LIAM Wright’s dominance of the race season continued at Clacton Sailing Club.

Helming his Dart 18 catamaran with father Ian acting as both crew and mentor, the pair appeared to be comfortable winners in the first of the year’s Class Series.

The headline hides a more complex story, however, as the lead changed three times in this hotly-contested event.

Freshening south-easterly winds and perfect blue skies welcomed the fleet of Dart catamarans as they gathered for the start.

Martin and Debbie Chivers timed their line charge to perfection precisely as the gun went in the freshening force three to four south-easterly winds.

All five of the Dart catamarans had positioned themselves in tight formation in the ebbing tide and all crossed within seconds of each other making an exciting spectacle.

Settling into their stride, Pete Boxer and Eilish Dempsey edged past on the first upwind leg to be first to the windward buoy and tacked off on to the first of the mile-long broad reaches against the ebbing tide.

Broad reaching in fresh winds with a following swell offered the dilemma to the chasing pack of either heading low to escape the dirty wind of the boat in front or risk getting caught in a luffing contest when trying to overtake to windward.

Each of the cats were in a position of both chasing and being chased from behind raising tension and making this a race to remember.

The long broad reach was followed by a tighter reach back up the coast - this time with the tide under them to start the sausage leg.

There is always increased responsibility for the lead boat to sail the right course and Boxer and Dempsey survived the first of their mistakes as they headed back downwind prematurely towards the beach after rounding the windward mark.

The Wright boat sportingly shouted advice in time to allow them to rejoin the fleet on the second broad reach still just in front as they approached the second gybe mark.

Boxer’s second mistake cost them the lead as they had to re-round the gybe mark, allowing both the Wright and Chivers boats to recover first and second place respectively at the end of the first lap.

Dan Brzezinski has been reunited with his regular crew Jack Dempsey again this season and sailed their Dart 18 at full stretch. Never out of pace with the leading cats, they said later that this was their best race ever.

Rob Mitchell had chosen to sail his Dart 16 single-handed and had his hands full controlling both the sail sheets and tiller from out on the trapeze wire but was typically revelling in the freshening conditions.

Liam and Ian Wright went on to sail the second and third laps faultlessly to claim a well deserved victory overall. Just two minutes behind them once handicaps were calculated was Rob Mitchell.

Pete Boxer and Eilish Dempsey slipped over the line in third place just one second in front of Martin and Debbie Chivers.