Dragon South West Championship at Royal Torbay Yacht Club

Lawrie Smith, Joao Matos Rosa & Tim Tavinor on Alfie win the Dragon South West Championship © Rupert Holmes

After two days of racing in predominately light airs Laurie Smith, crewed by Joao Matos Rosa and Tim Tavinor, won the Dragon South West Championship. The event is the prelude to the 70th edition of the Edinburgh Cup, the iconic regatta that forms the Dragon Class open British Championship.

The first day of the South West Championship, hosted by the Royal Torbay YC, saw a multitude of wind shifts that required marks to be moved on a number of legs during the three races. The following day had relatively more consistent winds for a further three back-to-back races, which were run before the breeze died in the early afternoon.

"Today was slightly more straightforward than yesterday," said defending Edinburgh Cup champion Graham Bailey. "With an ebb stream and the wind from 050 degrees, the tide favoured the left hand side of the course, where there was also better wind, so going left fast tended to pay."

Bailey had a good battle with Laurie Smith in the last race. Having been four lengths behind on the run, the pair split at the bottom gate, with Bailey passing just ahead on port when they crossed tacks. A win in the final race, however, wasn't enough to secure victory – Smith was overall winner by two points and the lone boat to count only top five places. Eric Williams finished the series tied on 17 points with Bailey, taking third place on count back.

Graham Bailey, William Heritage, William Bedford & Julia Bailey finish second in the Dragon South West Championship - photo © Rupert Holmes

Asked what his biggest challenge had been during the event, Smith said, "The very light winds and knowing which way to go up the beats. It was very tricky but we had a few good breaks." He also praised the race team of Bill Butcher and Gill Smith, saying they: "...did a great job in really hard conditions."

Racing for the Edinburgh Cup – a trophy donated to the class by the Duke of Edinburgh in 1948 – starts on Tuesday July 3. The forecast for the opening day is for more breeze and a continuation of the bright, unbroken sun that provided sparkling conditions in Torquay today. Lighter and more changeable conditions later in the week will continue to challenge the top teams, while providing opportunities for others to come to the fore in this hotly-contested class.

Gavia Wilkinson-Cox, previous winner of the South West Championships when it was last contested, was born and brought up sailing in Torquay and her father was a past commodore of the RTYC. She's had a life-long associated with the Edinburgh Cup and is racing this week with Mark Heart, Julia Fry and Carl Feeny.

"It's fantastic to see the Dragons here again," she said. "It's a very hot fleet and there will be some tough competition in tough conditions, but there's a fantastic ambience and everyone's going to have a great time. The Royal Torbay Yacht Club lends itself to these types of championships and the clubhouse is perfect for après sail activity."

The 29 teams in Torquay include all but one of the Edinburgh Cup winners since 2010, as well as a multitude of national, European and world champions, plus several Olympians.

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