Solo Nigel Pusinelli Trophy 2024 sponsored by Salcombe Brewery at Salcombe Yacht Club

Solo Nigel Pusinelli Trophy at Salcombe © Dougal Henshall

GOAT Marine Western Area Series

36 competitors descended from various parts of the UK to contest the re-arranged Nigel Pusinelli Trophy, 11 were official visitors but a good proportion of the home fleet live in Surrey so we're able to tie in a trip to the second home for the weekend. Everyone had seemed surprised with the selection of this magical, mystical hamlet, none more than the Salcombe sailors themselves so the visiting rookies were in for a 'treat'.

The estuary is renowned for its complex tidal flow and wind vagaries and much has been written in an attempt to prepare the first time sailor for what they are about to experience. Ordinarily my advice would be to follow a local but putting your trust in McGregor, Fleet Captain Griffin or even local hero 'Chubby' Cleaves can sometimes be like following a blind man with a bad case of amnesia.

My journey from Brixham is one of the shorter and prettier trips, taking in the Dartmouth ferry, Slapton Sands and Kingsbridge and with a light breeze and welcome sunshine, only my un-operational Volvo V70 window mechanism tainted my demeanour. I took a moment to share my own thoughts on the event and possible winner with my wife as we negotiated the narrow Devon B roads, the entry list was loaded with some heavy hitters, Salcombe, a bit like Hayling Island is peppered with superstars and with the likes of Law, Fells and Turner in the field, the visitors would have their work cut out. My mobile bleeped, indicating that my long distance WhatsApp call to Australia had been cut off, pretty sure it was a signal loss.

Class President Guy Mayger had pursuaded his good lady that a ten hour round trip from Bognor for the weekend would be fun, the fact that the day 2 forecast indicated Hurricane proportion winds and rain was possibly omitted from the chat but the promise of a nice B+B with parking obviously sealed the deal. Charlie Nunn arrived with the GOAT Solo and Chris Mayhew had made the trip from the East Coast with his 15 year old wooden JP Solo, surely he got lost?

Salcombe is under the jurisdiction of South Hams and they must have clearly had a good deal on yellow paint, it was hard to find an inch of tarmac untouched and they even put two lines down just to be safe. I followed a Merlin being trailed down to the water and was fortunate to find a space in the dinghy park, the normal carpark now home to a large fleet of keelboats for the Winter. I told my Samsung S5 to wake up and after a few minutes it agreed to open and accept the Ringo Car park app, without this you are buggered. I had a few words with the device, again threatening an upgrade before powering it off and headed for the briefing.

Ian 'Skud' Stewart would be the Day 1 PRO and, keen to keep things simple, set a windward-leeward course with the top mark near Blackstone which is towards the mouth and mark 3 which was about ten feet from sitting in a foot of water, given the spring tide which was well on the way out towards Ireland. Adrian Griffin offered out A5 glossy brochures of the river and it's mark positions which must have cost a fortune and if Carlsberg did course maps...

Two races were planned with the first warning signal at 12.55pm giving me ample time to yomp to the yacht club via the pasty shop to take on supplies, the staff remained calm, pointing me to the nearest defibrillator instillation but only after taking payment for the reassuringly expensive savouries.

Race 1

The fleet assembled beneath the start line and with the length of line reduced by a good 75 feet the sailors weaved from left to right like caged tigers preparing to pounce. Clean start bar Will Henderson who had to go back, meanwhile Tim Fells nailed the pin end from Cleaves and Aplin in his distinctive Ferrari red hull while those on the right were searching for pressure, Turner, Bird and Mayger tacking back towards the Salcombe side. Tim Law had started on the right but now in good pressure, worked his Winder/North powered Solo into first place at Blackstone with Jamie Greenhill, Fells, Turner and Robin Hodges in close behind. The run down to the bottom of the course required the concentration of an Air Traffic Controller with a migraine, swathes of Solos ten abreast and on opposite tacks converging between a myriad of moored vessels, Cranford Smith paying special attention to fuel barge avoidance. Law advanced from Greenhill and Fells who had both sunk deep with Mayger, Turner and Bird moving up inside the top six and they had a lovely gap back to the other thirty Solos that all seemed to want to round the mark together. Cleaves and Nunn must have been relieved to round just ahead of that bun fight.

Tim Fells showed great speed despite two swims during the Solo Nigel Pusinelli Trophy at Salcombe - photo © Will Loy

The leading group squirted out up the second beat, staying in the tide and good pressure pivotal but with the tide about to turn, race two would be a whole different tactical task. The breeze softened and the locals were really displaying the finesse required to master the estuary, positioning their Solos into the beneficial tidal eddies and hooking their rigs into irrational wind bends that only years of suffering and misfortune can teach.

