WALTON and Frinton Yacht Club got their 2016 season started at the second attempt.

The first race in the Winter Series had been scheduled for two weeks ago but near gale-force winds saw the race committee make a sensibly cautious decision to postpone it.

It will now be run later in the series, probably on the same day as race four.

With conditions near perfect, ten to 14 knots of breeze and warm temperatures, race officers Chris Brooke and Phil Stanton set a good long course, starting from the club line.

With the wind coming from the south-west, the club house forms a large wind break so it’s a difficult place for competitors to find the right place to be as the gun goes.

Simon Hipkin and Geoff Parker, in their ISO, chose to be the most windward boat but nearest the club building, which paid off as they led a gaggle of the faster boats away from the line.

A battle soon took place between the two Phantoms of Nick Wood and Martin Jenkins and the ISO, as they put some distance between themselves and the Solos, Lasers and Topazes.

The lead changed a few times before the ISO led Jenkins and then Wood’s Phantoms round the first mark.

Dominic Jacobs, in his Laser Radial, had got away from the chasing bunch and rounded a few minutes further back.

Jenkins’ Phantom managed to get past the powerful ISO briefly but the order on the water at the club finish line was Hipkins and Parker getting line honours.

Jenkins’ Phantom was close behind, with Nick Wood a further couple of minutes back.

Clearly the Phantoms had done enough to beat the higher-handicapped ISO, but the question was had they done enough to beat the slower boats after handicaps had been worked out?

As it happened, the answer was no.

Jacobs had sailed really well.

He did not have the advantage of boat-to-boat racing to keep him on the pace but he kept his act together and finished just seven minutes behind the leading Phantom in his Laser Radial.

This meant that after corrected time, he won by 59 seconds from Jenkins.

Wood was third and just 30 seconds further back was John Sewell, sailing a Topaz Race.

Tim Wood sailed well to be the first Solo and Sue Wood, the only lady helm, managed to beat her husband, David, in his Solo. The next race is on February 7.

Results: 1 Dom Jacobs, Laser Radial; 2 Martin Jenkins, Phantom; 3 Nick Wood, Phantom; 4 John Sewell, Topaz Race; 5 Geoff Parker and Simon Hipkin, ISO; 6 Harry Triffit, Topaz Race; 7 Tim Oxley, Solo; 8 Sue Wood, Laser 4.7; 9 David Wood, Solo.