B14

The Victorian state titles in conjunction with the Black Rock Skiff regatta were finally completed at Black Rock YC over the weekend of the 21^st and 22^nd April.

Yes, it is just one week before the Nationals, so some of you might be a little hesitant about the shallow waters of the outer Thames estuary, but Whitstable always extends a warm welcome with well run racing, and it will be the Nationals venue for 2013. The Notice of Race is available in MS Word and Adobe PDF flavours.

For those wanting more Whitstable, Mark Barnes has offered to run a training session the weekend before- see the forum for details

Thirteen travelling boats arrived by road at Stokes Bay, being joined on the water by a fourteenth launched on the other side of the Solent, to be greeted by light cold northerly winds. Sharing the event with the Musto Skiffs, it was looking to be a good weekend. With the windward mark tucked up under the lee shore and big shifts and pressure lines over the course, place changes were to occur throughout the day. Real snakes and ladders stuff. A case of holding one's nerve and taking the knocks to get to the pressure.

With many turning up in good time, the opportunity was taken to look over new aquistions and winter refurbishments, with Marck Cockrill and Ros Farr's lime green "WAFI" (GBR 646) catching the eye especially.

March 24^th – 25^th the B14s converged on Rutland Water Sailing Club for the first TT of the year. However, the big event of the weekend was to be the Saturday evening's prize giving at the Whitehorse Pub in Uffingham Morcott. It kicked off nice and early and rocked on till late with some great food and company.