LOOKING towards the start near the water tower, it looked like a yachting shambles at Flushing Sailing Club with boats of all shapes and classes going every which way, writes Harold Martin.

This chaos continued until U Class started the latest leg of the Hine Downing Series on Tuesday, beating south close to the eastern shore, but two tacked onto port and came west.

Gap Year, the Folkboat helmed by Lennie Trenoweth, took the lead followed by Wilkie and Amneris.

The two leaders pulled away and Gap Year tacked onto port towards the west, but just failed to cross the bow of Deep Purple and so he had to tack quickly.

Was it skill or luck which allowed him to pour dirty air onto Deep Purple who was forced to make another tack to get a smooth wind across the mainsail.

The leader, now in the middle of the Roads, tacked again onto port and aided by the ebbing tide he came to the Governor and took the mark to starboard, bore away, hoisted the spinnaker and began the run to the distant North Bank buoy.

As the fleet passed the harbour, the westerly gusts gave problems to the spinnaker handlers.

A couple of Sunbeams followed and after bearing away they opened out their kitty gear for the long run north.

In the far distance, Gap Year reached the downwind buoy, sheeted in the genoa and beat south west.

Grace, the only B class boat, beated south-east past the docks, already well pressed even without a topsail when a heavy squall approached.

When it hit, they were laid over even further and some fast bailing was necessary to get rid of the green water taken in.

At 6.45pm, half-an-hour late, Q class started.

Their problem had been a mass false start where most of them were well over the line before the gun and so a general recall was signalled, forcing them to wait to be the last starting fleet.

They beat south along the eastern shore, but soon they had to tack to find deep water and get help from the falling tide.

As they approached the Governor, Macavity, Elsa and Excelle turned close together with Scorpion behind them.

He was chased by Atalanta and Temeraire, Minx and Hawk, who was far behind.

They all ran towards North Bank in close company and as they neared the Vilt, Gap Year, in U class also under spinnaker, passed through the fleet sailing due east, but somehow finding a convenient gap.

Coming up to the finish, Elsa was 500m in the lead but Macavity chased Excelle and managed to overtake downwind on the final beat and got to the line 11 seconds in front.

RESULTS

Q CLASS

1st Excelle - J Fox

2nd Macavity - J Hicks

3rd Elsa - T Statham

U CLASS

1st Gap Year - L Trenoweth

2nd Deep Purple - R Jones

3rd Wilkie - B Chapple

W CLASS

1st Sweet Friday - L Cheshire

V CLASS

1st Wendy - J Martin

2nd Pixy - L Hesling

B CLASS

1st Grace - D&P Tregaskes