Fifteen Flying Fifteens made the start on a glorious summer afternoon, greeted by a south-south-westerly breeze of 8-12 knots. What began as champagne sailing steadily became a more athletic affair as the wind built throughout the race, reaching around 15 knots with gusts touching 20+ knots.

The course set was Wych, Hutchins, Wills, Wych, Hutchins, Wills, Wych, Christopher Head and Finish.

Off the line the majority of the fleet headed out on starboard towards Brownsea. Chris and Nadia, together with Graham and Ben, elected to tack onto port almost immediately. Unfortunately for them, the breeze had other ideas. A consistent lift on port left the pair out on the wrong side of the shift while the majority of the fleet were able to tack underneath and hook nicely around Brownsea.

The exact order at the first Wych rounding is slightly lost, but Crispin and Steve appeared to hold a narrow lead with Richard and Jack close behind. Despite taking the scenic route on the first beat, Graham and Ben and Chris and Nadia rounded in respectable fifth and sixth places respectively and very much still in the hunt.

The reach down to Hutchins was one of those classic Parkstone legs where nobody quite wanted to commit to the spinnaker too early. Most of the fleet sailed high looking for the magic angle. Chris and Nadia eventually blinked first, hoisting ahead of everyone else, with much of the fleet quickly following suit.

By Wills, Richard and Jack had worked their way into the lead, followed by Crispin and Steve, Chris and Nadia, and Graham and Ben. What happened amongst the rest of the fleet is, I'm afraid, beyond the reporting capabilities of the author. As regular readers will know, it is difficult to keep a proper lookout on the fleet while simultaneously trying to sail the boat and remember which mark comes next.

The second beat produced a fascinating split. Richard and Jack, along with Graham and Ben, favoured a middle-of-the-course route. Crispin and Steve headed well left, while Chris and Nadia ventured further right. The differing approaches compressed the fleet once again and by the second rounding of Wych it was Richard and Jack who led, with Graham and Ben moving up into second. Chris and Nadia and Crispin and Steve were close behind, although the precise order may be disputed by anyone who was paying more attention than I was.

As the fleet left Wych for the second time the increasing breeze transformed the reach. The angle was noticeably tighter than on the first lap, but Chris and Nadia once again showed no hesitation in launching the kite. Initially it looked a bold move, perhaps even an optimistic one, but it paid handsomely as they powered through the fleet to round Hutchins in second place ahead of Graham and Ben.

From that point onwards my notes become decidedly sketchy. By the final rounding of Wych, Richard and Jack had established a comfortable lead. Behind them Chris and Nadia and Graham and Ben continued their battle for the remaining podium places.

The final run to Christopher Head provided one last twist. Graham and Ben managed to get through Chris and Nadia, appearing to have secured second place. However, an encounter with a number of X-boats around Christopher Head slowed their progress at a crucial moment. Chris and Nadia found a clearer lane and capitalised perfectly, reclaiming second place on the run to the finish and holding it to the line.

1st - Richard & Jack (4114)
2nd - Chris & Nadia (4025)
3rd - Graham & Ben (4020)
4th - Ian (4115)
5th - Crispin & Steve (4101)
6th - Mervyn & Ron (4111)
7th - (3936)
8th - Richard & Alan (3966)
9th - Peter (3901)
10th - David(3971)
11th - Mike(4027)
12th - Kim(4005)
13th - David T(3965)
RTD -  Steve(4019)
RTD - Geof (4088)