Entertainment for all at the Linden House Trophy

I was race officer yesterday at the club for the Linden House trophy. Having rowed on the course that morning, in conditions far more suited to sailing than rowing, I was very much looking forward to watching the excitement from the safety of the race box. However clearly others had been doing their homework too and with 30 mins to go only Beverley and Andre had shown up, with only the former showing any signs of braving the water (and that with a novice crew).

Just as we were about to abandon proceedings, since you can't have a race with only one, Val Nedlaikov turned up having decided that his training for the European Laser Championships in two weeks time could best be served by racing on the Thames. 'Who needs to go to Stokes Bay when you can sail on waves like that right here'.

We furnished Beverley with a small sail, helped her and Val onto the water and despatched Woody and his assistant Ben in the safety boat to set marks 1, 3 and 4, the course requested by Beverley to keep her closest to home.

By the time we were all ready to go a sizeable crowd had turned up to watch from the club - all conveniently arriving too late to race. Outisde the Ship had also filled up with a viewing gallery ready to be entertained.

Val took 7 mins 30 secs to do the first lap. Beverley also completed that one - but then capsized right outside our raft. But she wasn't giving up easily - she and her valiant crew James Eatwell kept keeping going for another hour (they said it felt much like much longer) - to much cheering from the Ship. Meanwhile Val whistled round the 6 laps of the race and then started to get more ambitious as the wind picked up. Capsizing in a Laser isn't a big deal but I've never seen one planing so far out of the water as he was on some reaches. At one point he shot past under me in the box and I realised he couldn't possibly miss Latymer's pontoon. This stopped him as he sailed up it.

Back in the bar Beverley presented Val with his trophy and we discussed how windy it had been. I put force 5/6 on the race sheet but that doesn't give any flavour of how gusty and unpredictable it was. Val reckons some of the gusts were the most violent he'd ever sailed in.

Best wishes to Val for the Europeans.

Some great photos taken from the rescue boat. I only wish I'd had a video camera.

Hilary Cook