More than 120 yachts competed in yesterday’s annual Nore Race from Southend Pier around Sea Reach and back. A light easterly wind gave boats as diverse as a GP 14, a yacht-barge and a Memory 19 a beat to the first mark.

YM’s Dick Durham was crewing for Max Lieberson, skipper/owner of Sarah, a Trapper 500, and they had a tight start having sailed down river from Grays to the pierhead start with just 10 minutes to spare.

The boat’s new Crusader spinnaker came to the fore in the downwind legs across the river to the Medway Number 1 mark and along the Kent shore to the Nore Swatch buoy. ‘They managed to get the spinnaker to me just in time for the race,’ said Max ‘and having heard about your story in YM on the China Sails syndrome, I think we should all support UK lofts and turn our backs and our cheques on foreign imports.’

Sarah came sixth in class and 19th overall. To read more about the China Sails story see YM July issue out now.