PETE Boxer and Eilish Dempsey proved unbeatable when Clacton Sailing Club held a mini race series over the Easter weekend.

There was a good turnout of both cats and monos for Sunday's race, which was held in a north-west force three to four wind with a strongly flooding tide.

The gusty offshore winds caught many sailors off guard.

Robert Foxon and Mike Rolfe, in the Hurricane, made a good start and headed off along the coast on a tight reach to the first buoy.

They may have spared a glance behind them to see their respective sons, James Foxon and James Rolfe, battling it out, both sailing Lasers.

Both would go on to place higher than the Hurricane, once the handicaps were calculated.

Father-and-son Mark and George Venables sailed their Dart 16 cat perfectly, although admitting to nearly losing it at least once and would go onto to place third overall.

Brian Allen teamed up with Great Britain youth squad member James Stacey to race the Dart 16X and delighted in the broad reaches when they could fly the kite.

However, caught up in the excitement, they sailed too many legs and put themselves out of contention.

Rob Mitchell sailed his Dart 16 single-handedly and would normally have been a contender in these fresh conditions.

This time, however, and for the first-time ever, he was caught by a fluke gust and capsized.

Righting the cat single-handed within seconds, he was nevertheless out of the race and would later go on to retire completely.

Another father-and-son team, Ian and Liam Wright, racing their Dart 18, put on a spirited effort and led the pack for some of the course until Boxer and Dempsey recovered the initiative and went onto to win the Easter Bunny race.

By Bank Holiday Monday, the wind had swung to the north-east with a force three to four wind and gusts up to force five.

Just five catamarans braved the conditions but it was good to see three of the most powerful Hurricane catamarans rigged.

In anticipation of a tough race, the helms had picked strong crews.

Matt Burrell teamed up with Dan Brzezinski and Brian Allen chose Ian Wright to sail on the two Hurricane SXs.

Race officer and commodore Derek Cheek set four laps of a large course which would see the fleet sail nearly to the pier and back, giving these thoroughbreds space to really stretch their legs.

Robert Foxon and Mike Rolfe again made the best start but they were soon overhauled by the SX boats, once the kites were up.

Mark and George Venables made the classic starboard start in his Dart 16 but what became an endurance race proved just too much as they later retired.

Boxer and Dempsey, in the Dart 18, sailed another faultless race to take first and the mini-series overall.

Special mention goes to Brian Allen and Ian Wright who, having waved away offers of support from Neil Warn and Pauline Smith in the club's rescue boat, managed to self-right their Hurricane after capsizing with the kite up and went on to complete the race in just over two hours.