Sailing Chandlery RS400 Southern Tour Salcombe

After a very warm welcome to the class at the start of the year from Mick & Sarah (1548), who said that Salcombe is a highlight in the 400 calendar, we ventured across to this incredible sailing venue. We were met with a stunning sailing location which is a combination of a great race course & a beautiful backdrop. 

As first-time visitors to Salcombe we inevitably got lost, trailing the boat through the intricate winding roads of the town, which may or may not have included the high street. Weaving around, we saw the beginning of the preparations for VE Day with the town dressed in Union Jacks ahead of the VE flotilla on the bank holiday Monday. 

Race 1 - The Salcombe special

Saturday had one race scheduled with a leisurely start time of 13:15, which followed on from the club racing. The forecast was peachy and boy did it deliver, sun, wind & crystal blue water - the Salcombe special! The sailors were on their best behaviour after strict instructions from the race officer that any fleets that have a general recall are moved to the back of the starting queue. A clean start and the navigation around the harbour began. The snakes and ladders race course had endless position changes with overtaking options throughout the race. 

Father & son duo of Tim and James (1376) had the jump on the rest of the fleet and secured the win. We locked horns with the local legends in a tacking battle which went to the wire. The whole fleet finished in a matter of minutes, which was the theme throughout the regatta.  

Races two & three - The wind whisperer strikes back. 

Races two & three were raced back to back, a tweak in the rig settings for slightly more wind forecast and a buzz in the boat park ahead of another champagne sailing day. All the sailors were energised after the delicious club meal from the evening before and as it was Star Wars day the force was strong in the fleet. 

The first race started at 10:25 with a similar wind direction to the previous day and the windward mark set towards Southpool, another great race course with plenty of overtaking opportunities. 

Up the first beat, we quickly discovered the seemingly never-ending sets of trot moorings, great for tacking practice but limiting in tactical options! Action-packed downwind sailing with plenty of gear changes, with the added extra of threading the needle through the other classes, recreating Luke Skywalker’s X-wing flight approach to destroy the Death Star. 

Figs & Barney now had the bit between their teeth and started their winning streak.

An impromptu beach party for lunch, a personal highlight for me, where the crews' union joined forces to start the rebellion about the epic number of tacks required in race 2.

Honesty time, at the start of race 3, I didn’t C3PO the course board, a wookie error, forcing us to retire & Jonny to the dark side. The intergalactic battle continued as we watched on from the edge of the galaxy. 

Race 4 - The treasure hunt for Silver

On Monday, The final race of the series started at 10:25, the breeze continued to build which led to a nail-biting finish. The top mark was at Saltstone, forcing competitors to race through the bag, a tactical playground for the local legends. The points were close going into the race and knowing that the discard would kick in, the treasure hunt for Silver was on. The Smalley’s (1557) blasted out of the start, holding the lead until the final leeward mark. New breeze stormed down the course on the final downwind compressing the top 7 boats into a bow-to-stern rounding around the mark at black stone rock. The overall results were decided in the nip and tuck final beat, athletic mathematics being calculated on the fly whilst hiking for all it was worth. A dramatic end to an epic bank holiday weekend. 

A huge thank you to Salcombe Yacht Club for hosting a fantastic regatta, warm and welcoming atmosphere, competitive racing and picturesque venue - a must attend event for all 400 sailors.

Rich Sheridan

Photos: Fatma Mehmet