Crouch Yacht Club's Nutcracker Trophy, the final series of the year, fizzled out like a damp squib last Sunday, it being a victim of the calm weather.

What breeze there was at the start fell away totally long before the end and of the 18 starters only one yacht, Gary Shaffer's Secrets, managed to cheat the fast ebbing tide and cross the finishing line.

Though it was a disappointing end to the year, there was no doubting the success of the four-race series, which has produced some exciting racing in often less-than-wintry weather.

It left Len Baker and Holographic as the winner of the Nutcracker Trophy and Class 1. Ace of Hearts (Ian Hart) was Class 1 runner-up, with Charlie Mills and Shoot the Bar third.

Polaris (Mick Willett, Mike Nash and Rona Thompson) won Class 2 to repeat their victory of last year, with Secrets second and Reaction (Malcolm Hutchings) third, while Neil Pitman and Rollicker won the Stella Trophy.

The Blackwater Joint Racing Committee, better known as the BJRC, showed a remarkable resurgence last summer with the biggest turnout of boats for many years.

In previous years some races have been poorly supported, and there were cancellations in 1999, on one occasion because of the lack of a committee boat on the day of a race.

But after chairman George Foster and the committee decided to reformat the programme for 2000, interest soared; this, despite the fact that Dabchicks Sailing, of West Mersea, followed Millbeach Sailing Club and decided not to renew their BJRC membership.

Fifteen years ago Dabchicks were one of the chief supporters of BJRC, though interest within the club has fallen since those days.

Even so, the changes made last season seems to have worked and 20 yachts lined up for the Stone Cruiser Cup, 12 for the Smith Cup and 15 for the Paget Cup.

Because of the withdrawal of Dabchicks, there will be no Woods Cup this year, and the BJRC season will, because of poor tides in May, not start until June 3, with the Maldon Cruiser Cup.

The BJRC, an association of the sailing clubs on the River Blackwater, has been operating since just after the Second World War and in its prime had around 180 boats registered.

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