Salcombe Yacht Club Summer Series Race 1
by John Burn & David Greening 11 Jun 2023 18:29 UTC
10 June 2023
Yawl Race (by John Burn
It was great to see an even mix of red and blue fleet Yawls taking part in the first race of the Summer Series.
As the faintest of sea breezes tried to assert its dominance just before the start, the fleet ended up with a reasonable first beat to Blackstone. However, half of the fleet was caught out by the strong ebb tide and were either unaware or unwilling to go back, resulting in multiple boats receiving the award of OCS on the results sheet.
Not for David Sworder, who had Andrew Stirling as crew, they had seen the error of their ways and, along with Rob Allen and his crew in Y172, did go back. Unfortunately for Y172, they were then caught infringing on the fairway.
As the fleet rounded the first mark, Tim Law and Ossie Stewart led from John and Frankie Burn, but Andy and Elizabeth Savell soon found their way through to the front as the breeze died off again at Millbay.
Mike Knowles and Mandy Henderson were the first blue Yawl, and we're keeping pace with the front three. As the fleet arrived at the ferry landing, the wind had filled in from behind. This caused a bunching of all the fleets as they headed for Crossways. Half the Yawl fleet opted to cross and try their luck running through the line of Yawl moorings, while the others stuck to Ditch End.
As it happens, Dan and Gail Bridger reached the mark marginally ahead of John and Frankie Burn, who had both chosen different routes to the mark.
This pair rounded clear ahead and left the melee of 20 odd boats attempting to all round the mark at the same time in their wake.
Dan and Gail, out in front and now in control, led for the remainder of the race. John and Frankie closed right up to them on the final downwind leg but were unable to find a way past as the Bridgers covered them to the finish.
1st Dan and Gail Bridger
2nd John and Frankie Burn
3rd Mike Knowles and Mandy Henderson
Solo Race (by David Greening)
There was a slightly reduced turnout of Solos for the first race of the Summer Series, due to the weather forecasts indicating that what little wind that was due would be clocking around from North Easterly to Southerly during the course of the race, this left the prospect of the entire race being held in the lee of the hill that is East Portlemouth.
The Southerly arrived early, but not early enough to avoid a downwind start into a strong ebb tide, with competitors jostling to be closest inshore to get out of the strong tidal stream.
Chris Cleaves judged this best, and clung onto the inside berth, so much so that he had to get out of his boat when it grounded off Fisherman's Cove. Cleaves was followed by Simon Dobson around the Crossways Mark, there followed a beat on the tide to the Millbay mark, where most of the back of the fleet caught up, while the leaders were being washed back by the tide.
So once again Cleaves had to defend the inside lane. As he headed around Ditch End many of the other classes were closing in with a fresh band of sea breeze. Cleaves managed to sneak around Crossways before the line of the ensuing fleet, whilst Oli Turner and David Greening grabbed the opportunity that was presented by a fleet of Yawls lined up on Port gybe, to round the penultimate mark in second and third, with Simon Dobson in close pursuit.
Cleaves eventually secured the win, whilst Turner, Greening and Dobson remained in formation to take the remaining places, whilst buried in the Yawl fleet.