While Salcombe Yacht Club prepared to host the 120-boat Doom Bar Merlin Rocket week, 50 club members' dinghies took to the water for the fourth race of the Salcombe Yacht Club Summer Series.

Starting on a low water spring tide, in a brisk force four south westerly breeze, race officer Malcolm Mack­ley had few course setting options, so set the default Blackstone Ger­ston course followed by two additional loops of the harbour.

First away was the junior handicap fleet, sailing an abbreviated course.

It was great to see the club's newly acquired RS Quba Sports out in force, with I Tudge securing the handicap win from Evie Booth's RS Tera Pro.

Mike Calvert secured a comfortable win in his Laser from Toby Rew's Laser Radial in a slightly depleted medium handicap fleet.

The fast handicap fleet is becoming a regular showdown be­tween the Merlin Rock­ets and the National 12s.

Their start was slightly distracted by a RNLI lifeboat launch one minute before the start, however the Merlin Rocket of Peter Cook and Janet Exelby managed to hold on to win by only four seconds, in surprisingly breezy weather, from the National 12 of Chris Winzar and Ritchie Park.

Twenty-three Solos came to the line, with David Greening controlling the early part of the beat, a damaged sail saw him put into Mill Bay, allowing Ed Stephens to take the lead from Chris Cleaves and Tim Law.

Eventually Tim worked his way through, with Ed showing very good form holding off Chris Cleaves.

Peter Stratton and Nigel Hannaford pulled off a blinder of a port tack start in the Salcombe Yawls; however Anthony and Ally­son Lofts worked their way through with Da­vid Jayne and Fenella Goldsworthy in close pursuit.

The modern boats of Charles Thompson and Richard Bawden never made the necessary break, allowing Anthony and David to fill the first places.

Results

Junior Handicap

1 RS Quba Sport 2

I Tudge,

2 RS Tera Pro 2146 Evie Booth,

3 RS Tera Sport 1881 Ben Meek

Medium Handicap

1 Laser 204889

Mike Calvert,

2 Laser Radial 180706 Toby Rew,

3 RS Aero 7 1517

Claire Booth

Fast Handicap

1 Merlin Rocket 3616 Peter Cook and Janet Exelby,

2 National 12 3524 Chris Winzar and Richie Park,

3 Merlin Rocket 3725 AJ Squire and Mary Henderson

Solo

1 Solo 5599

Tim Law,

2 Solo 5194

Ed Stephens,

3 Solo 5573

Chris Cleaves

Salcombe Yawl

1 Yawl 132 Anthony and Allyson Lofts

2 Yawl 28 David Jayne and Fenella Goldsworthy

3 Yawl 189 Charles Thompson and Alistair Morley