Salcombe Gin Merlin Rocket Open Meeting 2024 by Tom Stewart, photos by Lucy Burn/SYC_Sailing_

27 April 2024 and the 70 competitors might have wondered why they had made the trip to the Southwest as they donned full sailing kit just to rig in Saturday’s rain squalls, but by the end of the weekend the Sun was shining and yet again Salcombe had delivered a fine weekend of Merlin racing.

This was Round 3 of the SW Series hosted by Salcombe Yacht Club with sponsors by CF by L and L.

Race one:

With 35 boats on the start line, the fairway in place, a first leg that might be a beat or a fetch to number 3 against the ebb, in 5 to 10 knots of breeze made getting a clear start critical. Tim Fells and Fran Gifford nailed it and led the fleet, hotly pursued by Chris Jennings and Pete Nicholson. Tim and Fran looking like a slick well-oiled team, slipped gently away down the run while the fleet behind them, looking for any advantage in pressure or direction got plenty of gybing practice, on the way to number 1. Tom Stewart and Rob Allen got the second beat right by going left (town side) and worked their way into second, but Tim and Fran looked out of reach until they hooked a mooring, after which the leaders had a great nip and tuck race including a tacking match to the finish. The first bell of the weekend went to Tim and Fran.  

Race Two:

Having had a warm-up followed by a long lunch break the fleet was keen for the second race to start. With a more obviously starboard-biased line, the fleet was mostly OCS, so we had another go at starting, this time under a black flag. Tom Gillard and Ollie Meadowcroft pulled the trigger to perfection and led up the first beat from Ollie’s parents, John and Katy, who rounded second. With the windward leeward 1,3,1,3, course in play again, the chasing bunch had tight racing with a whole load of place changing. Mary and Rupert Henderson-White sailed a blinder and looked comfortable in the leading pack and coped well with the change of tidal direction mid-race, scarcely putting a foot wrong, but it was the familiar faces of Christian Birrell and Sam Breary and Caroline Croft and Livvy Bell who worked their way into the podium place.

 Race 3:

Sunday morning looked like one of those Salcombe race team nightmares, no wind on the start line and a forecast that suggested you might consider 1 or 7 as the first mark. With enough water in the ria, they set 7,3,7,3,5,3. The big question was who would get the puff to get them off the line. The boats who risked the foul tide in the middle and town side initially led but on the Portlemouth side, Tim and Fran found a breeze of their own, hoisted their spinnaker, and slipped through, staying low and into The Bag with a monstrous and on this occasion unassailable lead. John and Katy Meadowcroft showed their class and their cool and were the second boat to exit the harbour. A whole bunch of the early leaders went to sit under Snapes before escaping on a zephyr and resuming the race. With the wind clocking West there was some interesting decision-making and plenty of place changing on the 7, 3 loops with two sail reaching, a bit of beating, and spinnaker skills all being tested. Tom and Ollie ground their way through the fleet eventually working up to second when the race was shortened at mark 3.

Race 4:

Two boats were in it for the win in the final grandstand shootout. The wind had swung to be blowing from the Southwest, straight up the harbour, and it was building! The ebb rushed the fleet to Mark 1 but the breeze was already beginning to falter as they rounded and parked in the tide, the pile-up was inevitable. Christian and Sam led with Tim and Fran well up, and Tom and Ollie scraped into the top 10 at the first mark. There were big decisions to be made on the run back, Portlemouth or the town side? The leaders stuck to the Portlemouth side to start with, but with the wind now coming in unpredictable gusts and lulls both looked good and bad at times and people found new and unexpected places to cross the estuary with some crossing multiple times. Tim and Fran kept their cool, approached the leeward mark from the Snape's side, and gained an advantage on those lured into the shorter Ditch End route with a puff. On the second beat, Salcombe switched on the turbulence with puffs, lulls, and dummy shifts all over the place. The protagonists managed to stay in the leading pack, but anything could happen. The wind switched off. The leaders crept up the Portlemouth shore until they firmly parked at Ditch End. Meanwhile, Will and Arthur Henderson with two lifetimes of local knowledge were making their way up the town side leading a pack hopeful of a dramatic recovery. Finally, the breeze filled back in, Tim and Fran reacted fast, gybed, and crossed from the forlorn ditch-enders to join Will and Arthur but Tom and Ollie covered the move and led around the last mark to sail a relaxed down tide beat to the finish and take the event, while Tim and Fran battled to 3rd behind Alex Jackson and Pippa Kilsby.

Thank you, Salcombe Yacht Club, for hosting us, the fleet look forward to returning in June for Salcombe Gin Merlin Rocket 2024 where 120 boats will be on the water.

The next event on the SW Series 2024 is at Starcross Yacht Club on 1st and 2nd June which is also a Craftinsure Silver Tiller Open Category event.