Results / Salcombe Week (Day 2)

 

Monday at Doom Bar sponsored Salcombe Merlin Week saw the wind back round to the southerly quadrant and drop to a light force 1-3.

 

Race 3 – Red v Blue flights. SSW Force 1-3. HW 11.00. Course 0,4,7,1,3,1

 

The start to the morning race was a real head scratcher. With the wind round in the South it was possible to hold a long port tack down the harbour. The challenge was whether to start at the leeward end of the line on the town side and expect better pressure and less tide, start on the windward Portlemouth side and run the risk of limited breeze under the shore or split the difference and push tide up the middle. The bulk of the fleet opted for the town side and watched forlornly as those at the other end tacked into pressure and held good breeze up past Mill Bay. Will Rainey and Andy Douglas took the early lead but in going outside Blackstone, let Tim Fells and Chris Downham through to lead at the windward mark. Down the long offwind to Yalton, Taxi and Ellie Bremmer came through to briefly take the lead but Tim and Chris were able to get back past and then stretch out for a comfortable win. On the final beat up to the finish Dave Winder and Pippa Taylor crossed to the Portlemouth side to jump from sixth to third ahead of Matt Biggs and John Hackett. The top 5 were rounded out by the young Hayling Island team of Neale Jones and Jam Adam who had sailed a blinder!

 

Race 4 – Green v Black fleets, SW Force 2-3, Course 1,6,5,7,2,3,2,3

 

With the ebb tide just starting to flow the fleet started a little bit prematurely with the PRO, Stevie Wonder, spotting four boats who had made their demise inevitable, the rest getting away with it. The fleet rounded Blackstone with the majority heading for the rocks south of Mill Bay, a few heading to the town side, and Jon Gorringe and Nicki Bass taking the middle road. Unencumbered by any chasing boat’s wind shadow Jon and Nicki escaped to lead into The Bag. The weather gods, however, had a few more cards to play. A line squall came through and gave some opportunities for the top teams to pull through. Tom Stewart and Phil Dalby took the lead and became engrossed in a boat for boat battle with Dave Hayes and Oli Wells, Alex Jackson and Sarah Bines and Jon and Nicki. After much place changing the race finally ended with this order retained.