Report by Gavin Sims

We did it in Mango Jam (Butt Plug 2682). Very little wind when we arrived which dropped to zero when we launched. With only the 49ers and ex cheruber Alex Adams in his moth left to go once we had finally started our position could only improve. An extremely light wind fetch to the windward (?) mark saw is catch up the tail end of a pack of boats. A run to the next mark saw us sit in a hole with a 29er, a 49er and a Vago and go approximately nowhere until we dropped the kite and caught up with the vastly spread out pack. A 2.4m was in the lead at this point. The wind was still non-existent whilst we sailed the course around the perimeter of the lake. Boats started dropping out and heading back to shore very slowly. About 15 minutes from the finish about 3 knots of breeze filled in, the Thames A-Rater increased it speed ten fold and shot into the lead. We finished amid a myriad of boats on a tight reach with Dave (crew) actually off the foredeck. I think 212 boats started, 170 finished with us coming 142nd.

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