2009 St Katharines' Report

The race started at the mouth of the Medway River with a building North Westerly breeze. It was a downwind start with class three getting off to a great start with classes one and two in hot pursuit.

After rounding Medway Number Six it was a foul tide beat all the way up the Thames Estuary. Tony and Chuffy Merewether's Sunfast 32 Amazon held the lead until Mid Reach number 4 where the class one boats started to come into their own. Judy and Jason Payne-James' Heartbeat 3 stormed through the fleet using all 44 feet of their waterline length.

Stuart Galloway's Elan 40 Titian held their lead at the front of class two being over taken by Stan Fenton's J122 Jedi Knight and Angus Bates' J133 Assarain IV to finish fourth on the water.

Heartbeat 3 convincincly won class one and the newly awarded Graham Wallis trophy presented by Mike Wallis by nine minutes. Second place was awarded to the grandfather of EAORA Alan Bartlett in Inn Spirit and third place awarded to Titian who also managed to win class two. Class three was won by Amazon.

After racing the fleet assembled at St Katharine Docks for a party to celebrate the 60th Anniversary of the East Anglian Offshore Racing Association. An excellent time was had by all and it it superb to see the Association in such rude health.

Everything is still to play for however and competitors now look forward to the RORC Fastnet Qualifier, the North Sea Race, in three weeks time.