The way this picture pops up, you may wonder, as I did at first, why I didn't crop all that useless water on the right, but if you scroll over, you'll see why: Ian Porter and Tim Hancock with their typical dominant heavy air position.

Heading out to race #4 with a very well vanged main, is Nick Hodshon with Uncle Al, an emergency replacement crew for Martin Wood whose wife had gone into labour. I was most impressed to sail with Nick in what I would have considered to be "survival conditions". I particularly recall one reach where I could hardly see the spinnaker for the spray. In those conditions I would have shrieked commands in a nervous squeal. Meanwhile, Nick just sat back, relaxed and said nothing - except during one particularly wild surf down what seemed to be a tidal wave when Nick slapped the deck a couple of times and said: "Atta girl, Nipe!"