The Lark national championship fleet set sail for their sixth race yesterday in a moderate north-westerly and bright sunshine.

After an hour’s postponement waiting for the breeze to settle and two general recalls (the second of which carried a 20 per cent penalty), the race eventually started.

Mark Ampleford and Lee Nankervis had a good start and, through playing the shifts on the right-hand side of the course, led at the windward mark. Dougal and Nigel Scott, the current series leaders rounded second. However, it wasn’t long before the chasing Scott brothers took over the lead and led to the finish. Ampleford and Nankervis dropped down the fleet leaving the contest for second place between Simon Cox and Anna Hotchkiss, and Emma Harris and Becky Priest. Cox and Hotchkiss had the upper hand all the way round, but Harris and Priest cleverly forced Cox and Hotchkiss over the port layline to the finish, and planed in beneath them to take a very close second.

Results (after race 6 and 1 discard)

1st Dougal and Nigel Scott, 12.5 pts

2nd Emma Harris and Becky Priest, 14 pts

3rd Simon Cox and Anna Hotchkiss, 30 pts

4th Richard Dowsett and Ruth Johnson, 30.75 pts

5th Nigel Hufton and Edd McArdle, 33.75 pts