Scorpion Open at Sidmouth Sailing Club
by Steve McCarthy 16 Jul 09:01 BST
11-12 July 2026
The weekend of 11-12 July 2026 splashed out with a host of top-level sports events, ranging from an England World Cup Quarter Final to the Wimbledon Finals. Most significant of all, however, was the Scorpion Class Open Meeting at Sidmouth Sailing Club.
A strong local entry made up half the fleet, with the rest travelling from across the nation to be greeted by a sizzling British summer weekend and 18 boats on the entry list.
A steady rollout on Saturday morning allowed for boat rigging and chin-wagging before the briefing kicked off at 11:30. With the intention to run a six-race series, Saturday looked promising for the three scheduled starts. The wind was a wandering easterly at around 8 knots at best, with a gentle sea state to play with.
With the breeze wandering a little too much for a course to be set, the AP flag was raised and the wait began. After around an hour, the Race Officer felt the breeze was good enough to get the show started on a triangle-sausage course. Race 1 got away cleanly on the first attempt.
The windward mark was claimed by A J Eaton and Chris Eaton (2014), closely followed by Darren Roach and Rachael Gray (2037), with the rest of the fleet hot on their heels. The light breeze meant the front pack stayed relatively tight. By the final leg, Roach and Gray just managed to pip the Eaton's to take the line.
Race 2 commenced shortly after, but a general recall was ordered. With a dropping breeze, the RO signalled AP over A, concluding the day's racing early. It was a sensible decision; if Race 2 had made a clean start, it would have been a pure drifter by the windward mark.
With the fleet ashore, boat bimbling and beer became the order of the day. A fantastic lasagne dinner was provided by the club later on, leaving everyone energized to cheer England on. This was done in earnest, watched next door to the club on the big screen at the Salcombe Tap House.
Sunday called for an earlier start, with four races planned to ensure the series achieved a discard. With a good breeze tickling 20 knots at times and a solid metre of surfable sea state, Race 2 kicked off just after 11:00. The line was a touch biased and with a knot of tide on the nose, securing a good start meant judging the line with plenty of time and pulling the trigger early. With a clean start, racing commenced.
The heavier breeze quickly shook up the fleet. In Race 2, Darren Roach and Rachael Gray picked up right where they left off, taking another bullet, followed closely by A J and Chris Eaton. Meanwhile, Steve McCarthy and Delyth Hopkins (1984) came home in a solid 3rd place to kickstart their upward climb.
Race 3 saw a masterclass from Roach and Gray, who secured their third consecutive win. Peter Harper and Andy Service found extra gears in the surf to take 2nd, with the Eaton's crossing in 3rd.
By Race 4, the front end had a bit of a shake-up with the top reach being too tight for the spinnaker. Harper and Service sailed a brilliant race to steal the bullet away from the dominant leaders—even with a snapped starboard spinnaker pole! Capitalising on the shifting dynamics, McCarthy and Hopkins found their lane in the surf to secure a fantastic 2nd place finish ahead of Roach and Gray in 3rd.
The final race of the weekend (Race 5) was a hard-fought battle of endurance. A J and Chris Eaton saved their best for last, playing the conditions perfectly to take a well-deserved final bullet. Janet and Alan Ritchie also put on an excellent display, winning the windward mark, then defending well to claim 2nd, with Roach and Gray rounding out the podium spots in 3rd.
With five races completed and the all-important discard coming into play, consistency in the Sunday breeze proved to be the deciding factor. Darren Roach and Rachael Gray took a thoroughly deserved overall victory, just two points clear of a fast-charging A J and Chris Eaton. Thanks to a relentless string of top-five finishes on Sunday, McCarthy and Hopkins locked down 3rd overall on the podium.
Special mention must also go to the fleet's future talent, Charlie Pickering and Ursula Jenkins with boat 1861 securing a fantastic 12th overall to claim the well-deserved Youth Category prize.
Final Thanks
An event of this scale relies on an army of volunteers, and Sidmouth Sailing Club truly delivered.
Returning ashore in the challenging Sunday surf proved to be a real test of nerves, but the amazing shore team did a spectacular job catching the boats one by one to bring everyone home safely.
Praise goes to the race and rescue teams for their tenacity and skill, keeping proceedings running like clockwork while providing top-tier racing.
The galley team kept the fleet fully fuelled throughout, serving up an amazing Saturday night lasagne, Sunday morning breakfast baps, and the all-important takeaway baps to sustain the sailors out on the water.
Special thanks go to the organizing committee for putting together a fantastic weekend, and to the local potter who crafted beautiful, bespoke mugs for the prizes.
The fleet was also incredibly grateful to the Salcombe Tap House for providing spot prizes and looking after everyone so well during the World Cup game.
Finally, thank you to the Silver Scorpion circuit series sponsor, Craftinsure, for their continued and valued support of the class.
Overall Results:
| Pos | Sail No | Helm | Crew | R1 | R2 | R3 | R4 | R5 | Pts |
|---|
| 1st | 2037 | Darren Roach | Rachael Gray | 1 | 1 | 1 | ‑3 | 3 | 6 |
| 2nd | 2014 | A J Eaton | Chris Eaton | 2 | 2 | 3 | ‑4 | 1 | 8 |
| 3rd | 1984 | Steve McCarthy | Delyth Hopkins | ‑9 | 3 | 5 | 2 | 4 | 14 |
| 4th | 2040 | Peter Harper | Andy Service | 6 | 8 | 2 | 1 | (DNC) | 17 |
| 5th | 2005 | Janet Ritchie | Alan Ritchie | 3 | ‑7 | 7 | 5 | 2 | 17 |
| 6th | 2020 | James Salter | Anna Whitford | 5 | 5 | 4 | ‑6 | 6 | 20 |
| 7th | 2053 | Malcom James | Josh Oates | 7 | 4 | ‑8 | 7 | 5 | 23 |
| 8th | 2018 | Nigel Potter | Jerry Hannabuss | 4 | 6 | 6 | (DNC) | 7 | 23 |
| 9th | 1970 | Alex Gibson | Robert York | 8 | 10 | 9 | 8 | (DNC) | 35 |
| 10th | 2010 | Nicola Barrett | Charles Barrett | 10 | ‑14 | 11 | 9 | 8 | 38 |
| 11th | 1919 | Richard Gatehouse | Lauren Wills | ‑15 | 9 | 10 | 10 | 9 | 38 |
| 12th | 1861 | Charlie Pickering | Ursula Jenkins | 12 | ‑15 | 12 | 11 | 10 | 45 |
| 13th | 2034 | John Cooper | Anesta Cooper | 14 | 13 | 14 | 13 | (DNC) | 54 |
| 14th | 1942 | Simon Price | Emma MacFadyen | (DNF) | 12 | 13 | 12 | DNC | 56 |
| 15th | 1908 | Andy Horsley | Lucy Snowsill | 17 | 11 | (DNC) | DNC | DNC | 66 |
| 16th | 1988 | Barny Croft | Louise Corfield | 11 | (RET) | DNC | DNC | DNC | 68 |
| 17th | 1993 | Miles Hapgood | Lou Pickering | 13 | (DNC) | DNC | DNC | DNC | 70 |
| 18th | 1952 | Ady Moreton | Steve Beard | 16 | (DNC) | DNC | DNC | DNC | 73 |