Helly Hansen Merlin Rocket Week 2026 at Salcombe Yacht Club - Days 1 & 2

Sunny Salcombe — You Bet!

After all the usual Saturday nonsense was out of the way — trolley transfers, free gin and briefings, to name but a few — Sunday 5 July saw the start of the much-anticipated Helly Hansen 2026 Merlin Rocket Week, expertly hosted as usual by Salcombe Yacht Club.

It is set to be warm and sunny all week, paired with light winds. Rumours of the lesser-spotted sea breeze will no doubt circulate amongst the fleet, but the locals will be quick to tell you that times have changed!

Helly Hansen Merlin Rocket Week at Salcombe Yacht Club Day 1 - photo © Lucy Burn

A large amount of weed has also been littering the harbour in recent weeks and will add yet another challenge. No doubt it will play its part throughout the week, along with the notorious intricacies of "The Bag" and black flags aplenty. Sailors' resolve will be tested to the max.

Sunday AM — Red v Green

Light winds, tide flowing and over 50 boats on the start line: you guessed it, the week kicked off with a general recall, with nine teams sent to the beach to practise their sandcastle building.

Those that behaved got under way, and it was the Shorrocks who arrived at Blackstone first, closely followed by team Videlo/Henderson, with Saxton/McArthur and Hunt/Elles prominent early. Enter Tom Gillard and Rachel Gray: after a slow-ish start by their standards, they arrived at the bottom mark leading the race. From there, they built themselves a comfortable lead and were never challenged.

The rest of the fleet, however, still had plenty of decisions to make. The pressure appeared to be strongest on the left-hand side of the course, while the middle also offered opportunities for those able to find the breeze.

Helly Hansen Merlin Rocket Week at Salcombe Yacht Club Day 1 - photo © Lucy Burn

The downwind legs proved decisive, though, as Ollie Meadowcroft and Alex Pausey recovered from a poor first half by seeking out the pressure down the middle on the final run, propelling them into second place ahead of Dave Winder and Beka Jones, who came home third.

Several boats made major gains on the final legs by choosing the town side, with Rob Kennaugh among those to benefit. The late gains were significant, with around ten places available to those who found the right route — making the difference between an average result and a top-ten finish.

Sunday PM — Blue v Black

The afternoon race saw the breeze strengthen slightly from the WSW. Caroline Gould and Livvy Bell made light work of the first beat and took an early lead, looking very comfortable indeed.

Salcombe had other plans for this pair — and not ones aligning with their own.

Helly Hansen Merlin Rocket Week at Salcombe Yacht Club Day 1 - photo © Lucy Burn

Halwell Woods, often described by locals as the worst place in history, claimed its first victims, but they were not alone. Plenty of place-changing happened here — too much to note! Caroline and Livvy sat helplessly as Jenny and Pippa, along with Mary and Rupert, snuck through after picking up the new breeze first.

The new leading pair established a healthy advantage over the fleet and proceeded to match-race one another around the course, with the lead changing on almost every tack. After nearly 90 minutes of racing, it was team Dodds/Kilsby that came out on top, just edging out the Henderson-Whites.

Behind them, it was a friendly yet hard-fought race, with frequent changes of position and plenty of close encounters. Gustier downwind conditions rewarded crews who could judge the pressure, stay clear of the weed and choose the right lanes. Easy, right? Well, some appeared to find all that easier than others, and after a slow start Chris Gould and Sophie Mackley clawed their way back to a well-deserved third place.

Helly Hansen Merlin Rocket Week at Salcombe Yacht Club Day 1 - photo © Lucy Burn

Day 2 Racing

Slack Tide, Slow Runs and a Portlemouth Charge

Monday AM — Red v Blue

Day 2 brought slack tide and another light-air test for the fleet. Early on, the town side appeared to hold the advantage, with 3807 Saxton/McArthur and 3814 Goss/White making encouraging progress. However, it was 3803 Gould/Mackley who chose to lead the charge up the Portlemouth shore and arrived at Blackstone first.

Helly Hansen Merlin Rocket Week at Salcombe Yacht Club Day 2 - photo © Lucy Burn

As the morning warmed up, the breeze began to fade. What followed was a long and painfully slow run to mark Y, with the wind disappearing almost completely the further up the estuary the fleet travelled. Keeping the boat moving and finding even the smallest patches of pressure became the priority.

Despite the fading breeze, 3803 and 3807 managed to pull clear of the rest of the fleet on the run. 3807 emerged from Yalton Creek in the lead, with 3803 close behind, setting up a tight battle for the remainder of the race.

Helly Hansen Merlin Rocket Week at Salcombe Yacht Club Day 2 - photo © Lucy Burn

The racing between the two leaders remained close, but 3803 found a way through as they picked up fresh breeze off Fisherman's. Having worked their way past 3807, they extended their advantage to take the win.

Behind them, 3611 Dodds/Kilsby once again showed great pace and broke clear of the chasing pack, sailing a strong race to secure third place.

Helly Hansen Merlin Rocket Week at Salcombe Yacht Club Day 2 - photo © Lucy Burn

Monday PM — Red v Green

The afternoon race was yet another light-wind affair, with a steady ebb flowing beneath the fleet. The result: a general recall and nine boats sent back under the black flag. Most notably, the entire Henderson family were caught out, putting themselves under immense pressure in the battle for the family trophy.

Off they went again, with the key being to get onto port as soon as possible. The first team to do so were 3771 Ollie and Alex, and away they went. They led a highly talented group down the Portlemouth shore, including Gillard/Gray in 3759, Winder/Jones in 3827 and Birrell/Brearey in 3788.

Helly Hansen Merlin Rocket Week at Salcombe Yacht Club Day 2 - photo © Lucy Burn

Helly Hansen Merlin Rocket Week at Salcombe Yacht Club Day 2 - photo © Lucy Burn

"Snakes and ladders" is probably the best way to describe the race for the entire fleet. Dice were rolled and positions were either gained or lost. Some are better at this game than others, though, and it will come as no surprise that 3759 are good, very good. They found plenty of ladders, climbing from fourth to first.

3771 found the snakes and dropped to fourth, while 3827 and 3788 held steady in second and third respectively.

After two days of racing, it is incredibly close and, with some pretty testing conditions forecast, more trips into the creeks and lots more weed the event remains wide open.

Results after Day 2: