CLACTON Sailing Club members enjoyed the warm weather on Sunday.

The club staged the second of four class series races spread over the summer months.

The monohulls were first to start at 11am, with a fleet of Lasers bunched together all attempting to hit the start-line as the horn went.

At 11.15am sharp, the catamaran fleet started, with father-and-son team Ian and Liam Wright defying the wind and tide and reaching the first bouy ahead of the main pack.

In the very light and unpredictable off-shore winds, combined with a strong incoming tide, both skill and lots of luck were needed to successfully navigate a course made of triangles and sausages.

The Hurricane catamaran, expertly sailed by James Parsons and James Stacey, quickly gained control of the multi-hulled fleet and led the way from the second bouy to the finish line, winning by a comfortable margin, both on elapsed time and handicap.

Back in the multi-hulled pack, things were very different, with boats changing places constantly with the teams of Pete Boxer, Daniel Brzezinski, Martin Chivers, Rob Mitchell and the Wrights fiercely competing for every gust of wind, often meaning the teams were sailing at very close quarters.

The monohull fleet revelled in the fluky conditions, with their highly-manoeuvrable craft able to quickly respond to the ever-shifting and unpredictable off-shore winds.

The tight group battled their way around the course, with George Venables taking the honours, followed closely by Cathy Mitchell, racing for the first time this year in her Laser.

She narrowly beat Sam Ronson, skilfully racing his Laser 2 single-handed in the tricky conditions, on handicap.

The series is now at the halfway stage, with two more races to be completed, and in both classes no outright leader has emerged.

Results: Catamarans: 1 James Parsons and James Stacey, 2 Robert Mitchell, 3 Ian and Liam Wright. Monos: 1 George Venables, 2 Cathy Mitchell, 3 Sam Ronson.