The Dinghy Section had another gusty day, for  its first cup race of the year on Sunday May 2nd.  Race Officers Sarah Mason and Steve Kestin set a northerly course from Boshan for the Nairn Cup and six boats turned out for the race which was held under PY handicaps.  Roger Macdonald was in his element once again, in the strong winds and ebbing tide.  By the first mark he had established a lead over Phil Samuel and Andy Biggs and seemed upstopable.  Several competitors had chosen to sail their Lasers with smaller rigs to cope with the difficult conditions but the wind dropped off in the middle of the race and Becky Kestin and Phil Samuel were left to regret this decision as Macdonald stretched his lead with every mark of the course, never to be passed.

Andy Biggs,turning out for the first time this season in his Laser, made good ground and by the last lap it was a close fight for second and third places behind Roger Macdonald.   Unfortunately  his tiller broke on the last lap and Andy was forced to retire leaving  Phil Philpott/Carrie Hoskins to enjoy the planing conditions in their recently retored N12.  After racing for 45 minutes around a course which ran the length of the river, the Race Officer moved the Committee Boat to Voose Mark to finish the race.  In the end after a closely fought final leg which saw both boats surfing down to the finishing line, only two boat lengths separate Phil Samuel’s Laser and Phil Philpott’s  N12.

Sailing up the river back to the Club the boats were joined by Jacobi and Orijin, yachts returning from the COGs race to Fowey.  Many of the crew are active members of the dinghy section and it was an unusual sight to see both fleets racing together in the river.