<HTML><BODY style="word-wrap: break-word; -khtml-nbsp-mode: space; -khtml-line-break: after-white-space; "><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><FONT class="Apple-style-span" face="Verdana">The 2007 UK Albacore Nationals were won by our visitors from America, Barney (Mr USA Albacore) Harris and David Byron – they won the penultimate race and with it the championships. Orlando Gledhill and John Frary were runners up with Chris Turner and Simon Maguire third. A light Force 2 – 3 North-Easterly gradually veered during the 2 races round to the South-East forcing the Race Team from Swanage S C to have to move the course several times, during and between races. Making a welcome return to the front of the fleet in the last race was Neville Herbert crewed by Kay Woods in his father’s new plastic Speed boat – in fact in the last race 5 of the first 6 boats including the winner were of the GRP persuasion.</FONT><FONT class="Apple-style-span" face="Verdana"> </FONT></DIV><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Verdana; min-height: 15px; "><BR></DIV><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><FONT class="Apple-style-span" face="Verdana">In October this year there will be an opportunity for the UK sailors to take on Barney Harris on his own waters of Chesapeake Bay, USA together with the rest of the US and Canadian fleets at the biennial International Albacore championships. 8 Boats are going on the container from the UK but there is still the opportunity to charter a boat in the States.</FONT><FONT class="Apple-style-span" face="Verdana"> </FONT></DIV><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Verdana; min-height: 15px; "><BR></DIV><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><FONT class="Apple-style-span" face="Verdana">Final results ( 33 entries)</FONT><FONT class="Apple-style-span" face="Verdana"> </FONT></DIV><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Verdana; min-height: 15px; "><BR></DIV><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><FONT class="Apple-style-span" face="Verdana">1 Barney Harris and David Byron Potomac River S C</FONT><FONT class="Apple-style-span" face="Verdana"> </FONT></DIV><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Verdana; min-height: 15px; "><BR></DIV><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><FONT class="Apple-style-span" face="Verdana">2 Orlando Gledhill & John Frary Queen Mary S C</FONT><FONT class="Apple-style-span" face="Verdana"> </FONT></DIV><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Verdana; min-height: 15px; "><BR></DIV><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><FONT class="Apple-style-span" face="Verdana">3 Chris Turner & Simon Maguire Lyme Regis/ Tynemouth S Cs</FONT><FONT class="Apple-style-span" face="Verdana"> </FONT></DIV><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Verdana; min-height: 15px; "><BR></DIV><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><FONT class="Apple-style-span" face="Verdana">4 Jerry Rook & James Wallace Lyme Regis S C</FONT><FONT class="Apple-style-span" face="Verdana"> </FONT></DIV><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Verdana; min-height: 15px; "><BR></DIV><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><FONT class="Apple-style-span" face="Verdana">5 John Herbert & Mark Calvert Parkstone S C</FONT><FONT class="Apple-style-span" face="Verdana"> </FONT></DIV><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Verdana; min-height: 15px; "><BR></DIV><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><FONT class="Apple-style-span" face="Verdana">6 Richard Gray & Bill Law Parkstone S C</FONT><FONT class="Apple-style-span" face="Verdana"> </FONT></DIV><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><BR class="khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><BR class="khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">Mean while in Cambridge, MD consistent 8-12 knot conditions gave the fleet of 10 Albacores a spectacular weekend of sailing that included 9 (or was it 10) races over two days. RC work included the expected home spun attributes, but man did Chris Holtz and his family team of committee members, from Indiana and Washington state, crank out the races. Even the required lunch break on Saturday only interrupted the sailing for 30 minutes, otherwise giving us solid racing from 10:30AM to about 4 PM and from 10 to 1 on Sunday.</DIV><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><BR class="khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">The racing was very close with leads constantly changing in the shifting conditions. Erich Hesse and Jen Kohl made everyone look silly in the first race as they held left into the building pressure while the rest of the fleet fought each other on the right. But the long W-L courses gave plenty of opportunity for those behind to get back in the game. In one of the Sunday races, Khin Thein arrived at the top mark with a substantial lead. He and a trailing pack followed the rhumb line down as the tail-enders rounded with easterly push of the sea breeze filling and carrying them over the top of all the leaders. Daphne Byron and Mary Pedley showed the fleet the way to the windward mark in a couple of races and Bob Bear with team <FONT class="Apple-style-span" color="#333333"><B>I</B></FONT><FONT class="Apple-style-span" color="#333333"><B>ndefatigable</B></FONT> escaped from mid-fleet to show some great speed. Greg Jordan, sailing with 9 year old Ryder, showed some promise on the first day, but was blazing fast on the second day after an extreme makeover of his boat. Amid all this fun, Peter Duncan with Delaney Jordan on board for the third year in a row, kept pecking away with 2nds and 3rds with a few firsts scattered in. When the dust settled the results were very close. Peter and Delaney won the event, with Erich Hesse (and Mike Heinsdorf on day two) breaking a tie with Greg and Ryder Jordan for second.</DIV><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><BR class="khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">I think Daphne has the full results and Chris Holtz has promised to have them up on the web soon. Thanks to all who came, it was a wonderful weekend...</DIV></BODY></HTML>=