Vernon Dawson and Commodores Jaunt North

Each year, Scarborough and Whitby Yacht Clubs meet to race from Scarborough to
Whitby for the Vernon Dawson Cup. 2021 had an excellent turnout, with 18 yachts
taking part.

Racing commenced at 09:30 with a South about start before turning North. With a brisk North-Easterly wind and North-drifting current, the clubs’ larger vessels moved powerfully ahead, soon distant lines of vessels making synchronised wide tacks to get round the headlands at Long Nab, Ravenscar, and Robin Hoods Bay. Some heading offshore for the stronger tide, some hugging the coast looking for better breeze as the wind fell away.

Reporting from onboard Little Jeannie, images en-route were a little sparse as Little Jeannie soon found ourselves in an empty sea listening (with some irritation!) as the faster vessels completed their race and called in at Whitby Marina. With wind falling off, this left Little Jeannie with a long-ish haul under engine power up to the port side of the doleful clang of the Whitby Cardinal buoy saying “pass by my North view or else”. The sailing instructions were equally doleful, and SYC racers observed this to the letter. For those who haven’t navigated the Whitby marina, the channel is a rather narrow S- shape passage in an otherwise broadish river mouth, with siting marks on the way – transgress at one’s peril. Not so obvious on the way in, but hopefully the later pics show the S-shape on the way out. Fish and chips, snacks, and curry for many along with beer and spirits, with a mostly quiet night until an unseen and noisy fishing vessel took off around 5am.

On the way out, most of the previous day’s Vernon Dawson racers assembled to become of the Scarborough Yacht Club Commodore’s Jaunt North, next stop Hartlepool and finishing at Newcaste. It was a striking visual moment for shoreliners as around 15 – 17 yachts moved in sychronised single line out of the river mouth, with dog walkers and early morning tourists stopping to watch the flow.
The pictures show events, the final two are aerial images over the Newcastle Millennium Bridge.
Results:
There were three classes involved in the Race, we’ve used the aggregate to simplify reporting, With four Whitby vessels in the results, the top 5 overall results are shown:
ICON – a Whitby Yacht Club (WYC) North East Cruiser Racing Association (NECRA) Sigma 33
Déjà Vu – a WYC/NECRA J120
Scorcher – a WYC Sigma 33
Minty – a WYC Impala
Ruffian – an SYC Sigma 36

1. Attention needed at all times on congested start – Chris Clark
2. Tight Turning – Chris Clark
3. Yachts head briefly South on split courses – Chris Clark
4. At Whitby – Chris Clark
5. Convoy of SYC Vessels en route to Hartlepool-Newcastle – 1 – Chris Clark
6. Showing the Whitby S-Bend – Chris Clark
7. SYC Crew arrive at Newcastle 1 -Credit – Andrew Doughty
8. SYC Crew arrive at Newcastle 2 -Credit – Andrew Doughty

Written by Chris Clark

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