IT WASN’T that long ago that the Salcombe Yawl fleet was inhabited by 1970s alumni of the Merlin Rocket class who had retired aged forty or so. This is no longer as true as once it was, reports G. Cranford-Smith.

Of course, you can still find a strong overlap between these two venerable cohorts. But if the likes of Messrs Warren. A, Blake. P and Alsop. D are anything to go by, it is no longer de rigeur to consider oneself beyond dealing with a Merlin in 18 knots at the age of 78, plus, plus.

In some respects, the Yawl is looking like the younger team’s option. There is some sense to this.

Superficially, folk are drawn to the Yawl on the basis that it is certainly hard (but far from impossible) to capsize a Yawl. But unlike a Merlin, where it is effortless to de-power the rig when required, this is far from true of the Salcombe Yawl.

Aloft, the Yawl carries a hefty expanse of sail supported by a very bendy mast which only occasionally is your friend. In dumping the main sheet it is never clear if this will reduce or actually add power. The Cunningham control for example is of zero perceptible effect. The kicking strap is entirely for show.

Sailing a Yawl in a breeze is rather like driving an early American V8 at pace (with a household budget consumption to match)- the Yawl has a vast surfeit of power over handling.

Perhaps Merlins of yore were like this too. Maybe then, the difference was not stark, but it is now. In a breeze, the Yawl is Hard Work. These days it helps to be fit, or extremely canny. Or heavy. Or all three.

Nevertheless, in recent years, there has been an influx of teams with Merlin connections. Notable among these are John Burn, Ollie Turner. Recently, John and Katy Meadowcroft.

Joining the Yawl fleet may well be like early induction to a Masonic Lodge. There is a dearth of tuning information. Such that there is, is arcane. Each Yawl is unique. In some cases, each side of an individual Yawl is unique to the other.

Safe hands will tell you it takes time to become acclimatised to one’s new steed and they are not wrong.

However, John and Katy Meadowcroft have not read this memo. Nor has Ollie Turner. From the off, they are quick.

Saturday, June 14, was the start of the new Yawl summer series. In a decent 16-knot but gusty Southerly, eight Yawls lined up.

John and Katy, Y175, jumped into an early lead, rounding Blackstone in a decent first place. Behind followed Will and Mandy Henderson, Y168. Somewhat remarkably, Graham and Fiona Cranford Smith, Y172, appeared next, with a wafer-thin third place.

John and Katy might have hoped to stretch and consolidate their lead but such is the vast wind shadow of the Yawl, off-wind, the peloton drafting rules of cycling apply. But not always.

Nevertheless, Team Meds hung onto their lead all the way to Gerston and most of the way back.

By Ox Point, a three-way battle between Teams Meds, Henderson and Turner. O/Skelhorn had developed.

Uncharacteristically, Will Henderson then duly parked Y168 on Ox Point itself. This was amid, presumably, much grinding of bronze centre plate and expensively finished rudder. History does not relate what effect this may have had on crew morale. However, Will probably operates with a much higher credibility rating than the rest of us.

For example, your correspondent in recent past, has left the mizzen mast on a moored yacht. Credibility with one's crew is thus nil. One would not care to park the Yawl literally on Ox Point expecting to escape a robust crew verdict on helm competence.

Meanwhile, it turns out that having to disembark chest depth at Ox Point is not that fast. This allowed Turner. O/Skelly into the lead.

Two laps of the harbour failed to produce any further primary place changes; though Greg Hoare and crew, Y145, relentlessly climbed the order to fifth on corrected. Well done them.

Final placings saw Turner. O/Skelly take the win ahead of Will and Mandy Henderson & John and Katy Meadowcroft. Mike Knowles and Nicky Bass, Y15; First Blue fleet Yawl; fourth on corrected.

Photography by Lucy Burn.