Two weeks after the nationals, the first weekend of the school summer holiday and a forecast of strong winds and showers is probably not the most tempting time for an open meeting.

But WHAT A TREAT for the 13 boats who decided to make the trip to Blithfield. A strong westerly blowing down the reservoir whipped up waves more akin to a coastal venue than inland water.

The OD was the highly experienced Laser great grand master Bill Watson, who managed to set courses with twin beats and a variety of wild off wind legs.

In all 3 races, top positions changed hands regularly, with one exception. Current winter champion Richard Pakes, who walked away with the title with 3 straight wins. He was not without his own bit of drama though, having the boat lift out of the water and throwing him over in the final race, in which Steve Hawley was the only other finisher. Gusts hitting 44mph (just short of Force 9) were just too much for everyone else to handle. Well done Richard.

Top 5 were:
1st Richard Pakes, Haversham
2nd Steve Hawley, Severn
3rd Paul Undrell, Haversham
4th Jeff Mountain, Cotswold
5th Ian Casewell, Black Swan

Special Note:
One of the members of Blithfield spent a good part of the day capturing the havoc on "video" if anyone would like to see if a copy can be made, please contact me.