TIM Crossley achieved a clean sweep of Mersea Cadet Week 2017 with victory in the Viking Trophy.

He was crowned overall champion, following the sail off between all the winners of the Outside and Inside fleets.

Crossley won Fast Fleet and First Laser 4.7 to guarantee his place in the grand finale.

For this year’s sail off, larger Squibs were used and Crossley used fast fleet second place Freddie Rogers, who sailed a laser radial, as his crew.

The other fleet winners were Gabby Clifton and Daisy Weston in medium fleet, who sailed a Feva.

In slow fleet, Hattie Dumas took the honours in her Topper.

The winner of the inside Gold fleet sailing his optimist was Finian Morris.

It is all organised by the Cadet Week committee made up from Dabchicks Sailing Club and West Mersea Yacht Club to provide a week of sailing, social and general good fun under this year’s theme of ‘Mersea L’Attitude’.

The event goes back generations with the theme,with its own logo based on music festivals and the cadet teams named after some of them.

This year’s weather provided some challenging conditions,but helped in delivering some of the best sailing seen all year. Race officers Richard Holroyd and Simon Clifton managed the tricky conditions for the 159 cadets to battle it out in one of the largest sailing regattas in the country, with more than 1,600 finishes recorded.

As the youngest and newest to sailing, the 24-strong ‘Diamond Fleet’, managed by Chris Burr and Lurch Blackmore, started the week with a natural nervous excitement.

The windy and tidal conditions presented a significant challenge but calm waters were found for them in the beautifully sheltered Ray and Salcott creeks.

The best measure of their success was the increasing levels of laughter, chatter and singing as the week progressed.

They came ashore with beaming smiles and a well justified sense of real achievement.

The committee and this year’s chairman Gordon Eckstein have provided the cadets with a wealth of social activities which meant they did not have to leave the island all week.

Eckstein said: “For some this was the beginning of their Mersea Cadet Week journey, for others sadly it was their last.

"But the friendships and memories created, along with the Mersea attitude, will sail with them throughout life.”

Results, Outside Fleet, Fast: 1st Tim Crossley – Laser 4.7; 2nd Freddie Rogers – Laser Radial; 3rd Tom Brown – Laser 4.7.

Medium Fleet: 1st Gabby Clifton / Daisy Weston - Feva; 2nd Lucy Aird-Brown / Amy Struth-Feva; 3rd Dougie Cock/Ben Milgate – Feva.

Slow Fleet: 1st Hattie Dumas – Topper; 2nd Charlie Jacobs – Topaz; 3rd Jess Sydenham – Pico.

Inside Fleet - Optimists: Gold: 1st Finian Morris, 2nd Theo Clifton, 3rd Charlotte Allen.

Ruby: 1st Ellis Higgins, 2nd Mary Richardson, 3rd Rufus Cock.

Emerald: 1st Ruby Talbot, 2nd James Blackmore, 3rd Matilda Milgate.

Diamond: 1st Ruby Hester, 2nd Oliver Daniels, 3rd Joseph Bishop.