Sailing Club Series, Race 2, Solo Fleet - Captains Innings.
Published 19:37 on 4 May 2026
On Bank Holiday Saturday OOD Roger Guess was faced with the prospect of managing not only the local Club fleets comprising slow & fast handicap plus Solos, but also several open meeting fleets comprising three sets Yawls as well as visiting National 12s and RS 400s.
Rogers unenviable task was to find a way of setting eight starts for over eighty boats in a light N.Easterly and with absolutely no water in the harbour at the bottom of an enormous spring tide. With able assistance from Safety boat leader Simon Ballantine, Roger solved the conundrum by sending all but the slow handicap fleet out to sea, where there was a strong breeze, using the course 3,A,B,A,B,3,2.
To the unfocussed eyes of the elderly Solo helms, the letters on the course board were reminiscent of a Swedish super-group, it also prompted the inevitable chatter amongst the Solos, as they cruised behind the start line, of where on earth are race marks A & B?. Only Chris (Chubby) Cleaves had an up to date course map so he generously offered to let the rest follow him. Indeed, it was Cleaves who made best use of the shifts on the first beat to take a short lead from Tim Law, fleet captain Adrian Griffin and Billy Jago at the windward mark.
This order was maintained for most of the two-mile long run out to sea, with Jago edging into third place around Mark A. The chasing pack of Mike Hodges, Roger Lumby and Chris Turns remained close behind, ready to capitalise on the slightest mistake. Malcolm Mackley however, renowned for picking maverick routes in his turquoise Solo, was alone in hugging the eastern side of the harbour past Sunny Cove, Biddle Head and Smalls Cove, emerging so far behind the rest that early retirement seemed the most attractive prospect.
Meanwhile at the front, Cleaves relishing the conditions out at sea, extended his lead to several hundred yards whilst humming through his repertoire of ABBA hits and, as he rounded Mark B for the second time, changed the gramophone record to Winner takes it all, but curiously setting off in the direction of A! With Law & Jago maintaining their game of follow the leader, Griffin & Lumby spotted the leaders error and sensing a rare opportunity for a podium finish, set off on the long beat back up the harbour to finish in that order. While Hodges too was taken in by Chubbys error, Chris Turns headed back to the finish line to take 3rd place. Later that same afternoon and now finally facing his own Waterloo, Cleaves led the angry tail end procession of Law Jago and Hodges back into the harbour and over the finish line.
Adrian Griffin | Photos L.Burn
