One in the net for the Barbars

Justin Chisholms reports from this weekend's Melges 24 racing in Torbay

The UK Melges 24 fleet continued the build up to their forthcoming National Championships with two back to back Open Meeting weekends hosted by the Royal Torbay Yacht Club.

Torbay has been the centre of UK Melges activity for the last few years in an effort to focus the class and generate the best possible racing for the owners. This initiative appears to have paid off as the Open Meetings are attracting up to 18 entries and the expectation is for an entry in excess of 25 for the Nationals at the beginning of June. This is due in no small way to the friendly welcome, slick on and off the water organisation and excellent race course provided by the host club.

13 boats ventured out into the bay on the Saturday of the first weekend to be greeted by a solid 20-25 knot northerly. The accompanying flat sea produced some high speed planning conditions with many boats exceeding 20 knots downwind - a great spectacle and big grins all round for most crews.

John Pollard's Xcellent held off a consistent challenge from Stuart Simpson's Team Barbarians to take the win in the first race with Adrian Peach's Team Panasonic slotting into third. The same teams dominated the top three positions in the next two races. Rob Smith at the helm of Team Barbarians showed the fleet the way round winning both races with Team Panasonic also second twice. On the final run of the third race the crew on Xcellent did well to only drop one place when they had to perform a lightning fast spinnaker change after their original exploded on hoisting.

The second day produced gentler conditions. Race one saw Xcellent take the gun just ahead of Team Barbarians. Team Panasonic was once again third. With two races to go Rob Smith held a slender lead over John Pollard and Adrian Peach. The following two races turned the regatta on its head for the top three boats. In race two on the final rounding of the spreader mark Team Barbarians infringed when their kite was seen to
touch the mark when hoisting. Adrian Peach took the gun with Ann Ashworth in Ali 2 capitalising on the subsequent disqualification of Team Barbarians to take a second place. John Pollard had a rare fall from form and could only manage a fifth place.

With one race to go Team Barbarians were still in the hot seat providing they could manage a top three result in the final race. The crews on Xcellent and Team Panasonic were snapping at their heels however and poised to make the most of any mistakes. In a dying breeze Rob Smith and his crew appeared to have done enough when they took the lead on the final beat but the wind still had something to say about that. With the leaders two hundred yards from the finish the breeze shut off completely and then filled in from out at sea enabling the back markers to hoist spinnakers. As the race track turned itself inside out Simon Coleridge on Easy Tiger was delighted to record a race win ahead of Simon Henning on White Rabbit and Norman Broom on Hooligan.

When the maths was completed it was the consistency of Adrian Peach's Team Panasonic with guest tactician Nigel Young which gave them the overall win. Xcellent squeaked into second ahead of the philosophical Team Barbarians in third.

The second weekend featured an eighteen boat entry, glorious sunshine and very little wind. Race officer Martin Wells Brown and his team did a superb job managing to get two of the scheduled three races in on Saturday. Ann Ashworth and her team on Ali 2 revelled in the light airs winning both races. Team Barbarians were next best scoring a two and a three.

Sunday produced more of the same conditions which delighted the Torquay holiday makers but the fleet managed only one race before the wind disappeared completely. This was won by Team Barbarians who consequently also won the weekend. Ali 2 could only manage a seventh which dropped them into third behind Xcellent.

The stage is now set for a compelling National Championships in June. This will again be hosted by the excellent team at The Royal Torbay Yacht Club. All the usual suspects will be lining up alongside a number of European entries for what has the makings of a classic Melges 24 event.