The weekend was effectively the start of the appropriately named Icebreaker series of dinghy racing at Coombe Cellars. The scheduled Teign Corinthian YC races of two weeks previously were cancelled due to snow on the road, ice in the river and sub zero temperatures everywhere.

 

Peter Hearne opened his account by banking a first place in what was, hopefully, the most testing race of the year. In a generally northerly breeze that fluctuated wildly both in direction and strength, there were times when most of the fleet was sailing backwards in the ebbing tide. John Davey ended second in the Solo fleet after being pipped by Hearne in the closing yards. Third place went to Garnett Showell who was unlucky not to win after the tide pushed him onto the penultimate mark. With a few having to be towed home the second race was abandoned.
In the Handicap class, a National 12 from Salcombe YC, crewed by Pete Cooke and Janet Exelby, won ahead of Alan Goule from Paignton SC, in his RS600. The rest gave up and limped home.
On Sunday, the sailors were greeted with a complete flat calm, which very gradually filled in from upriver. The National 12 team showed their skills at coping with estuary sailing to win both Handicap races. Another Paignton pair, Elaine & Graham Slater, sailing a Fireball, were the runner up twice followed by Goule.
The eleven Solos were led almost from the off by James Stevenson who is a past master in these conditions. Paul Cunningham made a welcome return and kept the pressure on to finish second ahead of Davey. Race two saw Stevenson escape into the distance. Hearne recovered from a poor first lap to finish a comfortable second ahead of Graham Tapper.
The next races in the series are on Saturday 6th Feb at 10.30 and Sunday at 11.30.