Good turnout at sailing club

Twenty-two boats - 11 Lasers, five Toppers, two Merlin Rockets, two Dart 16s, one Dart 16x and a Miracle - were racing.

John Wiseman crewed by Clare Wiseman led the Dart 16s throughout the four-lap race four with Tom Nash crewed by Maurice Nash pipping Mike Pollard crewed by Tristan Blurton for second at the finish.

In the Merlins, John Parmenter crewed by Richard Parmenter led the way narrowly for the first two laps before Brian Cholerton crewed by Simon Terry edged in front and won by 23 seconds on handicap.

Steve Clark was seven seconds ahead of Roy Sandford in the Lasers with Hugh Ashford third. Laurence Pettit was the leading Topper with Becca Daniel second and Sarah Macbeth a close third.

In race five, the Wisemans pulled away on the last lap to head the Darts from the Nashes with Pollard and Blurton third. Cholerton and Terry easily won the Merlin battle after getting off to a good start.

Sandford won an eventful Laser race despite capsizing on lap one. Clark was second and Steve Phillips third. Pettit again led the way in the Toppers with Macbeth second.

After lunch the wind came up to force four or five and only five boats went out for race six. Lane and Sandford capsized and retired, while those that finished, along with the patrol boat crew, were glad to come ashore.

Cholerton and Terry capsized on the third lap, but recovered to finish second to Clark. Ashford persevered to finish third, albeit some way behind.

The club will host the Shearwater and Dart Travelling Trophies this weekend. The first of Saturday’s two races will start at 1.30pm and Sunday’s three races will get under way at 10.30am.