A COMBINATION of low cloud and mist driven by a two-three westerly breeze made visibility very difficult for racing at Royal Cornwall Yacht Club, writes Harold Martin.

The IRC One fleet started four boats fetched south moving well in the light wind through flat water.

Identifying individual boats was almost impossible because numbers could not be read, but Jackdaw took the lead followed by Too Insatiable and they quickly spread out mainly near the eastern side of the Roads.

IRC Two followed and they stayed more in the centre or on the western side with five boats participating.

A quartet of Sunbeams set off but one decided to return to the moorings.

When the leaders of the IRC One reached Pendennis Point, they tacked south and disappeared completely from view, followed soon by the IRC Two.

Both were making good speed going south in the Roads, but on clearing the shelter from the westerly wind given by the headland, they found a much livelier sea state to slap their way through to the unseen buoy.

The latest electronic navigation devices were needed to find the mark which was about a mile south of Pendennis Point and as visibility was so poor, it was impossible to see it from more than 100m.

In the Sunbeams, two were neck-and-neck as they sailed toward Pendennis with the chasing pack around 50m behind.

After a wait, the IRC One fleet reappeared through the mist with Too Insatiable leading Jackdaw who was being chased Vindscreen Viper, flying an easily recognised red head sail.

Minutes later, the IRC Two group came out of the murk with four almost in line abreast with Tresillian on the east and Encore on the west.

At the clubhouse, in the shelter of the town there was no wind at all and it was decided to warn the committee boat and suggest it would be a good idea to finish the racing near Trefusis.

Radio contact was difficult to make and when finally they got through, the leader was already on the way up the harbour, so it was too late to shorten the course.

The fleet quietly rode up the harbour on the flooding tide in the gentle breeze which was way above our heads.

As usual the time of each boat crossing the line was carefully recorded, but when it came to compiling the results in each class, there was no working computer available.

What I can report was that all the starters returned with Too Insatiable first, Scorpion last and everybody else between them.