Salcombe Yacht Club Early May Bank Holiday Racing
by Malcolm Mackley 7 May 09:57 BST
4-5 May 2019
Salcombe Yawls on the Early May Bank Holiday weekend © Michael Hicks
Salcombe Yacht Club had yet another hectic Bank Holiday period with the estuary enlivened by the Barton Solicitors sponsored Open Meetings for Salcombe Yawls and National Twelves together with the usual Saturday club racing.
The blue sky and moderate breeze also brought out many visiting yachts, paddle boards and canoes resulting in an unexpectedly chilly but busy estuary with plenty of challenges for the race officers having to cope with most races taking place at low water.
Salcombe Yawls
A good fleet of 14 modern Red Fleet yawls assembled including two generations of Hendersons, newcomers Nick and Anne Jackson and Paul and Julie Rayson. In races 1 and 2 Rob Henderson (junior) and Tristan Stone held off the Hendersons (senior) and also Martin Beck and Paul Ellis to score two first places. However youth burnt brightly and faded and Will and Mandy Henderson then scored a first and second place in races 3 and 4 giving them the series with Martin Beck and Paul Ellis second. Rob Henderson and Tristan Stone pipped Dan and Gail Bridger, the winners of race 4 into third place overall by virtue of their superior number of first places.
In the Blue fleet for the older boats, Simon Dobson crewed and advised by Nicky Dobson cruised to 3 first places to win overall. In the final race Stephen Galvin and Mark Waterhouse led for most of the race only for them to lose focus and sacrifice first place in the race and second place overall to John Smithers and Peter Hughes.
Red fleet
1st 183 Will and Mandy Henderson
2nd 181 Paul Ellis and Martin Beck
3rd 160 Rob Henderson and Tristan Stone
Blue Fleet
1st 112 Simon and Nicki Dobson
2nd 19 John Smithers and Peter Hughes
3rd 99 Stephen Galvin and Mark Waterhouse
Sailing Club Series Day 3
The Saturday club racing was sailed in excellent conditions with Race Officer Ian Stewart setting a monster two hour course that tested every ones fitness and concentration. The fourteen boat Solo fleet was the most numerous and David Greening powered away from the start to take control of the whole race from a strong chasing pack. Both laser (ILCA) aces, Michael Hicks and Tim Law were relearning to sail their Solos and it took Tim Law the full race to just overhaul Ed Stephens on the last beat and gain second place; whilst Michael Hicks suffered the indignity of a passing seagull precision dropping of its droppings onto his beautiful new laminated sail. The Fast handicap fleet was strengthened by the visiting crew of Fran Gifford and Sophie Mackley sailing the Cranford Smith superfast grey Merlin and they were able to see off the Phantom dinghy challenge of Chris Cleaves who was second. The Juniors and Medium handicap both enjoyed good racing with Henry Evans in a Topper leading the juniors home and Andrew and Lewis Groves in a Feva the handicap fleet.
Solos
1st 5793, David Greening
2nd 5743, Tim Law
3rd 5769, Ed Stephens
Juniors
1st Topper 48169, Henry Evans
2nd RS Quba 1, Louis Hollins
3rd Topper 48167, Dom Holt Wilson
Medium Handicap
1st RS Feva 4640, Andrew and Lewis Groves
2st Aero 7 1746, Simon Ballentine
3rd RS Feva 4165, Rob and Edwin Langley
Fast Handicap
1st Merlin Rocket 3769, Fran Gifford and Sophie Gifford
2nd Phantom 1306, Chris Cleaves
3rd Laser 201562, Bru Pearce