With forty Merlin Rockets, twenty five Solos and a sixteen strong Handicap fleet, there was plenty to keep the race team busy.
Race officers Simon Ballantine and Dan Bridger gave the Merlins a cruise of the creeks on both mornings, when there was plenty of water in the harbour, but went for the default Gerston Blackstone option on Saturday afternoon and a race around the harbour on a windy Sunday afternoon.
One of the joys of the dinghy racing is the opportunity for Corinthian sailors to compete against the very best simply by turning up, and the Merlin Open benefited from the presence of London 2012 silver medallists Luke Patience and Stuart Bithell racing against each other Stuart Bithell and Katherine Kimber dominated day one, with two bullets, from Chris Gould and Caroline Croft in the morning and Matt Biggs and John Hackett in the afternoon.
Sunday saw a Force 4/5 on day two straight down the estuary and more than a few bleary heads. Luke Patience and Andy "Taxi" Davis established had big lead going to Gerston, but it was Sam and Megan Pascoe who eventually developed a strong lead from Jon Gorringe and Nicky Bass.
Half the fleet decided to give the afternoon race miss after two days of solid racing. Once again Patience and Taxi took the lead at the windward mark only to capsize allowing Alex Jackson and Fran Gifford to take took over the lead. After lots of place changing and capsizing Olly Turner and Hamish Kilburn came through to take a convincing win in an increasing wind from Stuart Bithell.
By David Greening