It was a bit of a busman's holiday for lifeboatman Andy Webb at the Marconi Sailing Club's 12th East Coast Piers Race on Sunday.

When Webb, coxswain of the Harwich lifeboat and a winner of the long-distance event back in 1993, and crew Paul Gray holed their Stealth catamaran off Jaywick, they hauled the stricken craft ashore in a perfect DIY rescue.

For the event's organisers, however, there was an anxious hour's wait before Webb, at one stage reported 'missing', could get to a telephone and report that he and his crew were safe and sound.

Webb, as one might expect, set all racing seafarers a perfect example by driving all the way back to Marconi's river Blackwater headquarters for the prize-giving and to officially announce his retirement from the race.

The light winds for the first two hours of the race meant a long beat out to Walton Pier, but the breeze picked up in the afternoon to make for a sparkling run home.

Even so, it was a long haul in the sun, but one which delighted Brightlingsea's Will Sunnocks and Rob Gutteridge, who took line honours for the fourth consecutive year.

Victory on corrected time went to Tim Reid and Trevor Hewitt, of Mundford Sailing Club, the 1996 winners, ahead of the Dutch pair, Peter Vink and Allie Van De Plus Jnr, with David Williams and Ian Rhodes, of Whitstable, third.

The Hurricane 5.9 of Tim Wallace and Julie Ferris was the first Marconi boat home.

Wallace also won the Most Sponsorship Raised, and the Marconi pairing of Paul Harrison and Sam Ashley won the Bill Broad Trophy Youngest Crew Award.

There was also a special award made to Trevor Milton, not only one of the founder members of the piers race but also the only competitor to have sailed in all 12 events, which have raised around £40,000 for various sailing charities.

This year, as in the previous two years, the money raised will go to the locally-based Cirdan Trust, from the Fullbridge, Maldon, which offers sailing to disabled and disadvantaged children.

Dominica Lindsey, 19, from the Royal Corinthian Yacht Club's junior section, the Corinthian Otters, and her crew Ali Macleod, finished top British pair, in 19th place, at the 420 world championships in Athens last week.

It was the best performance in the 420 worlds for Dominica, who three years ago was fourth in the Cadet world championships.

''It was a super experience and I suppose we are a little disappointed at not making the top ten, but the competition was much hotter than we expected'', Dominica sad.

Clubmates Helen Brown, also from Burnham, and her crew, finished 28th, Clare Medhurst and Katie Graves were 40th and Fiona Gill and her crew were 45th.

Clare and Katie had the best individual performance with a sixth place in one race.

Maldon Yacht Club's Philip Marshall, crewed by Duncan Read, won the Snipe junior national championships at Blue Circle Sailing Club, Kent, at the weekend.

It is the third consecutive year Marshall has won the event, each time with a different crew.

Results: Marconi SC East Coast Piers Race: 1 T Reid & T Hewitt (Tornado, Mundford SC), 2 P Vink & A Van De Plus Jnr (Inter 20, Hol), 3 D Williams & I Rhodes (Tornado, Whitstable SC), 4 W Sunnocks & R Gutteridge (Tornado Sport, Brightlingsea SC), 5 J T de Vries & J Luitjens (Tornado, Hol), 6 R Smith & L Gratton (Graffham Water SC).

Maldon YC Saturday Scratch series, Race 8: 1 A Dennis & I Marshall (420), 2 C Frost (Laser), 3 M Hedgecock (Laser).

Helmsman series, Race 6: 1 I & K Varney (Snipe), 2 B Cook (Laser), 3 E Weatherall & I Satterley (Snipe).

Burnham SC Wednesday Evening series - Class 1: Mickey Mouse (M Corrie). Class 2: Cheetah of Burnham (H Croker). Class 3: Wee Namara (M Figg). Squib: Trophoblast (C Goodfellow).

RCYC/RBYC Saturday Dragon: Quicksilver (R Campbell). Etchells: Danish Blue (P Ho-Jenson). Squib: Buccaneer (J Mears). Hunter 701: Emu Excursion (N Wood).

RBOD: Jade (M Smith). Sunday Etchells: Dangerous Moonlight (C Simmonds).

Squib: Tombo (W Johns).

Crouch YC John Puxley Trophy (Burnham to Shotley): Vreny (K Gooch & K Layzell). Grayling Bowl (Shotley to Burnham): Mr Bo-Jangles (E Breavington).

Converted for the new archive on 19 November 2001. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.