Page 7 - Salcombe Masthead 2020

Fleet Reports 5
of being able to sail dead downwind with a symmetrical spinnaker over asymmetric rigged craft.
The next rally destination of Dittisham and Brixham, started with a minimum engine hours race on the Saturday between the two, won this year by James and Carole in Jenny T with zero hours on their engine! It was great to see Xotic make it across with Scud well on the way back to full fighting fitness. Peter Sandover and James Jones take the credit for organising not only the annual visit to the Ferry Boat Inn, a firm favourite among SYC members, but also an excellent pontoon party in Brixham and dinner at the yacht club. A highlight of the weekend must have been Robert Smith fixing his windex by hanging off the rig of a larger boat and almost abseiling across to his masthead some 30 feet aloft.....The lowlight was the Sunday race back to Salcombe, which started
in 15 knots South Easterly, kicking up a really horrible sea, but after starting the wind vanished and the sea remained such a maelstrom that racing was abandoned and 2 boats had engine trouble with dirt or aeration in their diesel.....
Newton Ferrers was the final rally destination of the year, and one of the
best attended with 40 plus for dinner in
the Yealm Yacht Club. Once again this was excellently organised in absentia by Peter Freedman with Richard and Louise Bray attending their last for now rally on Glory – they are off cruising in the Med next year and had a panic delivery to get Glory shipped to Spain before Brexit potentially
made things difficult......
The sail to and from the Yealm gave
excellent upwind practice, with a 12 knot North Westerly giving an 18 mile beat on the Saturday to Newton Ferrers before a somewhat lighter Easterly came in on the Sunday for the reverse trip, again upwind all the way.......
SYC cruisers are a friendly crowd and there are generally spare berths on many boats, so if you would like to come along for a weekend and try cruising or bigger boat sailing in general, please do get in touch via the club.
Johnny Hearth
SYC CRUISERS ARE A FRIENDLY CROWD AND THERE ARE GENERALLY SPARE BERTHS ON MANY BOATS...