The Royal Windermere Yacht Club’s Nigel Hutchinson sailed his single-handed Solo dinghy to victory in the first of the week’s competitions, winning the latest in the Denis Hope Handicap series on Monday.

In second place was John Pawson in his GP14, followed by Matt Nield in third place in his Phantom. Unusually, the race started and ended in Bowness Bay, racing over a triangular pattern in the north lake.

The winds were light and variable which proved of great benefit to Nigel in his Solo, with Matt Nield’s initial lead scuppered when he was caught in one of Windermere’s legendary windless ‘holes’ during the race.

Despite Nigel’s win on Monday, the overall Denis Hope Handicap still shows Robert Richardson (son) and John Richardson (father) in first and second places, respectively. Matt Nield holds third place in the series.

By Thursday evening’s dinghy racing, the lighter winds of earlier in the week had changed to ‘brisk’ to say the least, with some feverish activity amongst Thursday’s competitors.

Judith Gore in her GP14 won the race on handicap, followed by James Nield in his Devoti D-One in second, and John Pawson in his GP14 in third place.

The weekend brought all fleets out, despite the heavy winds and rain at times.

The cruiser fleet raced on Saturday, with Julian and Claire Maclaine’s ‘Kontiki’ (a Hawk 20) taking first place, followed by Trevor Bonson’s ‘Va Va Voom’ (a Beneteau First 21.7) in second place.

‘Kontiki’ leads the overall series, followed by ‘Va Va Voom’ and then Craig Allwood’s ‘Slippery When Wet’ in third.

Saturday’s lively conditions on the lake were also experienced by the Windermere Seventeen Foot class, with Nigel Tullett soaring to victory again in ‘Chameleon’, followed by Colin Bentley helming ‘Liberty’ (2nd) and Roy Gambie helming ‘Atholl’ (3rd).

‘Chameleon’ under the skilled hand of Nigel Tullett remains in first place in the overall Seventeen Foot series so far this season.

Sunday’s conditions were no less of a challenge for the Flying Fifteens who had two races, both of which were won by Dave Heron in ‘Pitch Perfect’.

Dave takes the Ewart Cup as a result of this. In the first race, the runner up was Frank Kelly in ‘Factor Fifteen’, followed by John Pollard in ‘Powderhound’.

In the second race of the day, the runner up was Adam Cowley in ‘Ffloozie’, followed by Frank Kelly in ‘Factor Fifteen’.