P&B Solo class National Championship 2026 at Royal Torbay Yacht Club - Day 1
by Will Loy 7 Aug 12:26 BST
6-9 August 2026
Day 1 - P&B Solo National Championship at Royal Torbay © Will Loy
The Solo fleet have returned to Torbay, the last time we visited was 2017 and before that 2008 so it's not hard to work out, one the NSCA event algorithm is in working order and two, we will not be back until 2035.
Royal Torbay Yacht Club stands proudly amongst some very typically victorian architecture and the vista from its beer garden is something to behold, especially when drenched in sunshine and that is the forecast for the week, albeit with a high pressure area dictating the wind strength and directions.
Bob Penfold, our Race Officer for the regatta is no stranger to the vagaries this Jack Holt design displays, therefore the beats will be short in length and the reaching legs will be at a generous 60 degree angle, providing perfect planing conditions should a cruise liner steam through the bay.
The fleet of mainly FRP constructed Solos line the breakwater, those slots closest to the slipway were taken by the early birds, consequently, the fools turning up late had the long walk of shame to the very end of the concrete hard and this would be their punishment for the four days of competition though the Nun chiming the bell seemed harsh. I carried out interviews ahead of the days racing but fatigue prevented me reaching the outer reaches of the long line of athletes.
Among the plastic fantastic are some splinters of wood, albeit some have FRP hulls but the decks of Obeche and Mahogany, dripping in varnish still warm my heart and turn the heads of spectator and fellow competitor. The Scorpion class still have a very strong following of wooden hulls and I do wonder how they did it, both designs are quite boxy with minimal loads applied to the hull's integrity.
To the day's racing and having finally tracked down the media/Jury rib amongst the maze of moored super yachts in a marina dripping with wealth and obviously money to burn, NSCA Jury Steve Watson steered us out to the race arena.
The Committee boat was moored just outside Brixham and so the sailors had a gentle run down to the start area with the breeze holding at around 5 knots, lines of picture perfect fluffy cloud filling the sky, certainly no hint of a major weather system to spoil the panorama. Somewhere in my loo back home a small book, never opened and filled with information on clouds let out a sigh of resignation.
Comms cracked to and forth amongst the race team, delivering vital information on wind strength and direction but all confirming that the northerly was holding and so the windward mark was dropped at around 0 degrees. Behind us a wall of blue sky began to form, a yacht far out to sea appeared to be making good speed but the heel and direction seemed at odds with an offshore breeze. Five minutes later the compass bearing began to flick to the left, 40, 50 60, until it stabilised at 130 degrees, the strength providing perfect hiking conditions for anyone under 75kgs. Bob quickly re-assembled the course, delivering short, concise instructions to his troops and we were into sequence.
Steve was already deep in concentration scanning transoms and his intention as always was to motor along the line slowly and study any excess rudder and body movement, standard Jury procedure but with a drone to launch, I had to slap his freshly shaved face a few times to shake him from his zen-like coma before he finally put the engine in neutral.
With the Mini 3 successfully launched he could resume the search while I fixed my good eye on my DJI console, positioning the clever little device just above the Committee boat, Mark Jardine style.
The fleet looked quite wondrous as they hardened up at the gun but were deemed early so that was the first general recall of the week out of the way.
Attempt two under the U flag was successful and I slowly tracked down the 450 metre line, reaching the corner hitters after about two minutes, Davenport's gold Contender Maxx sail shimmering and standing out against the humdrum silver shards of Technora like a sore thumb. Cumbley ducks on port, these two already locking horns like a couple of Bucks but the North jockey's aramid black sail, in contrast to Davenport's seemed to suck the very sunlight out of the air like a black hole consumes matter.
Further out to the left and Charlie Nunn had nailed the pin end (his words, not mine) and tacking onto a nice left hand shift, looked set to win the race (his words, not mine). It was in that second of euphoria that he heard a ping, his outhaul line detaching from its silly little groove and his subsequent attempt to fix resulted in a swim, setting back his assault on a top ten finish overall.
Fortunately he would later win a P&B baseball cap at the Prize Giving though I believe he would have rather taken a bullet.
Alex Butler, recently crowned Nigel Pusinelli Trophy winner rounded the top mark with Spod Olive, who was one of only a few who had ventured out onto the water the previous day in second from Cumbley, Jamie Cuxsan and Andrew Wilde. Honnor, Bunn and Gibson are next and the fleet follow as they head around the spreader before soaking down the run to the gate. Reigning Champion Davenport has work to do in tenth but Winder hits the top mark so that is one down. Elaine Turner NED in the Paul Dijkstra design is inside the top fifteen, confirming my belief in her skill with class President and Nation's Cup winner Guy Mayger on her transom.
