There was only one word to describe the weather conditions for the fourth race of the Mylor Chandlery and Rigging series, which took place at Mylor Yacht Club on June 24 - awful, writes Chris Davis.

Driving rain, low visibility and strong, blustery winds: dramatic to the observer sat in the warm clubhouse but, to the racer on the water, it was awful. Despite this, 23 boats turned out to race and some of these, those with strong moral fibre, actually completed the course. In E fleet, once again Limelite (Euan Beattie and Charles Wharton) showed the others how to sail in difficult conditions, this week achieving the modest top speed of just 11 knots, with Chardonnay Girl (Andrew Nancarrow) coming second. In U fleet, the conditions suited the Westerly Fulmar Splinter (Peter and Stella Jones) just fine: they beat the Twister Nirvana (Mike Biglin) by 100 seconds on corrected time, with Mary Boon (John Cruise) coming third, just beating Xanadu IV (Chris Bye and Sandra Wakefield) by two seconds on corrected time, despite some interesting and innovative spinnaker sets. In G/H fleet, just one boat completed the course and the beautiful 100 year old gaff sloop Lady May (Victoria Whitworth) fully deserved her win. It took a lot of courage to race an open boat in those conditions.

Finally, in Q fleet, some skilful sailing by Chris Sadler, in his Sadler 26 Souchong, ensured an emphatic win, beating Sue Rosevear, in her modern Beneteau Sun Odyssey 32i Sucé, by 40 seconds on corrected time, with the Sadler 25 Tomary (Jon Myers) coming third just one second later. Results - E class: 1st, Limelite (Euan Beattie); 2nd, Chardonnay Girl (Andrew Nancarrow). U class. 1st: Splinter (Peter Jones); 2nd: Nirvana (Mike Biglin); 3rd: Mary Boon (John Cruise). G/H class. 1st: Lady May (Victoria Whitworth). Q class. 1st: Souchong (Colin Sadler); 2nd: Sucé (Sue Rosevear); 3rd: Tomary (John Myers).

The conditions could hardly have been more different for the SKB Sails Helford Pursuit Race on Sunday, June 26.

This time, light winds and fog dominated the scene and race officer John Cruise had few choices available to him: he really had to abandon the race. It would have been dangerous to send racing crews out across Falmouth Bay in very poor visibility, with shipping movements and bunkering being carried out: there are few things more sobering than to hear five or six different foghorns when you’re out there. A couple of yachts carried on in cruising mode and were rewarded by Caribbean-style weather for their lunch and their return sail back to their moorings. So, regrettably, no silverware to be awarded for this race this year.