Torpoint Mosquito Three Rivers Pursuit Race

Last boat home, Pat Dollard & Eric Whilley's Wayfarer in the Torpoint Mosquito Three Rivers Race © Ronnie Carter

Torpoint Mosquito's annual Three Rivers Pursuit race had to be postponed back in March due to high winds and with a forecast for winds exceeding 40 knots earlier this week, it looked like the replacement thirteen mile race would suffer the same fate. However race day dawned with near zero winds which meant that the course had to be shortened slightly to miss out the Tavy, making 2015's Three Rivers race one of only two rivers – the Tamar & the Lynher.

Despite the coldest temperatures of the year so far, seventeen dinghies and catamarans set off with staggered start times over nearly an hour and drifted towards the Torpoint Ferry with the safety boat shepherding one boat through the ferry lines. To begin with, the earliest starting boats led the fleet with Brian Jones (Feva) holding the lead with Bill Shimell (Comet) second and George Dally & Phillippa Smerdon (Comet) in third place.

As the leaders reached the oil jetty off Yonderbury Point the wind picked up a little and the boats were able to make more headway. Jack Mann & Richard Richmond (Wanderer) managed to creep past the two Comets. Jones held onto the lead until just past Wilcove Lake when the wind increased further and Mann & Richmond (Wanderer) took lead position with Geoff Hall (Solo), Chris Rowsell & Bethan Cowd (Enterprise) and Ronnie Carter & Alex Smerdon (Laser 2000) coming up fast. Rowsell & Cowd (Enterprise) led around the Lynher Buoy, with Carter & Smerdon (Laser 2000) in second place and Mann & Richmond (Wanderer) third. Peter Grzelinski (Laser) was gaining ground and took fourth place with Hall (Solo) in fifth.

The wind again dropped in the shadow of Saltash as the boats sailed up to the Tamar Bridge where the safety boat shortened the course by a couple of miles and sent the fleet back to Torpoint as it had taken the lead boats one and half hours to reach the bridge. Carter & Smerdon (Laser 2000) just took the lead as they reached the central column of the bridge and launched their spinnaker expecting the wind to be behind them. However they had misjudged the confused wind around the bridge which also caught out Mann & Richmond (Wanderer). Rowsell & Cowd (Enterprise) sailed wide towards Tamar Sailing Club and regained first place.

The wind was very changeable on the run back towards Torpoint and the finish time of two hours. Rowsell & Cowd goose-winged the Enterprise & held the lead over Carter & Smerdon (Laser 2000) who, with an asymmetric spinnaker, were gybing down the river in pursuit and Mann & Richmond (Wanderer) gaining ground with a conventional spinnaker. The Lasers made the most of the downwind conditions and were coming through the fleet along with Roger Holman & Stefano Franzolini (Jolly Boat).

Having started 50 minutes after the Feva, Matt Theobald & Brendan Seward (Hurricane) had come through the fleet and were now up with the leaders with their spinnaker flying but Hall (Solo) was still managing to hold on to fifth place as the time ticked away.

In the last three minutes Carter & Smerdon (Laser 2000) took the lead. Rowsell & Cowd (Enterprise) checked their watches as Mann & Richmond (Wanderer) were now within touching distance of their stern with only seconds to go but managed to hold onto second place.

All in all a good race with an exciting and close finish just before the Torpoint ferry which could not have taken place without the volunteer race hut team and safety boat crews.

Race team:

Jenny Roberts & Barbara Dally

Overall results: (top five)

1st Ronnie Carter & Alex Smerdon (Laser 2000)
2nd Chris Rowsell & Bethan Cowd (Enterprise)
3rd Jack Mann & Richard Richmond (Wanderer)
4th Peter Grzelinski (Laser)
5th Geoff Hall (Solo)