Burnham boatbuilder Tim Tavinor, and his wife, Kay, who have won the Snipe national championships for the past two years, will not be going for the hat-trick at Stone this weekend.

The Tavinors, who won at Newquay, Wales, in 1998 and at Harwich last year, would have competed, but the championships clash with their house move.

Tim, who builds Italian-designed Snipes and the Olympic Finn dinghy, will be loaning his own boat to Wolfgang Gerz, Germany representative in the Finn class at the Olympic Games who is flying over specially for the championships, which start tomorrow (Friday) and finish on Sunday.

Gerz is one of two foreign entries, the other coming from Le Havre.

Twenty boats are expected to compete in the championships, a lower turnout than usual.

This is due to the fact that there have been a higher-than-usual number of big Snipe regattas this summer.

It also did not help that it had to be put back a month because Stone were unable to accommodate the championships in July, when the event is normally held.

Once more there will be a strong contingent from Maldon Yacht Club. One of the favourites will be the Marshall brothers, Iain and Richard, who were third last year and runners-up-up in 1998.

And then there is younger brother Philip, who will be crewing former champion Peter Wolstenholme, from Blue Circle.

They beat Iain and Richard to win the Snipe South Eastern championships last month.

Stone Sailing Club stage the first-ever Essex Dinghy Championships over the August Bank Holiday weekend.

The idea follows the success of the club's 50th anniversary regatta last year, which attracted more than 80 entries from all over the county.

Such was the interest in the three-day open handicap event that Stone decided to continue the format, calling it the Essex Dinghy Championships.

There will be five races with four to count, and will incorporate the Stone Dinghy Challenge Cup, on the Saturday, in the form of a long-distance race, weather permitting.

A full social programme has been arranged, which will include a barbecue a two-course Sunday roast and a champagne breakfast.

There will be a disco on Saturday and a live band on Sunday.

Another reason why the event is so popular is that there is no entry fee, so that is three days of racing free.

But if anybody wants to take part in the full social programme, including all the food, it will cost £20 (Cadets £5).

Further information can be obtained from either Caroline Barnett on 01621 828108 or Jan Tindale on 01702 522062.

Crouch Yacht Club's Eddie Breavington, in Mr BoJangles, enjoyed a successful first weekend at Woolwich Ramsgate Week, winning Class 3 in the SailEAST series, which is run in conjunction with the week and finishing second overall.

The Crouch's Alan Bartlett (Inn Spirit) was second in Class 1, with Ian Langston fourth in Class 3, with Jiminy Cricket (Mike Harrison) fourth in Class 4.

Mick Willett, in the Stella, Polaris, won Class 5 on Sunday, with Vreny (Ken Layzell and Kate Gooch) third.

The outstanding yacht over the first weekend was Richard Matthews in his Corby 41.5, Oystercatcher, also known as Barlo Plastics.

Matthews looked virtually unbeatable to win Saturday's Round The Goodwins race for the Noot Cup and add to his Scottish Series victory and runners-up place at Ford Cork Week.

Matthews Barlo Plastics should not be confused with the Mumm 30 of Adrian Stead, which last month won the French Tour Voile 2000.

Strong winds and rain dominated much of Maldon Little Ship Club's cruise-in-company trip to Holland.

South-westerly winds gusting to Force 5 produced an exhilarating 23-hour sail across the North Sea for the four yachts, Paul and Ro Harris in Ikarus, David and Margaret Harris in Swedish Lass, Colin Pryke and Keith Robinsoin in Dualin and Sheila Lloyd and David Bishop in Hove Too, who arrived in the Dutch port of Breskens at 4am.

There was no let-up the following day and the short passage across the Westerschelde and into the inland waterways system at Flushing (Vlissingen) proved just as rough.

Despite the gusty conditions and incessant downpour, the hardy quartet ventured on to the historic town of Middleburg and then to the Veerse Meer, visiting the picturesque towns of Veere and Goes.

Ikarus and Swedish Lass continued north in a Force 6 to St Annaland where they were joined by John and Jane Kara in Orion, who had spent most of their cruise windbound in Ostend.

The fleet continued northwards to Brouwershaven and Grevelingenmeer, the wind still blowing at F5, where Ikarus departed for Zierikzee.

Swedish Lass, determined to find some sun, was eventually successful off Stampersplaat island, before returning home via southern Holland.

The rest of the fleet 'hopped' along the coastline of Belgium and France before crossing back to England.

Results

Maldon YC Lancaster Cup: 1 B Clarke (Int Canoe), 2 P Grundy (Laser), 3 E Weatherall and I Satterley (Snipe).

Saturday Scratch series, Race 10: 1 P Marshall (Laser), 2 B Clarke (Int Canoe), 3 R Rowbotham and D Stevens (Snipe).

Sunday Scratch series, Race 4: 1 A Denniss (420), 2 B Clarke (Int Canoe), 3 I and R Marshall (420).

Burnham SC Wednesday Evening series - Sportsboats: Racehorse (R Bavin and D Wastnage). Class 1: Twist and Shout (P & N Elmore). Class 2: Trudi (C Aldred). Class 3: Caroline IV (R Smith). Squibs: Patrick (R Coyle).

RCYC/RBYC Saturday Dragons: Water Rat (I Ratnage). Etchells: Her Outdoors (R Melville). Squibs: Trophoblast (C Goodfellow).

Sunday Dragons: Quicksilver (R Campbell). Etchells: Defiance (G Harrison). Squibs: Trophoblast.

Crouch YC August series, Race 2: Fine Fettle (M Stubbs).

RBYC Cadet Week - Overall: Dinghy Handicap A: 1 Geriatric Gigolo S Kaczor-Warry, Cherub), 2 Voodoo (A Mellish, Laser II), 3 Doris (A Kaczor-Warry, Int Canoe).

Dinghy B: 1 Hyper (O Chenevix-Trench, Laser Radial), 2 Wind Problem (P Chenevix-Trench, Laser Radial, 3 Topper (C Mellish).

Scows: 1 Suki (J and R Galloway), 2 Watermoth (T Ketley and B Corr), 3 Periwinkle (S White and C Rowe-White).

Optimists: 1 No 4353 (J Gibson), 2 Woody Woodpecker (T Galloway), 3 Sonic (S Stevens).

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