Law continued to lead from Turner with Greenhill, Fells and Simon Dobson completing the top five at the bottom mark. The final beat tacking duels saw Law hold for the win from Turner with Fells sticking to the shore to break through the Greenhill defence for third.

Race 2

The tide was now supposed to be least influential and this probably accounted for the over-zealous attitude on the start line, general recall. The fleet once again jostled for position, the silver shards of Technora, illuminated by the welcome October sunshine, weaved left and right like a school of Mackerel disrupted by a hungry Seal. Roger Gibb had been isolated from the pack and clearly alarmed, ventured over the line early before going back to the safe side. Too late, BFD, which was a shame as he would feature near the front of the fleet at the top mark before being pulled out by my driver. I know the look a Gibb gives you when you give him bad news and it is something you don't forget.

He may have been BFD but Roger Gibb still gets in Y&Y during the Solo Nigel Pusinelli Trophy at Salcombe - photo © Will Loy

Turner, Simon 'Yachty' Yates, Fells and Dave Winder were closest to the pin end and with the Spring tide already on the way in, tacking along the bank was going to be paramount.

Tim Law had taken a more conservative approach which is not a big stretch for him and this tactic caused all sorts of antics as those tacking out to avoid foil damage shouted for room. They were already thirty feet off the beach so had to tack back, giving him a nice advantage. Fells had worked the right of the beat and at the top, which sounds like it was simple but it was not, rounded first from Law with Henderson, Nunn and Turner completing the top five.

The breeze was holding at 8-10 knots, 12 knots in some places and 4 knots a few feet either side, the fleet providing an impressive wind shadow which, like a self combusting star, would pull in anything too close.

Fells and Law were well outside that magnetic influence and proceeded to sail their own little race, though that would be an insult to the gravitas of any victory in this fabled bit of Devon. Even now, a songsmith somewhere in Portlemouth will be penning a ballad which will, one day be sung by kids as they play with their makeshift toy Solos by the water's edge.

The leaders close tacked up the shore, even a few metres too far and the tide would kill your speed, Henderson and Nunn were in their own battle, as were Turner and McGregor, weaving in and out of the moorings like kids playing hide and seek with the rest of the fleet following suit.

Law took the lead near to the rocks but tacked off and surrendered it back to Fells, later, Michael Hicks would get just a little too close to the granite and there is only one winner out of that.

Solo Nigel Pusinelli Trophy at Salcombe - photo © Will Loy

The final run saw a gybing duel near the bottom but Fells held strong to round just ahead with only the beat back to the line required. Now Tim Law has been around a few years and his determined spirit is right out of Zulu, you could probably blow one of his legs off and he would still hike out hard with the other one so this race was not over. a Dozen perfect roll tacks later and he took the lead, Fells just falling foul of the tide by a few inches. The final few tacks saw slam dunks from Law, everyone now knows what wind disruption from the boat in front looks like and I could almost see the ticker tape hitting Fells in the face. To rub salt into the wound and like a Buffalo slowly dropping to the ground from a snippers bullet, he tacked and capsized, only just managing to recover as Henderson and Turner approached. McGregor was fifth which will give him some respect in the sumptuous clubhouse bar but probably no free kebab and ex Enterprise legend Nigel Bird was sixth.

Unfortunately racing on Sunday was abandoned which was a shame as my cameras were fully charged and ready to go. My repaired Nikon P950 was especially disappointed, it really wanted to show the difference between it and the Nikon 4200. Fortunately it will have an opportunity at the EOS in November at Draycote Water.

Special mentions to Chris Mayhew, who travelled an insane amount of miles and finished fifth overall in his wooden JP, Dave Winder who continues to provide the class with his awesome Solo hulls and comes and mixes it with the fleet and Fleet Captain Adrian Griffin who selflessly supports 'Team Salcombe' from deep in the pack, only very occasionally allowing us a glimpse of his real talent.

The podium was expected but no less impressive, Oliver Turner in third, overflowing with the sort of enthusiasm we usually witness in a US Presidential Election Rally, he has that sort of 'Payne' presence. I wonder if he should have a DNA test?

Tim Fells in second, I would say sure footed and composed but two swims in two races suggests 10 knots is his max wind range, Sunday would have been great footage. Some sailors look awkward in a Solo but he makes it look sporty.

Tim Law wins the Solo Nigel Pusinelli Trophy at Salcombe - photo © Will Loy

So the Nigel Pusinelli Trophy winner is Tim Law, clinical, determined, hungry and fierce but not in a gay way, if Carlsberg had to produce a Champion it would probably be Tim Law.

Well done to all the competitors, race teams and shore side catering and thanks to Salcombe Brewery and Goat Marine for supporting the class.

Overall Results: