Bright sunshine and a warm westerly breeze greeted the five visitors and seven local boats for this year's Albacore Open meeting. Bacon cobs were on hand to prepare us all for the day, and after ascertaining that no lead boat was needed for sailing round two marks, race officer Simon Limb got the first race under way at 11am.

Bravely tacking through the fleet on port, Judy and Paul Armstrong quickly capitalised on a solid start, with Roger Poat crewed by Michael Brookman in hot pursuit. Even the Trent's notorious wind shifts could not stop the Armstrongs however, who arrived at the first mark with a comfortable lead. A tricky downwind leg saw many changes of position in mid fleet, and the equally tricky beat back up saw as many again. By the end of the first lap Judy and Paul looked unassailable, with Tim Coleman and Rosie Lyne in second followed by John Greenwood and Phil Smith.

A northerly shift in the wind direction made the second lap more difficult, with a stretch of flat water and unpredictable wind well known to the home boats separating the upstream and downstream sections of the course. It made little difference to the Armstrongs, who went on to win the race, with John and Phil second, Steve Bailey and Marie Marshall taking advantage of a sudden wind shift in the downstream section to finish third.

An excellent curry lunch followed the first race, and equally popular was the decision to alter the course for the afternoon to exclude the difficult downstream section.

Once again Judy and Paul led the way to the windward mark, but with Roger and Michael breathing down their necks all the way. The gentler breeze made for constant place changes and at the end of the first lap the Armstrongs were still ahead but not by much from Tim and Rosie, followed by Matt and Heather Thompson. The succeeding two laps saw a lot of close tactical sailing and some nail bitingly close finishes, doubtless as entertaining for the spectators on the bank as nerve wracking for the competitors. Judy and Paul hung on to their lead, Matt and Emma Metcalfe-Smith caught up to finish second with Tim and Rosie third.

The third race began after a short break, with John and Phil taking the lead having found clear air and the rest of the fleet trying to catch them. By the end of the first lap Judy and Paul had recovered from a slow start to lie a rather distant second, with Roger and Michael a close third behind them. The Armstrongs slowly but surely caught up in the third lap, as did the Metcalfe-Smiths. A battle on the last leg ensued, Judy and Paul crossed the line first with John and Phil second, and Matt and Emma a creditable third.

After tea, cakes, showers and propping up the bar for a while there was the prize giving. Commodore Steve Bailey congratulated the prize winners and thanked the visitors for making the journey, Judy Armstrong in turn thanked the race team, galley slaves, bar staff and NSC in general for a thoroughly enjoyable meeting.

Photo Credit: Neil Brinkworth

Further photos and video available on the Nottingham SC Facebook Group https://www.facebook.com/groups/114319517060/ (Facebook account required to view).

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