An 8-boat fleet turned out in a SW F4 wind and bright sunshine to compete in the third of the Len Nolan Cup series.

OOD Martin Gillam was pathfinder on Tipsy and opened the gate for 2 minutes before dropping a marker buoy to indicate the end of the start and finish line. It was the use of a combined start and finish line (rather than the usual practice of setting a separate finish line) that led to the later controversy.

Martin set a course over the radio that took the fleet on a beat down-tide to Omar (P) and then back to Weather Station (P), Outfall (S) and Steel Can (P) then back through the finish.

The fleet was 'hot to trot' and rapidly launched across the start line as the pathfinder opened the starting gate. First away was Port Kerne, quickly followed by Sooper Trooper, Formula 1, Dedicated Dancer, Cabre, Rhapsody and Free 'N’ Easy.

On the beat to Omar, the wind began to back. First round was Port Kerne but Sooper Trooper (with a freshly scrubbed bottom and sporting a brand new mainsail) was close behind. Then came Formula 1, Andy and Hilary Walker’s 'new' toy, which was flying along on its first outing.

The leg from Omar to Weather Station should have been a broad reach, but turned into a close reach. Port Kerne set her spinnaker but could not hold the rhum line, was forced low and eventually had to drop the kite and climb back up onto course with white sails. Sooper Trooper used her brand new asymmetric (close reaching) spinnaker to good effect, fast spinnaker reaching almost all the way down this leg.

Outfall to Steel Can was pretty much a dead run and spinnakers were widely used. On Formula 1 the sail wardrobe is rather tired and no spinnaker came with the boat, so Andy flew Scampi’s spinnaker and it proved to be very effective.

Steel Can to the finish was a close reach with the tide. The finishing line, instead of being across the path of the boats, was nearly in line with the direction of passage from Steel Can. Boats crossed the finishing line in different directions, sparking a protest from David Robinson in Dedicated Dancer which was eventually withdrawn—but not before a delegation had gone out in a RIB to check the line and found David was technically correct. The moral here is that it pays to lay a separate finish line.

Sooper Trooper was the clear winner, with a well crewed Tipsy coming second and Formula 1 in third place on her first outing.