Fruity conditions greeted the RS800 fleet for the second day of the Gul National Championship in Weymouth yesterday. With gusts well within the 30-knot range knees were trembling throughout the fleet as the puffs rolled in from the north-west.

Race one soon got underway and fastest out of the blocks and first round the top mark was Christian and Lucy Reynolds. But by the finish Ian Martin and Ben McGrane (Rooster sailing) redeemed themselves after a poor start and pulled out an enormous lead to take first place.

Race two and the shifts were coming through thick and fast. Hitting the left-hand side of the course paid huge dividends on the first beat and it was Ian Martin and Claire Booth (Sail4Cancer) who clocked this and rounded the top mark in first. Martin and McGrane led the usual front runners through and took the lead after Martin and Booth lost their cap shrouds on the penultimate run. So it was another bullet for Martin and McGrane.

Race three and Martin and McGrane won the pin end along with Adrian and Julia Coatsworth. Holding their own all the way to the top mark Martin and McGrane rounded in first and maintained their lead all the way to the finish to clinch their third victory of the day.