Race one got away on time, with a considerable committee boat bias in the shifty conditions. Mark and Mike got a great start at the committee boat end with Howard and Richard about a boat length off their transom (not a good place obviously!!), the other competitors strung off the line a little. It was a close beat along the whole length of the reservoir (admirable!) though and the Firth Team rounded first, followed by Howard/Richard, The Stensons, then Mervyn and Callum, Andy and Mark, Roger and Tony. The placings remained pretty steady on the first lap, then on the second beat Mervyn/Callum went left and it paid HUGELY - they leapt to second. On the run down, Howard and Richard went wide and made up lost ground. All three leaders rounded tightly together... Mervyn went left again, and Howard/Richard did likewise a few seconds later - but got the inside of the curve.... leaving Mervyn/Callum for dead basically. Then that was it... At the start of the last pair of reaches Mervyn and Callum spiralled off somewhere....letting the big Stenson boys through. Mark and Mike won it handsomely by a minute, with Howard and Richard as close as they could manage... Then the pack was the best part of a leg behind another two minutes later - The Stensons got third.
Race two saw another racecourse-wide shift and an apparent bias appear at the pin end. Howard and Richard were right there on the gun, only to meet Andy and Mark trying a port flyer. Much consternation followed. None of this seemed to phase the Firths who started some way up the line somewhere and once again wriggled away. This time though, Mervyn and The Stensons did a great job of the beat and rounded ahead of Howard/Richard and Andy/Mark. It stayed like this until the second beat - Merv went left again, of course - straight into a hole - taking I think, The Stensons and 3378 with him. Howard and Richard nipped up the middle on the shifts and once again found themselves getting close to the elusive Firths. On the run the gap closed some more, but just not enough......Mark and Mike took it from Howard and Richard by 25 seconds, then the rest of the fleet headed by Andy and Mark were 160 seconds behind that - a huge gap it must be said. "Two horizon jobs", says Howard.....
