Despite a threatening forecast of Force 5-7 the fleet set sail in a light breeze and drizzle for race four and five of the Red Square Lark national championship at Looe yesterday. After a general recall, the fleet got away cleanly off a pretty true line and proceeded up a mile beat with the wind blowing 15 knots and a large swell. Richard Lymposs and Matt Thomas rounded the windward mark first in their new Rondar Lark, hottly persued by Steve Dunn and Kim Lamb and Richard Dowsett and Ruth Johnson.

These positions remained down the run of the trapeziod course, however Dowsett/Johnson broke through up the second beat and stretch their lead down the following reaches and runs. Behind Mark Ampleford and Lee Nankervis in another new Rondar Lark broke through into second by using their better speed and shift spotting. These positions remained although there was a lot of place changing going on behind until the final downwind legs when Simon Cox and Anna Hotchkiss and Emma Harris and Becky Preist were able to break through to take Ampleford/Nankervis and finish second and third repectively behind Dowsett/Johnson. After a delay of an hour which saw the wind veer 15 degrees, the course was relaid and the fleet got away first time off a fairly port biased line for the fifth race of the championship. Mark Ampleford and Lee Nankervis, encouraged by their first race made a brilliant pin-end start and then tacked right to pick up the shifts on that side of the beat. At the windward mark they rounded first comfortably, followed by Jonathon Fish and Eluned Jones and Dowsett/Johnson giving chase. Down the run there again was a lot of place changing behind Ampleford in the building breeze, now touching 20 knots in the gusts. However, it was Harris/Preist who broke through to second up the second beat with Dowsett/Johnson, Harry Pynn and Oli Wolgar close behind. On the penultimate offwind legs it was Ampleford/Nankervis, Harris/Preist, then Dowsett/Johnson. However, the girls’ spinnaker pole uphaul broke and while fixing it on the beat, allowed Dowsett/Johnson and the Scott bothers through at the final windward mark. So the race finished Ampleford/Nankervis, Dowsett/Johnson then the Scotts.

Overall Results (after Race 5 and 1 discard)

1st Dougal and Nigel Scott, 11.75 pts

2nd Emma Harris and Becky Priest, 12 pts

3rd Richard Dowsett and Ruth Johnson, 15.75 pts

4th Simon Cox and Anna Hotchkiss, 19 pts

5th Chris Fish and Gillian Young, 21.75 pts