Aspire Merlin Rocket National Championships at East Lothian Yacht Club - Overall

Day 4 of the Aspire Merlin Rocket Nationals hosted by East Lothian Yacht Club was looking to be a windy one, and the first warning signal was moved forward to try and get an extra race in if the forecast looked poor for Thursday.

However, on arrival at the boat park it was already consistently gusting 26knots at 10am, so we were postponed for two hours ashore while the breeze continued to build. Unfortunately the call was made to cancel racing for the day, so competitors were able to do a little sight-seeing, lobster lunching, gin tasting, golf etc, before beach rounders in the evening.

Day 5 arrived, and the final day of racing was light, but 9-10knots was forecast to come in at 10am, so the fleet duly launched in little wind, and as if on cue, the breeze filled in. It was a welcome change to have an easterly this time, and once it stabilized, it provided us with a fantastic day of racing.

Race 6 started cleanly, and the boats on the right hand side of the first beat were gifted with a 35 degree shift in their favour. James Goss & Chris White took full advantage of this and cruised round the windward mark well clear of the rest of the fleet, never to be challenged again, and taking home the Top Hat trophy. Second was Dave Winder & Ollie Rayner who also came from the right, and who also held second for the whole race.

Aspire Merlin Rocket National Championships at East Lothian day 5 - photo © Steve Fraser / ELYC

There was a good tussle between Ben Saxton & George Yeoman and Stu Bithell & Tom Pygall for third, and it was Ben & George who came out on top. Fifth was Tim Fells & Fran Gifford, and sixth was Chris Martin & Sam Bailey. First Silver Fleet was James Wells & Anna Alyward, and first bronze fleet was Ben Archer and Olivia Bellini.

Race 7 was for the Ranelagh trophy, where the top 21 boats get a bottle of Champagne each, and there were a few casualties of the black flag general recall, but the fleet got off second time. It was brilliant close racing at the front end, with Stu & Tom rounding in first, Ian Dobson & Charlotte Fildes in second, Ian Sharps & Alex Warren third, Christian & Sam fourth and Ben & George just behind in fifth which they managed to convert to second by the bottom of the first run.

Stu & Tom were given a yellow flag penalty by the jury on the first reach but it still wasn’t enough for the following boats to catch them. Ian & Charlotte sailed a great third beat to take back second, but Christian & Sam sailed a hotter angle on the run and overtook both Ian and Ben to clinch second, Ian & Charlotte took third, Ben & George got fourth.

Aspire Merlin Rocket National Championships at East Lothian day 5 - photo © Steve Fraser / ELYC

James Goss & Chris White sailed a great race to finish fifth on the water, but came ashore to be DSQ in a protest hearing, so fifth went to Ian & Alex, and sixth was Tim & Fran. First Silver fleet was Dan & Ben Alsop in 19th, and first bronze fleet was Tom and Ed Low in 21st which secured the last bottles of Champagne.

Race 8 was the final race in the series after having missed a day of racing, so that meant we lost race nine and our precious second discard. Ben & George got to the windward first this time, with Christian & Sam second, Stu & Tom third, and Dan & Ben Alsop back in the mix again in fourth. Stu & Tom opted for a bold early gybe down the run and was sucked back into the pack by the leeward gate.

Ian & Charlotte were now in third, Jon Ibbotson & Robbie Stewart in fourth, Taxi & Pippa in fifth and James & Chris in sixth. Taxi & Pippa made some great gains down the reaches and up the next beat, bringing James & Chris along with them and making a port lay line cross a bit too close for Ian & Charlotte who ended up spinning at the mark.

Aspire Merlin Rocket National Championships at East Lothian day 5 - photo © Steve Fraser / ELYC

So, Ben & George took the bullet and the Winter trophy with Christian & Sam in second. Taxi & Pippa got third, while Tim Saxton & Mary Henderson sailed into fourth, Alex Jackson & Chris Kilsby were fifth and James & Chris finished sixth. Dan & Ben Alsop were first silver fleet, and first bronze was Ben Archer and Olivia Bellini.

The overall results were close, but not close enough in the end, meaning Stu and Tom claimed the Championship title. Christian and Sam did put up a great fight to finish second with a consistent score line even with no practice sailing together this year. Ben and George certainly found their mojo on the last day, and without the gear failures on day one, it may well have been a different story, but they finished in third. Taxi and Pippa came in a very credible fourth, Tim and Mary were fifth and Ian and Charlotte finished much better than they started the week, ending up sixth.

First silver fleet was James and Anna, who had some excellent results all week, and first bronze fleet were newcomers in the Merlin fleet, Tom and Ed Low.

Aspire Merlin Rocket National Championships at East Lothian day 5 - photo © Steve Fraser / ELYC

Huge thanks to East Lothian Yacht Club and all the volunteers for being a wonderful host club and for such a fantastic reception, it’s a stunning venue and is definitely worth a visit. Also, thanks to our race officer and his team for dealing with the sometimes tricky conditions and giving us some great racing.

Many thanks to our sponsors HD sails, SSE, NB Distillery, Fernhurst Books, Triggernaught Sportsglasses and our title sponsor Aspire Financial Advisers.

The Merlin Rocket Nationals 2022 will be hosted by Mount's Bay 31st July to 5th August.

Photos from Day 4 - flic.kr/s/aHsmWrzBV5
Photos from Day 5 - flic.kr/s/aHsmWwnwNV
Drone video of final mark rounding in race 8 - flic.kr/p/2mi2FjE

Aspire Merlin Rocket National Championships at East Lothian day 5 - photo © Steve Fraser / ELYC

Trophies Awarded:

Overall Results:
If you finished in the top ten at the Merlin Rocket nationals then enter your Gear Guide information here

Aspire Merlin Rocket National Championships at East Lothian day 5 - photo © Steve Fraser / ELYC