Sam tames Salcombe with Stunning Sailing in a force Six

Published 15:24 on 13 Jul 2015

So, the sun shone and the winds blew Äì it was a classic Salcombe week for the Merlin Rockets. A team of Weymouth sailors survived everything that was thrown at them and with spectacular results too.Undoubted star of the show was Sam Mottershead winning the event crewing with guru Richard Whitworth. Richard, a master of Salcombe was pushed all the way by the fleet of 120 Merlin Rockets but the prize was arguably won on the basis of a stunning force 6 ride on the Tuesday afternoon which produced a brilliant third in very difficult conditions. To put some context on this Äì there were 60 scheduled starters for the afternoon race and only 21 managed a finish. Insurance companies had a terrible day forking out for at least 4 expensive masts, but boat builders and spar manufacturers saw their share prices rise during the afternoon carnage. IÄôve put a link here to the yachts and yachting report http://www.yachtsandyachting.com/news/184060/Sharps-Doom-Bar-Merlin-Week-day-3 - do scroll down to see a picture of Alan Warren as his mast bifurcates!The prize giving saw Sam make a great speech with typical wisdom beyond his years which incidentally brings in another possible (as yet unconfirmed) record as the youngest ever winner of this prestigious event.Sam and Megan Pascoe won the best family team Äì and can be proud of a top ten finish overall. Mike and Penny Fenwick came home in 31st with some very consistent results and a ÄúFirst to the windward markÄù prize in one of their early races Äì no mean feat in this company. Mike and Robin Clifton-Day had some good results which gave them an overall improvement on last year. Phil and Ali Ashworth came away delighted with some of their sailing despite repeatedly losing some good race positions. So all in all, something for everyone. (And it was sunny!)It's worth reminding all our members that Sam's success here is a product of Weymouth Sailing Club's youth development effort encompassing many years of fundraising, sponsorship of the Fevas and hard work and support from many volunteer members .Congratulations to all who sailed at Salcombe, our Club, and especially to ÄúMini SamÄù who's rapidly becoming a giant of a man!

Last updated 15:13 on 28 July 2025