WALTON and Frinton Yacht Club held the first race in their Summer Series.

Conditions were perfect, with warm sunshine and a lovely sailing breeze of seven to ten knots.

Race officer Alec Moss set a long course, providing a good test for competitors.

First out of the starting line was Simon Hipkin, in another brand new Hadron.

However, Martin Jenkins, in his Phantom, was only a few yards back and able to power up through the Hadron, forcing Hipkin to tack away.

Jenkins led round the first mark, with Hipkin 20 seconds back.

The Rs 400 of Tim and Izzy Brooke was close behind and keeping ahead of the Solos of Tim Oxley and John Sewell.

The order of the race leaders remained unchanged and it looked like the Phantom was far enough ahead as the fleet headed back to the finish line.

However, Jenkins sailed into a couple of damaging wind shifts, which allowed the fleet to close. Hipkin sailed immaculately to close the gap and finish alongside Jenkins at the gun, meaning a victory by 30 seconds on handicap.

Sewell's Solo was not far back and Tim Oxley sailed very well after a long lay-off to finish close behind Sewell.

The next race in the series is on Sunday, June 5.

The club then held a fun race on Bank Holiday Monday.

It was a pursuit race and the aim is for the less-successful helms to be given a better chance of winning by applying personal handicaps to the top sailors.

Sewell, in his Solo, had 32 points added to his handicap and Jenkins, in his Phantom, had a daunting 40 points added.

First away were Paul and Jemima Burnage, in their Firefly, and then the Lasers and then the Solos.

The TOY started six minutes after Sewell's Solo and Jenkins was a full 11 minutes after the first start when he was last boat away.

With the race lasting a set period of one hour after the first starter, the Phantom had only 39 minutes to catch the slower boats.

Jenkins sailed an excellent race and overtook the last boat ahead of him, Heidi Wright, in her Laser, with less than five minutes to go.

Jenkins won and Glen Bacon, in his TOY, finished second. Wright's Laser was third.