rick and Maddie Marchand) a clear 1st and Medoc (Chris Pullen) 2nd. On Sunday the fleet crossed the Bar with Race 2 around the buoys in The Range in light airs with victory for Millenium Falcon (Dan Sheehan) and second place to Osprey (Jonny Griffith and Ian Houston).

Overall results for the two race series were 1st Millenium Falcon, 2nd Beanangel.