Having enjoyed fresh winds on previous weeks, 240 competitors gathered around the committee boats in millpond conditions in the central Solent on April 14th.

So there was ample opportunity for lengthy discussions on tactics, or more likely an extra cup of coffee, during a two hour postponement whilst Race officers willed the breeze to fill in.

The White Group sportboats were first away with the Blue Group starting sequence later shortened to allow multiple class starts, making the most of the breeze. Conditions remained fluky, with everyone watching for windless patches and ready to change from spinnaker dead run to white sail reach and back again over several minutes' sailing.

Next week sees racing on Saturday too in the Spring Championship for IRM and White Group with the Spring Series returning on Sunday for the penultimate race.

Provisional Results: IRM Assegai (Chris Hunt/Leon Christianakis), IRC1 Team Tonic (Nick Hewson), IRC2 Fastwave II (Chris Brown), IRC3 Prime Cut (Peter Parker), IRC4 Olivia Anne VI (Derek Morland), Sigma 38 Alliance (John Brantley), X332 Xplorer (Ian Dawson), Bowsprit Just Another Cunning Plan (Robert Davis), Mumm 30 Royal Thames (Malcolm McKeag), Cork 1720 STBD (Russell Peters), Hunter 707 Tequila Hunter (Duncan McCarthy), Sportsboat Rattle and Hum (James Ives)