Visitors to Netley Sailing Club for the Classic and Vintage Dinghy Association meeting knew they had struck lucky, when they arrived to scorching sunshine and a light South Easterly breeze. This was the first time the CVRDA had visited the Southampton Water Club, so there was considerable interest as to how the club would host the widely differing classes that make up the Association. Numerically Merlin Rockets were the biggest class and with the patchy wind meeting the ebbing tide, the conditions were expected to favour the older, narrow waterline boats. After a well contested first start, it was the OKs though of Dave Rollinson and Stu Budden, that took the early lead which they held through to the finish, although these two were chased hard by a pack, that included the International 14 of Nick Clibborn/Matt Cox and Ian and Rosie Parker, from the host club, in their Merlin. Behind the OKs, on handicap, it would be the beautifully restored Albacore of Chris and Lois Barlow that would take third place, a varnished plank ahead of Merlin Rocket 36, sailed as usual by John and Lynn Gardiner.

After a break for lunch and the application of some much needed sunscreen, the fleet started Race 2 with the wind still light but holding the promise of a fresher sea breeze. Race Officer David Henshall had re-laid the course in anticipation of the new wind, but neither the revised layout, nor the non arrival of the wind, seemed to worry the OKs, as again they scored a 1,2, with Rollinson taking his second win. With the Race Team now having to work hard against the tidal clock, the third race of the day started just a few minutes after the last boat had finished Race 2 and no one showed any surprise, as it once again turned into an OK benefit event.

After an evening spent replenishing the body fluids at the Sunset BBQ, the fleet was greeted by some very different Netley weather as the sunshine was replaced by grey skies. The wind started out by being as light as on the previous day, but after some heavy showers mid-race, the breeze finally started to arrive in earnest. The visitors, with their Classic dinghies, had now been joined by the club’s normal racing fleet, though yet again it was the leading trio of Rollinson, Barlow and Budden that showed that their mastery of the previous day had been far from a fluke. These three were able to hold off all comers in a full length Pursuit Race, despite a late charge by the RS700s and A Class Cats from the host club that had closed to within a short leg of taking the lead, when the time ran out.