MERLIN ROCKET RESULTS
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Results / Aspire Merlin Rocket National Championships 2022 (Day 1)

Mounts Bay Sailing Club
31/07/2022 - 04/08/2022
Silver Tiller:
Multi-Day Silver Tiller:
Vintage:
Regional:
Classic:

The Merlin Rocket class is making its first ever visit to the legendary Mounts Bay Sailing Club for their 76th championships. The event has attracted the usual high quality fleet with the title expected to fought out between Tom Gillard and Rachael Gray, comprehensive winners at the Scorpions last week, two times champions Christian Birrell and Sam Brearey and defending champions Stu Bithell and Tom Pygall. Stu however is starting the week with two discards as he is currently blasting around Plymouth Sounds on the Swiss SailGP boat.
After weeks of hot, sunny weather, the first morning was breezy and wet leading most of the fleet to dress up for a big day on the water. However, as the fleet assembled south of St Michael’s Mount, the sun came out and the breeze started to drop. Both races were run in patchy breeze fluctuating between 5 and 15 knots but slowing dropping and veering. Possibly the threat of a first ever Merlin Champs gate start if the fleet misbehaves led to two clean starts.

In race one those who got right found better pressure and it was Ed Chapman and Chris Kilsby, who had broken their mast practicing on Saturday, who led around the top mark from Tom and Rach. Christian and Sam were down the fleet and in recovery mode.

Tom and Rach extended with Jon Gorringe and Pete Gray climbing up to take second ahead of Ed and Chris. Ian and Chris Martin sailed a consistently strong race for fourth but were subsequently pinged under the U flag. Tim Fells and Fran Gifford got the better of Mike and Jane Calvert for fourth and fifth. Christian and Sam kept their climb going to take sixth.
At the start of race two, the majority of the fleet were lined up at the committee boat but there was a big port shift down at the pin. Tim and Fran together with Tom and Rach port tacked across the fleet with everyone heading right towards new pressure. Christian and Sam were first into it and joined the leading two at the top mark.

Tim and Fran led at the bottom gate but those who got to the left picked up a good shift to come through with Christian and Sam leading from Simon Potts and Lottie Fildes. Christian and Sam extended out a healthy lead and on the final run Tom and Rach came through to take second from Simon and Lottie with Tim and Fran fourth, again just ahead of Mike and Jane. Ian and Chris Martin rounded out what should have been a solid day in sixth.

The forecast for the next few days is for a good breeze and it will be interesting to see if Stu and Tom can sail a clean regatta to retain their title.

Report by Tim Fells

 

