This was the first ‘Open’ Heron event held at Cransley SC, which is near Kettering, Northants. The sailing area is a Y-shaped reservoir, with a dam and club house at the lower end. It is set in a shallow valley amidst rolling countryside, with good viewing from much of the shore.

Unfortunately torrential rain and a very strong wind greeted us on the Sunday morning so it was not surprising that there were only five Herons at this meeting. However, by the time of the first start, the sun was occasionally breaking through and the wind had abated a little, though still with occasional very strong gusts. Shortly after the start of the first race one of these gusts decimated the Comet fleet (with which we were sharing the day); the Herons – which had had a later start - managed to avoid that one!

The courses all involved beating to each of the top ends of the Y shape, with broad reaches down towards the dam. A clump of trees caused the occasional calm patch which required a bit of local skill to avoid. In each race, the visiting boats made good starts and Tony Ogborn and Jon Hunt battled it out, for lap after lap, with only a few yards between them. They were followed by the local craft and by Peter Moulton who capsized in the first two races.

By the end of the second race, Tony and Jon each had one win so the third race was going to be the decider. Tony and Peter then changed to larger genoas to try to match Jon’s performance. A very close and entertaining race for the spectators, though an exhausting one for the competitors, resulted in a win for Tony by a very narrow margin after five laps. Tony thus received both the Fenn & Wood Trophy and the new award for the over-60s, a wooden Heron sculpture.

We all considered this to be an enjoyable day at a very hospitable club. Thanks to all concerned at Cransley SC - and especially for the excellent catering!