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How to Win at Salcombe

Pat Blake lets us in on a few of Salcombe's secrets - Summer 2005
Salcombe Estuary is uniquely beautiful ria valley set on the very southern tip of Devon. The entrance from the sea is between the high cliffs leading from Prawle Point to the east and Bolt Head on the west.The main part of Salcombe harbour runs pretty much south-west to north-east for about a mile from Blackstone rock to Snapes point. It is steep-to, with the town of Salcombe on the west and the rolling countryside going up to East Portlemouth on the east.Going further inland the estuary divides into a number of �fingers�.
  • The first on the left, Batson Creek, goes up past the town quay and Shadycombe, where the main town boat and car park is - this is where you will launch from if you arrive by land � to the very pretty little village of Batson.
  • Next on the right is Southpool Creek where the trees come down to the water at the top, when the tide is in it is quite wide and quiet, not many visiting yachts or trippers up here.
  • Into �The Bag� this is the main channel with yachts moored and farmland rolling down to the water.
  • Through the bag turn right � this is Frogmore Creek (racing mark no.6). This is another tidal creek � smaller than Southpool but just as attractive.
  • The main estuary goes on to Kingsbridge via Gerston (no.7). Here it is wide and shallow at high tide with the channel running through mud flats at low water.

chart of Salcombe estuary



Racing at Salcombe
The amazing geography provides a challenging racing area for dinghies. In the Merlin Rocket class we have a regular and extremely competitive week�s racing every July. So in canvassing opinion about how to win from our pundits I was not entirely surprised to find that there were about as many opinions as there are competitors! Phil King, many times winner, said �you could write a book about it and still be wrong�There are some truths that we mostly agree on and I have formed a few ideas of my own so here goes I shall attempt to spill the beans.

Let�s start with the current. There is a normal 6-hour cycle running in on the flood and out on the ebb. What is interesting is that the strongest area of current changes between the flood and the ebb.On the flood tide the main stream runs up the harbour past the Yacht Club, strongest in the middle of course, then into �The Bag� between Snapes Point on the west and Scoble Point on the east. Here it is much stronger close to Scoble point and runs strongly on the east side up to a rocky promontory called Ox Point where it is deflected across to the west side. This is the part of The Bag where the Egremont ship is moored and the Island Cruising club do a lot coaching. The main flood stream is then deflected again by Tosnos point on the west across to Halwell point where the woods come down to the waters edge at the entrance to Frogmore Creek.

The main flow of the ebb tide runs down the long flat area from Kingsbridge past Gerston, racing mark no.7, and into The Bag between Tosnos and Halwell points. From here it runs strongly on the east side, close to the Egremont before being deflected by Ox point over to the west by Snapes point. Then as it comes out into the main harbour it runs due south past where the fuel barge is until it is deflected by the lovely sandy beach at Ditch End, just north-east of the ferry steps on the east side. You really don�t want to be here if you are trying to make against an ebb tide, as I have found to my cost! Past the Ferry it runs pretty much straight down the middle of the harbour.

Now let�s think about the wind.As I explained, the main part of the estuary, where the Yacht Club fixed starting line is, runs south-west to north-east. This works really well on the whole because the wind tends to funnel up or down making it nearly always a beat or run.A typical situation with the wind anywhere in the south is to start on a beat to Blackstone (no.1). If the tide is flooding the fleet will quickly divide and start short tacking up the sides of the estuary. Beware of the prohibited fairway area just under the starters� box, which only applies at the start. It is more conventional to take the east side because as you approach Mill Bay, the lovely sandy beach where the dinghies are kept during regattas, there is a valley that funnels the wind. If there is any east in the wind it blows out of Mill Bay or any west it blows onto Mill Bay, either way there is often a little gain to be made here and a little shelter from the worst of the current behind the rocky promontory to the south. However it is short-lived and as the fleet progresses out to Blackstone there is often a lifting breeze on starboard tack coming from the valley behind South Sands this is even more significant if the buoy is no.0, beyond Blackstone Rock � no-one said it was going to be easy!

Of course if the tide is ebbing then most boats will go down the middle. Beware of getting swept over the line, the yacht club have spotters at each end, they are high enough up to get a good view and are ruthlessly fair. The same wind shift advice pays but the big decision is which side to take on the run back? Again conventional wisdom says the Mill Bay side but sometimes the town side pays � especially if the there is a little bit of east in the wind.This south-westerly wind situation is also the direction of the sea breeze on a hot day; it is often stronger in the estuary than it is out to sea.Alternatively if it is a wet and windy south-westerly low pressure system it comes over Bolt Head and can be quite turbulent � these are the famous �swatters� that make the runs so exciting!

If the wind is in the north or east it funnels the other way and pretty much the same advice applies in reverse.As we progress up the estuary the contours of the land start to soften off and more gradually bend the wind to follow the various �fingers� of the estuary.One of my favourite courses is up Southpool Creek to Yalton (no.4). Here again it always seems to be a beat or a run although on the chart there is a good 25 degrees difference in angle from the main harbour! The shifts up here follow a more regular oscillating pattern � great if you can get in the groove but so frustrating if you can�t.Through The Bag it often seems to be a reach and quite shifty. In a big fleet here it is often hard to decide whether to keep defending your wind and risk getting trapped in a wind shadow under the next hill or make a dive down to leeward and hope for better wind and current.

My advice is to think about the current; because the main stream changes sides sometimes it pays to go straight down the middle � even with the current against you.Out of The Bag the long leg to Gerston (no.7) is a complete contrast. Now the ground is flat and the wind is true, and often quite strong. It is commonly a close reach up and a broad reach back or vice versa. This is more of a boat-handling problem to see who can �change gear� best. Take the twist out of your rig and sail really flat � boat speed is the name of the game � there is distance to be won or lost!


Off the Water
The town of Salcombe has plenty to offer the holidaymaker. Fore Street, which is the main street, has plenty of pubs, restaurants, cafes and other outlets for retail therapy if the racing doesn�t go too well. A few special places to mention: The Ferry Inn where you can drink in the garden down by the water. Captain Flint�s restaurant where the food is unpretentious but excellent, kids are welcome, no booking, always a queue but you can pop into the Fortescue while you wait. Salcombe Dairy Ice cream, famous throughout the land, is available at several outlets.

Most of all the Yacht Club is the place to be � a fantastic location overlooking the estuary with a great bar and food served in the back room or on the veranda.There is ferry service across the estuary to East Portlemouth where there are lovely sandy beaches; you can walk on the beach to Mill Bay and climb round the rocks to Sunny Cove. I recommend taking the cliff path to Gara Rock Hotel � nice cream teas � and walking back down the valley to Mill Bay.Another great excursion if you have suitable boat is to go up to the pub at Southpool on the flood tide, you have about two hours at high tide to eat and drink and come back on the ebb. Enjoy.