There was an international flavour to the sailing on the River Crouch at the weekend when Royal Corinthian Yacht Club's Dragon sailors took on a German yacht club from Hamburg, the Norddeutscher Regatta Verein, in a special team race for the Schedlt Trophy.

The event was spawned earlier this year following an idea by the Germans who, with the advantage of having Olympic medal-winner and former world champion Danish 'local' Poul Ricard Hoj-Jensen, as an 'honorary' German for part of the event, finished comfortable winners by 37 points.

The Hamburg team, who in Germany sail on a lake, brought their own spinnakers, but borrowed six Burnham Dragons and were ably assisted by local volunteers, who provided much local knowledge of the Crouch and the quirks of tidal sailing.

Despite the valiant efforts Robert Campbell, in Quicksilver, who scored a first, and Chris Brittain, in Caramba ,in fifth, the strength of the German team was evident in the first race and they sealed victory by 16 points.

Race two was a repeat. Only Campbell, with a third, and the second-placed Tony Allen and Mike Holmes' Hat Trick, provided some much-needed resistance and, despite a subsequently-discounted protest from Brittain against the German-helmed Flame Again, the Burnham team found themselves six points adrift.

Race three saw the Hamburg team further extend their lead.

Race four saw the German margin of victory finally reduced, with again notable performances from Quicksilver, Caramba, and Hat Trick. However, at the end of the first day's racing, the Germans had stretched their lead to 41 points.

Published Thursday October 24, 2002

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