Rank SailNo HelmName CrewName Fleet Club R1 R2 Total Nett
1st 3759 Thomas Gillard Rachel Gray Platinum Staunton Harold Sailing Club 1 2 3 3
2nd 3788 Christian Birrell Sam Brearey Platinum Parkstone Yacht Club 6 1 7 7
3rd 3764 Tim Fells Frances Gifford Platinum Salcombe Yacht Club 4 4 8 8
4th 3691 Mike Calvert Jane Calvert Platinum Axe Yacht Club 5 5 10 10
5th 3802 Simon Potts Charlotte Fildes Platinum Burghfield Sailing Club 10 3 13 13
6th 3782 Ed Chapman Chris Kilsby Gold Lymington Town Sailing Club 3 13 16 16
7th 3803 Caroline Croft Faye Chatterton Platinum Lymington Town Sailing Club 9 10 19 19
8th 2137 James Goss Chris White Gold South Staffs Sailing Club 13 7 20 20
9th 3780 Sarah Richards Nigel Wakefield Gold Lymington Town Sailing Club 17 11 28 28
10th 3758 David Hayes Jonny Ratcliffe Platinum Lymington Town Sailing Club 14 14 28 28
11th 3807 Tim Saxton Mary Henderson Platinum Itchenor SC & Brightlingsea SC 20 9 29 29
12th 3799 Paul Rayson Christian Hill Gold Fishers Green SC & SalcombeYC 11 20 31 31
13th 3735 Andy Davis Jack Holden Platinum South Staffs Sailing Club 8 24 32 32
14th 3791 Jon Gorringe Pete Grey Platinum Parkstone Yacht Club 2 31 33 33
15th 3796 William Warren Megan Pascoe Gold Shoreham Sailing Club 18 16 34 34
16th 3778 David Lenz Vicky Lenz Platinum Lymington Town Sailing Club 12 25 37 37
17th 3809 John Turner Richard Parslow Platinum Lyme Regis Sailing Club 31 8 39 39
18th 3746 James Wells Anna Aylward Gold RYA 16 23 39 39
19th 3676 Antony Gifford Jo Gifford Platinum Royal Tay Yacht Club 22 17 39 39
20th 3726 Will Henderson Rupert White Platinum Salcombe Yacht Club 30 12 42 42
21st 3801 Matthew Biggs Beka Jones Platinum Bartley Sailing Club 28 15 43 43
22nd 3787 Chris Martin John Tailby Gold Midland Sailing Club 7 40 47 47
23rd 3716 Steven Leney Gill Leney Gold Blithfield Sailing Club 26 21 47 47
24th 3683 Arthur Handerson Livvy Bell Gold Salcombe Yacht Club 15 33 48 48
25th 3775 Chris Jennings Pete Nicholson Platinum Burghfield Sailing Club 19 30 49 49
26th 3696 Alexander Warren Jonty Freemansh Gold Shoreham Sailing Club 21 28 49 49
27th 3757 Tim Parsons Andrew Service Gold Lyme Regis Sailing Club 24 29 53 53
28th 3815 Mark Barwell Louise Johnson Silver Lymington Town Sailing Club 37 18 55 55
29th 3666 John Meadowcroft Dan Meadowcroft Platinum Upper Thames Sailing Club 33 22 55 55
30th 3690 Tim Harridge Rory Gifford Silver Hampton Sailing Club 32 27 59 59
31st 3740 Pat Blake Jilly Blake Gold Lymington Town Sailing Club 34 26 60 60
32nd 3749 Colin Anderson Sean Anderson Silver Blithfield Sailing Club 23 38 61 61
33rd 3806 Ben Jones Helen Hilditch Silver Shoreham Sailing Club 47 19 66 66
34th 3816 Phil Emery Phoebe Paine Silver Whitstable Yacht Club 25 43 68 68
35th 3756 Sophie Mackley James Ward Gold Shoreham Sailing Club 35 34 69 69
36th 3684 Tom Low Hannah Burt Silver Queen Mary Sailing Club 29 41 70 70
37th 3719 Ian Martin Chris Martin Platinum Burghfield Sailing Club 66.0 UFD 6 72 72
38th 3793 James Goodfellow Rick Cornes Platinum Burghfield Sailing Club 27 45 72 72
39th 3732 Ben Hollis George Bender Silver Blithfield Sailing Club 40 36 76 76
40th 3695 Peter Slack Immy Brown Bronze RYA 43 35 78 78
41st 3656 Charlotte Gough Dave Gough Gold Starcross Yacht Club 36 42 78 78
42nd 3772 Dan Heaton Tom Gurney Silver Mountbatten Sailing Club 41 39 80 80
43rd 3813 Steve Harling Eleanor Thomas Bronze Starcross Yacht Club 48 37 85 85
44th 3790 Colin Brockbank Sue Brough Silver Wembley Sailing Club 39 47 86 86
45th 3794 Julian Harms Timothy Harms Bronze Midlands Sailing Club 38 50 88 88
46th 3817 Geoff Kimber Helen Kimber Bronze Stone Sailing Club 42 48 90 90
47th 3779 David Lee Kirsten Glen Silver Starcross Yacht Club 46 44 90 90
48th 3727 Mark Stockbridge James Gifford Silver Upper Thames Sailing Club 61 32 93 93
49th 3766 Andy Dalby Aimee Dalby Bronze Burghfield Sailing Club 50 46 96 96
50th 3767 Ben Archer Olivia Bellini Silver Parkstone Yacht Club 44 53 97 97
51st 3682 Ross Borne John Burn Silver Salcombe Yacht Club 45 52 97 97
52nd 3662 Nigel Hudson Freya Hudson Bronze Bartley Sailing Club 49 49 98 98
53rd 3785 Robin Charles Oscar Simmons Bronze Starcross Yacht Club 51 51 102 102
54th 3770 Jon Steward Annabel Steward Bronze Fishers Green Sailing Club 52 54 106 106
55th 3742 Howard Eeles Bradley Eeles Bronze Bartley Sailing Club 53 57 110 110
56th 3619 Guy Browne Andy Hunter Bronze Trent Valley Sailing Club 54 56 110 110
57th 3800 Richard Bramley Calum Tait Bronze Shoreham Sailing Club 56 55 111 111
58th 3561 Joe Shaw Julie Cronshaw Bronze Wembley Sailing Club 57 58 115 115
59th 3750 Neal Lillywhite Freya Lillywhite Gold Burghfield SC & Salcombe YC 58 62 120 120
60th 3574 Marc Candelas John Donoghue Bronze Upper Thames Sailing Club 59 61 120 120
61st 3586 Kieron Mason Belinda Mason Bronze Blithfield Sailing Club 60 60 120 120
62nd 3567 Martin Smith Karen Beston Bronze Blithfield Sailing Club 55 66.0 DNC 121 121
63rd 3449 Carl Whitehill Dani Whitehill Bronze RYA 66.0 DNC 59 125 125
64th 3811 Stu Bithell Tom Pygall Platinum Parkstone Yacht Club 66.0 DNC 66.0 DNC 132 132
64th 3792 Alistair Mcdonald Lydia Bourne Bronze Berwick Sailing Club & YDSC 66.0 DNC 66.0 DNC 132 132

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