pictures to be added once Alan fixes the photo uploader (user error? Just added this from my phone..Alan.). Day 0/1 by Alan Davis and assistants. Day 2/3 by Beezer and Barnsie

Day 0

Many teams (including 2 boats from France) arrived early for some pre-event practice, only to be met by a warm 40 knot welcome from Whitstable. So it was an early start in the bar for many, enjoying the usual Whitstable YC hospitality.

Day 1

Friday dawned with gusts well into the 30's and, following a less than optimistic briefing from PRO Dave Curno, the fleet set about bimbling and relaxing.

The fleet were naturally less than enthusiastic as they were called to the race course in what looked like only marginally improved conditions. The game of "who is going to launch first" ensued, with the eventual "winners" being team Ullman Sails who questioned their own sanity as it took 4 helpers to hold the boat down to launch!

After proving it was vaguely sailable a skeleton fleet hit the water for race 1...

Whitstable awaits the fleet for what should hopefully be the biggest B14 Nationals since 2003. Whatever the weather throws at us, it should be cracking event. One trophy that will be hotly contested, will be the new Endeavour Trophy awarded to the highest score boat finishing all races- so no matter how you're doing it might be worth carrying on regardless.

With the first round at Rutland having been postponed until August thanks to the very cold spring, and an early Nationals looming, Stokes bay was to be the only TT event to tune up. A healthy 13 boats turned up, as many as the RS400s who shared the event, with a couple of last minute substitute crews stepping up after work commitments and illnesses intervened.