CHRISTCHURCH Sailing Club won the annual battle between themselves and Lilliput Sailing Club on Sunday May 22.

Strong winds delayed the start by Ancasta Cobbs Quay Mark as the committee boat, Lilliput's Evangeline, kept dragging her anchor in south-southwesterly force five to six winds.

Eventually John Guess, the Race Officer, got the fleet of six boats, three from each club, away from the start.

Setting a challenging 10-mile figure-of-eight course, the first took a beat from Ancasta Cobbs Quay to Bar Buoy.

The fleet then split, some south into the stronger ebbing tide, the rest across Hook Sands into the Swash to catch the southerly tidal flow.

With this came a more confused sea due to the traffic and wind over tide, but there was no clear advantage to either side of the course.

The boats rounded Bar Buoy for leg two, an exacting spinnaker run to Poole Head with much rolling in evidence.

The Evolution 26 Wooley Knickers and the Jeanneau 28 Rough & Tumble for the Christchurch club, led the Lilliput Evolutions, Revolution and Temptation.

After some remarkable spinnaker launches, the fleet settled down to some fast downwind sailing. They surfed off the following waves along the edge of the sands before spinnakers were dropped prior to the gybe at Poole Head.

Next was a fetch to BP Wytch Farm, giving the fleet time to pack spinnakers and tidy the boats before another spinnaker leg to Branksome outfall.

This time the wind was more on the beam and rising in strength with longer following seas, some put up smaller spinnakers, some did not bother and others went for it and ended up with a couple of spectacular broaches before reverting to white sails.

Once round Branksome Outfall the fleet faced a beat back to the finish line at Ancasta Cobbs Quay where Wooley Knickers took line honours ahead of Rough & Tumble and Revolution.

The corrected times matched the finishing order and gave Christchurch victory.

Result: 1 Wooley Knickers (Evolution 26) CSC, 2 Rough & Tumble (Jeanneau 28) CSC, 3 Revolution (Evolution 26) LSC, 4 Temptation (Evolution 26) LSC, 5 Exitation (Evolution 26) CSC, 6 Flair (Contessa 27) LSC.

A total of 22 top Laser 4000 dinghies travelled from as far as Rutland, Exeter and London to Lymington Town Sailing Club's open meeting for the class.

They experienced exhilarating sailing conditions for their six races in the Solent with a 20-knot SW breeze and many stronger gusts.

On Saturday May 21, racing was postponed to allow the worst of the rain and high winds gusting to 40 knots to pass.

Once released from the shore, 18 boats reached the start area and were quickly away on a two-lap race with a beat against the flood tide.

They sped back down wind with brightly coloured kites and great speed with the tide.

Several capsized when rounding the leeward mark and this was to be a feature of the weekend giving the support boat crews plenty of work.

Only 11 boats survived to finish the third race.

Sunday sailing proved to be as challenging as the previous day.

The final race saw only 10 boats competing with a close finish between four of the leading five boats with two capsizing on the finish line - one just after crossing it and the other just before, a move which moved it from fifth to last in the race.

Result: 1 D and H Baker (Hayling Island SC) 11pts, 2 T Glanfield and K Barnard (Exeter SC) 17, 3 H Powell and P Eden (Red Wharf) 22, 4t A Stothert and D Kilsby (Weston SC) 26, 5 C Webber and J Dickinson (Oxford & Cambridge SC) 28.

There is still time to enter the Parkstone Yacht Club/PYRA Spring Regatta which takes place this weekend.

This bi-annual event is sponsored by local insurance brokers E Coleman & Co Limited.

Coleman's, with the support of a number of insurance companies, will be providing an entry pack with a difference, including a number of promotional items.

To enter or find out more, please contact Parkstone YC on 01202 743610.

With the summer holidays fast approaching Rockley Watersports is introducing new weekend activities for youngsters.

Weekend sailing courses for beginners will run for the first time to introduce children to the exciting world of dinghy sailing.

Rockley Watersports' managing director, Peter Gordon said: "Now that the weather is improving outdoor activities are becoming more popular, especially with children.

"This year we are introducing weekend dinghy sailing courses for 11 years and over allowing complete sailing novices to progress to RYA level 1 teaching children the basics of sailing.

"Every year we teach hundreds of children watersports' disciplines including sailing, windsurfing and powerboating. We take children on a daily and weekly basis and now for weekends.

"We have already taken a number of bookings for the junior weekend courses which will run until the end of the season."

For further information on junior weekend sailing courses contact Rockley Watersports on 0870 777 0541.