WEDNESDAY evening's fourth race out of six in Helford River Sailing Club's Early Summer Wednesday Series was the first one this season to have a start to the West.

All previous races have been started into an East wind. Perhaps that strangest thing about the race, on a pleasant but cloudy evening, was the wind shift during the race which went round 180 from NW to SE.

Ten boats started and Jacobi soon took a lead, closely followed by Big Purple. Spinnakers were hoisted to sail back down the river to the second mark when the wind died away to almost nothing, and with the tide beginning to push into the river again, Jetta, in fourth place, came up between Gotcha! and the Gew mark, managing to sail through into third place, with a nifty jibe on the mark.

By this time the light breeze had settled into the East. Jacobi held on to the lead from Big Purple, but could not shake them off. So on corrected time Big Purple won by 17 seconds, with Jacobi second, and Jetta taking third place.

Jacobi and Big Purple are both well placed to win the Early Summer Series, with the last two races still to be decided.

Race Results IRC May 28 -Early Summer Series - race four: 1, Big Purple (Garth Weaver); 2, Jacobi (Tony Statham); 3, Jetta (John Jane); 4, Gotcha! (Stuart Sawyer); 5, Orijin (Andy Dennis) 6, Jabadeo (Wally Royall); 7, Demolition (Richard Winfrey); 8, Jinjy (Lynda Filmer).

Two other yachts raced with the fleet under the PY handicap, Kudu (Terry Pascoe); and Hatty (John Hughes) and it is hoped that more PY yachts will join us in future.