Merlin Rocket De-May series Hunts Sailing Club 5th June 2021
Three Merlin Rockets arrived at Hunts Sailing Club as part of a bigger CVRDA event. They were joined by classic International Moths, British Moths, Albacores, Signets and the odd Scorpion or International 14 to form a fleet of approximately 30 dinghies. The race officer was greeted by no wind or occasional puffs from any random direction. Rather than spend the day wondering where to put the windward mark, he decided to set a broadly trapezoid course, in the expectation that one leg would be a beat.
Just after the first start the wind did a big right shift and the fleet reached into the first mark with an International Moth in the lead followed by an Albacore. By mark 3 the Moth was being chased by Merlin Rocket 2152, with the other two Merlins 507 and 2410 stuck in the pack. After two laps of the course, and various periods of no wind, the race finished in that order, and the fleet was sent in for a cup of tea and ploughman’s lunch.
The afternoon saw two races in similar conditions raced over a trapezoid course. There were many holes in the wind and shifts of up to 180 degrees. Merlin Rocket 2152 was comfortably first over the line in both races. Unfortunately Merlin Rocket 2410, sailed by Iain Lang and Andrew Hunt, sprung a plank and they were not able to sail the last race.
Miles and Sue Palmer thanked Hunts Sailing Club for hosting the event, the race officer for his can-do attitude, and the galley for keeping everyone sustained.
M. Palmer
