Noble Marine Comet Trio Mark 1 National Championship 2026 at Exe Sailing Club - Day 2
by Caroline McAusland 8 Aug 21:07 BST
7-9 August 2026
Day 2 dawned at the Noble Marine Comet Trio National Championship held at Exe Sailing Club with the promise of a lighter breeze with ESE 8/9 knots forecasted.
The competitors were under strict instructions to make haste and get out to the starting line in good time. Everyone behaved & had plenty of time to assess the course and sort out any boat related problems pre start.
Race officer Les Arscott and his trusty band of helpers did a superb job and 3 races were held with a quick turnaround between races.
Race 4 of the series started with the first 3 boats to the windward mark having started towards the pin end of the line. Chris Biglin continued to show a good turn of speed and was first to the windward mark closely followed by the Ways and McAuslands. These results stayed unchanged for the duration of the race.
Race 5 commenced after relocation of the windward mark and the fleet got off to a clean start. Once again the pin end seemed to be favoured with 515 - Karen and Sue taking a long port tack to arrive at the windward mark just behind the Ways and Biglins. Guy Farrant however started midline, rounding the windward mark 4th and then choosing the port side of the course for his downwind leg which resulted in him picking up 2 places and finishing second. Poppy and Jane were delighted to finish 4th, well ahead of Richard and Carole - the first time that Poppy has beaten her father on the water!
Race 6 and again the leaders at the windward mark came from the pin end and the top 3 positions remained unchanged throughout the race. Anne and Mike Way secured their second win of the day, the Biglins finishing second look to have their name on the trophy, and the McAuslands were 3rd.
One more race beckons tomorrow with second, third and fourth closely contested.
Results after Day 2:
| Pos | Sail No | Ancient Mariners | Helm | Crew | R1 | R2 | R3 | R4 | R5 | R6 | Pts |
|---|
| 1st | 504 | N | Chris Biglin | Ben Biglin | 1 | ‑3 | 1 | 1 | ‑3 | 2 | 5 |
| 2nd | 513 | Y | Anne Way | Mike Way | ‑4 | 4 | (RET) | 2 | 1 | 1 | 8 |
| 3rd | 501 | Y | Andrew McAusland | Caroline McAusland | 2 | 1 | 2 | ‑3 | ‑5 | 3 | 8 |
| 4th | 509 | Y | Guy Farrant | Graham Sykes | 3 | 2 | 3 | ‑5 | 2 | ‑4 | 10 |
| 5th | 512 | N | Mike Hart | Jenny Hart | ‑7 | 5 | 4 | 4 | ‑10 | 5 | 18 |
| 6th | 511 | Y | Richard Salis | Carole Williams | ‑11 | ‑10 | 6 | 6 | 8 | 7 | 27 |
| 7th | 514 | N | Poppy Salis | Jane Higgins | ‑12 | ‑15 | 9 | 7 | 4 | 9 | 29 |
| 8th | 435 | N | Jamie Grigor | Eli Baxter | 8 | 8 | (RET) | ‑13 | 7 | 6 | 29 |
| 9th | 361 | N | Alex Fastnedge | William Fastnedge | 9 | 7 | 5 | ‑14 | ‑16 | 12 | 33 |
| 10th | 369 | N | Mark Nicholson | Malcolm Crundwell | 5 | 11 | 7 | 10 | ‑15 | ‑13 | 33 |
| 11th | 515 | Y | Sue Frost | Karen Wilson | ‑17 | ‑16 | 13 | 9 | 6 | 8 | 36 |
| 12th | 394 | Y | Simon Gregory | Nick Coombes | ‑15 | ‑14 | 12 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 39 |
| 13th | 348 | N | Chris Mayne | Sam Mayne | 6 | ‑13 | ‑15 | 12 | 13 | 11 | 42 |
| 14th | 502 | Y | Nick Webber | Andy Douglas | ‑16 | 12 | 8 | 11 | 11 | ‑15 | 42 |
| 15th | 426 | N | Jamie Lee | Mike Upton | 10 | 6 | 10 | ‑17 | 17 | (RET) | 43 |
| 16th | 1509 | N | Peter Owens | Debbie Woodcock | 13 | 9 | 11 | ‑15 | 12 | ‑16 | 45 |
| 17th | 428 | Y | lan McKay | Richard Stradling | ‑18 | ‑17 | 14 | 16 | 14 | 14 | 58 |