Steve opened up the throttle on the Suzuki powered 4 metre rib and I gripped onto my equipment for dear life, preparing for the jolt of acceleration this clean fuel four stroke motor can deliver.
Eight minutes later we arrived at the gate mark, disappointing performances are something we are not unaccustomed to delivering but it's not good to be on the receiving end of a dodgy motor.
I quickly launched the NSCA Mine 3 and captured the fleet as they chose their gate marks, Olive opting for the right hand gate while Butler, Cumbley and Wilde chose the gate to take them left. Cuxsan, leading Scotsman Gibson and Chris White out of Shropshire S.C were nicely placed with the rest of the fleet zig zagging behind in an attempt to stay in the veins of breeze.
Olive consolidated up the second beat, impressive and composed while his closest competitors tacked on each others air and this gave him vital yards as they headed down the two reaches to the gun.
There were places to be made though the sea state was relatively benign, anyone under 70 kgs must have been feeling super quick while conversely, the modern men were ruing their dietary choices, though they might claim it was hereditary.
Spod Olive was chuffed to win his first Championship race and rightly so, not many do. Butler starts his campaign with a nice second, a solid performer and one of the lighter sailors so the forecast for the week will be putting a smile on that twenty-seven year old face. Wilde has some good form and has backed it up with a third ahead of Cumbley who is getting to grips with the North aramid. Gibson in fifth is the leading member of the strong Scottish squad, never rule out Kev Gibb though.
The breeze had dropped quite significantly as the trailing Solos finished and with the sea breeze dying, the gradient Northerly re-affirmed itself but only after a considerable wait.
RO Bob's voice, crisp and articulate, ordered his team to reset with the windward mark at around 340 degrees and we went into sequence. With the drone airborne we headed down from the Committee boat towards a more favoured pin end, the drone holding station behind us until being released from it's GPS position at the start gun. The micro SD card soaked up the action, hunting down TV gold while Steve continued to monitor there competitors though he really had little to whistle about. That said, the presence of the Jury flag has a surprisingly effective effect on the sailors demeanour, not unlike overtaking a police car doing 67 on the motorway, we all stick to 70 mph and not a revolution more.
I continued to weave the airborne high resolution camera in and out of the fleet as they tacked their way up towards the mark, slowly adapting my flying skills to smooth out my initial jittery, jagged directional changes which always soak up valuable time when editing late at night.
My attention was drawn to the sound of my fellow crew member who, bent over the pathetically powerless outboard was rasping for breath. Scotch Eggs can have that effect on anyone but mine were still buried deep down in my dry bag so it must have been the exertion of pulling the rip cord on the starter motor.
The outboard then decided enough was enough and automatically tilted into the up position,
It's on board ECU deciding that the all up weight for a 4 metre rib had been exceeded.
We were then unceremoniously towed to the rear of the Committee boat and subsequently back to shore while the fleet completed their second race but only after I had flown the droner one more time as they rounded the gate marks.
Cumbley leads and takes the left gate before tacking off onto port while Davenport opts for the same mark but stands out to the left for a few hundred yards. Butler in third takes the right gate and heads right with a bunch behind opting for the more favoured left side. The wind had shifted left and a temporary mark was dropped, catching out a few including Vernon Perkins and this would put a dent in his search for a Championship win and more importantly, a reality check on his capabilities. Ian Barnett in his beautiful Gosling composite (4892) is ninth and heads hard left, rounding the top mark in third before soaking under the leaders down the two long reaches to take an amazing win.
Cumbley, Davenport, Butler and Ian Baillie SCO complete the top five in a race of some complexity.
The fleet headed back to shore but only after a considerable wait while four tourist ferries entered the narrow port entrance. I was already in the Volvo V70 and heading home, keen to see if my drone had delivered what it was designed to do.
Overnight, Cumbley leads the P&B Solo National Championship but tied with Butler, Davenport, White and Mark Lee completing the top five. Elaine Turner is first lady and leading NED sailor with a very happy Maria E Franco in a creditable 54th, 30 positions above her normal finish.
Friday is forecast light with the strongest pressure in the late afternoon so a delay is possible but not inevitable.