AFTER three rounds of good fresh winds, the 240 boats arriving for the fourth day of the Barclays Marine Finance Warsash Spring Series found millpond conditions in the central Solent.

As boats just drifted around, race officers for both start groups postponed any racing until the wind had filled in. The White Group for the smaller 'sporty' boats was the first to start racing with the Hunter 707s getting off to a good start.

Meanwhile the race officer for the IRC handicap fleet for larger boats held back until midday, two hours after the scheduled start, before sending the IRM boats out. To speed the sequence up, starts were doubled up, leading to crowded start lines, but every class got away cleanly in winds freshening to Force 3.

Meanwhile, at the White Group, the second races of the day were starting. First to go were the Hunter 707s, but twice they all had to be called back.

"The Hunters were reverting to form. It was a classic bulge at the centre of the line," said Peter Knight, who was overseeing the starts on the committee boat.

After two general recalls, the wind swung through 90 degrees, making it impossible to set a windward start which would not involve the Hunters charging straight into finishing boats, so the second race was abandoned. Other classes managed to fit in a second race.

Racing for the final two weekends of the Spring Series will also incorporate the Spring Championships for Mumm 30, Cork 1720, Hunter 707 and Sportsboats classes, with racing on the Saturdays as well as Sundays.