Aspire Merlin Rocket National Championship at Looe Sailing Club - Day 3

Merlin Rocket Aspire National at Looe Day 3 © Alex Pausey

Tuesday and it is the Sailing Chandlery race day three of the Aspire Merlin Rocket Nationals at Looe Sailing Club.

Eager to get over the disappointment of blasting to the start line on Creation Covers race day two only to wallow as the wind shut off, the fleet were eagerly anticipating the prospect of a three-race day out in Looe Bay. The very keenest of rocketeers launched as soon as Delta flew only to then see AP/H hoisted and a return to the beach. This gave ample time to enjoy the cloudless skies above Looe, to admire the latest control systems sported by boats across the fleet guaranteed to confer performance enhancing benefits, or to continue to sample and debate the best ice cream locations and flavours. For those of you who are yet to try millionaires' shortbread from Daisy's Cornish Ice Cream this comes highly recommended.

Just as some teams contemplated a second ice cream, the conditions started to stabilise in the bay and the fleet was released again. After one aborted start, a general recall with the tidal flow and an aggressively high line of boats lining up claiming 8 numbers, and a little more bobbing around our patient race team waited for the opportune moment to start the final countdown.

Ignoring all advice from the previous WWW sessions about not hitting lay lines early and instead heeding the alternative advice of "If you're going to bang it, bang it hard" coming out of the right corner to lead at the first mark was free thinking designer Gavin Willis riding Happy Ending, the wing-masted one-off flying machine of his own invention, ably crewed by Upper Thames' finest Tré Jacobs.

Merlin Rocket Aspire National at Looe Day 3 - photo © Alex Pausey

As the wind faded down the run it was the irresistible force that is Tom Gillard & Rachael Gray who gybed off to find a little more pressure and sail into the lead. As the wind continued to fade and a shortened course was signalled at the bottom of the run Tom and Rach held this through to the finish, followed by Andy Davis & Ollie Meadowcroft in second, Tim Saxton & Hollie McArthur in third, and Gavin & Tré holding on for a happy ending in fourth. Ben Saxton and Matt Rainback rounded out the top five.

The forecast for Wednesday is for a more stable South Westerly, in which we hope to complete three races.

To quote Forrest Gump "And that is all I have to say about that."

Merlin Rocket Aspire National at Looe Day 3 - photo © Alex Pausey

A huge thank you to all our sponsors Aspire Financial Advisors, Creation Covers, Pinnell & Bax, Sailing Chandlery, ClamCleat, Winder Boats and Copperfish Distillery.

Results after Day 3: