Merlin Rocket Downriver Race at Ranelagh Sailing Club
by Duncan Salmon 18 Jul 2021 10:08 PDT
17 July 2021
Merlin Rocket Downriver Race at Ranelagh © Sarah Videau
Saturday the 17th of July 2021 saw the annual running of the Ranelagh Sailing Club down river race for Merlins. 16 competitors turned out on a glorious (if slightly windless) sunny day. The carnival atmosphere on the Putney embankment with pop-up eateries flying flags and milling sailors and rowers was something to behold.
The format of this race, which is one of the highlights of the Merlin Thames Series, is a race from Putney on the ebbing tide down to Battersea with one turning mark and then back to Putney on the flood.
Probably as a result of the warning during the briefing of the dire consequences of being over the line there was a clean start with Merlin number one Kate sailed by Arthur Henderson & Livvy Bell, together with Flinkidink 1097 sailed by Stuart & Imogen Jenkins, making the early running.
After some place-changing under Putney road and railway bridges the order settled down to Stuart & Imogen chased by Duncan & Harriet Salmon in 3702. Stuart & Imogen gauged the current and shifting winds expertly, to pull out a commanding lead leaving Duncan & Harriet fighting off a fast-catching-up Arthur & Livvy by the turning mark, which had been dropped by the pavilion in the adjacent Battersea Park.
Stuart & Imogen promptly sailed off into the distance never to be challenged again.
Following a close spinnaker run the Salmons drew ahead of Arthur & Livvy having split to go on the southern bank of the river at Lambeth Bridge. What appeared to be a comfortable second place however soon evaporated when the majority of the rest of the fleet came up the river line abreast on a breeze all flying their spinnakers.
There ensued a lengthy battle between seven or eight boats any of which could have taken the second, third and fourth places. For a while Pat & Jilly Blake in 901 and Tim Metcalf & Matty Key in 3520 looked like they had taken those positions but Christian & Gabriel Hill in 2997 did a great job in calling the gybes and pulled out into second place with Duncan & Harriet somehow managing to sniggle their way back into third.
Arthur & Livvy extricated themselves from the melee to come a creditable fourth in the oldest boat in the national fleet.
The members of Ranelagh Sailing Club organised a barbecue, salads and large tubs of cold drinks for a most enjoyable late lunch on the embankment. A wonderful afternoon messing about on the river (with some brilliant racing as well)!
Overall Results:
Pos | Sail No | Helm | Crew | Club | Elapsed | Points |
1 | 1097 | Stuart Jenkins | Imogen Jenkins | Hampton SC | 01:41:17 | 1 |
2 | 2997 | Christian Hills | Gabriel Hills | FGSC | 01:46:35 | 2 |
3 | 3702 | Duncan Salmon | Harriet Salmon | Wembley | 01:47:56 | 3 |
4 | 1 | Arthur Henderson | Livvy Bell | RSC | 01:48:28 | 4 |
5 | 901 | Pat Blake | Jill Blake | Cookham Reach | 01:49:31 | 5 |
6 | 3520 | Tim Metcalf | Matty Key | Tamesis | 01:49:33 | 6 |
7 | 3465 | Graham Webb | Nick Vanakoyogopas | FGSC | 01:49:45 | 7 |
8 | 1602 | John Adams | Zoe Adams | Tamesis | 01:50:42 | 8 |
9 | 3402 | Richard Coulter | Louis Lappayre | FGSC | 01:51:33 | 9 |
10 | 3088 | Andrew Mills | Ellie Mills | Hampton SC | 01:51:40 | 10 |
11 | 2979 | Jack Norton | Gretel Scott | RSC | 01:52:16 | 11 |
12 | 2444 | Thomas Stolper | Mathieu Pelegrin | RSC | 01:54:29 | 12 |
13 | 2744 | Marco Meloni | Philip McCormack | RSC | 02:02:24 | 13 |
14 | 3770 | Jan Stewart | Mattea Mancini | FGSC | 02:02:32 | 14 |
15 | 214 | Guillaume Mouscadet | Richard Westover | RSC | RET | RET |
15 | 3510 | Brian Clarke | Amiria Pounsford | RSC | RET | RET |