CLACTON Sailing Club's Jubilee Rose Bowl Trophy - first presented 40 years ago - was won by father-and-son team Ian and Liam Wright.

Originally donated by Liam's great grandmother, Mable Hawkridge, in celebration of the Queen's Silver Jubilee and in memorial of her husband, Percival, the family have now seen four generations of Clacton Sailing Club membership.

With their championship-tuned Dart 18, the Wrights were first off the line, just ahead of Rob Mitchell and Pauline Smith, in their distinctive yellow Dart 16 and the fleet of eight catamarans.

Beating into the force three to four south-west winds, the choices were between hugging the inshore route with the exaggerated risk from the regular wind shifts or staying offshore in clean winds but increased drag from the ebbing tide.

Race officer Mike Suffield set a large upwind/downwind course that meant the cats would typically make four or even six tacks upwind.

Reacting or anticipating the wind shifts would become critical over the two-lap race.

Larry Foxon, at the helm of the powerful Hurricane 5.9, gave David Nicholson his first taste of cat racing as guest crew of the week and together they hunted down the lead boats.

Retiring after the first lap, Nicholson vowed to return next week, having been converted by the exhilaration of cat sailing.

Stelios Tabis and Jeff Parmay, in the even bigger Nacra 20', enjoyed a tacking duel with Brian Allen, sailing his Dart 16 single-handed.

A classic port/starboard crossing incident left Allen capsized and, despite righting the boat without support, within three minutes both boats went on to eventually retire.

Rob and Cathy Mitchell, in the other Dart 16, uncharacteristically seemed off the pace but nevertheless enjoyed themselves and came in a respectable fifth.

Among the Dart 18 fleet, Martin and Debbie Chivers seemed to recover last year's form and came in third.

Pete Boxer, this week sailing with Anton Petrovski, enjoyed favourable windshifts to catch the Wrights on the second lap.

Perhaps tempted by a tactical adjustment of boat speed to attempt to cross their bows on port tack, Boxer was forced into a last-minute tack to avoid Lima and went on to finish second.