TWELVE Solo sailors came to the starting line for the second race of the Salcombe Yacht Club Spring Series, reports David Greening.

Race Officer Graham Cranford Smith set a course that took in the many creeks of the ria, with the fleet first heading to the Blackstone mark.

With the remains of a flood tide, and a West South Westerly Force 2 to 3 light breeze, the cognoscenti were divided as to which side of the harbour to start.

Most of the smart money chose the Town side, though Chris Cleaves and Will Henderson bailed out before Woodcot, considered by many to be the de facto crossing point.

Roger Guess chose to hang on, getting himself into a lift which almost landed him at the Blackstone mark with James Greenhill and David Greening also finding the lift to lesser extents. Tim Law led the Portlemouth side, to get into the mix.

There followed a run into Yalton, with the pack closing onto the back of Guess, with Cleaves and Henderson finding pressure down the middle of the channel to complete a select leading group.

Whilst a shifty beat out of Yalton spread the pack, the Guess, Cleaves, Henderson group pulled away, sailing low through the Bag and stretching away slightly around Frogmore and toward Gerston.

On the return through the Bag, the Cleaves pulled past Guess and was first to pick up off Snapes, taking the lead and the win from Guess, whilst the rest of the pack got reshuffled between the Ferry and the finish line, with Law snatching third place, from Greenhill.

Now we move onto the fast handicap race and a small fast handicap fleet took the best of a glorious spring day and a high tide to race around Salcombe harbour for the second race of the spring series, writes John Meadowcroft.

Peter Colclough and Alastair Morley in the 5o5 disappeared into the low sun up the first beat, finding the best of a somewhat fitful breeze. The chasing Merlins swapped positions as they not only fought for the best winds but also chose to run aground in Mill Bay and clip the rocks on Biddle Head.

The course then sent the fleet to Yalton, Frogmore and Gerston enjoying some fun reaches, before a final loop of the main harbour.

Frances Gifford and Frankie Burn won the battle of the Merlins and gained enough time on the Salcombe Yawl of John Burn and Ross Borne to take the win with the Yawl squeezing ahead of John and Katy Meadowcrofts Merlin to take second place.

Results-

1st Frances Gifford & Frankie Burn, Merlin Rocket 3676

2nd John Burn & Ross Borne, Yawl 170

3rd John & Katy Meadowcroft, Merlin Rocket 3666.

Photography by Lucy Burn, from the Salcombe Yacht Club spring series solo race two.