Thanks to Matt Mock who kindly provided the editorial and the photographs.

Since my last report, the IC section of the Cygnets Model Boat Club has completed rounds 2 to 5 of the IC Sports Trophy. The racing has been dogged along the way by various events, and members of the IC section have missed races at times due to other commitments. April saw round two get under way, and true to form, showers interrupted the proceedings. The pit lane was shielded by umbrellas at various times, but nothing deterred those who were present. May and June were kinder to those who attended, and the racing was beginning to hot up as race leaders were now trying to hold on to positions gained during earlier rounds. Finally, July saw marginal advantages appear as some fell foul of sods law. If it can go wrong, it probably will. This keeps the competitive spirit alive, because no matter where you are positioned overall, mishaps occur and race positions change in the blink of an eye.

We are running two classes this year. The Z class or 12s, and the 21s. As there are two races per class, this makes for an interesting Saturday morning because not all craft can race at one. We have to have spotters for each craft because of the wild fowl, as well as a scorer and timekeeper. So if you would like to see the racing, or better still take part, you can always find us on a race day between 10h00 and 13h30.

Mike Potter had reliability problems earlier in the season as he was setting up new boats to run this year. I mentioned in an earlier report that he spent much of the time in the rescue dingy, but can now report he is running well at this stage of the season. The same is true of Eric, who, on his own admission, is more of a social racer. Eric has been dogged by reliability problems, and has missed a few races along the way. My scores (Matt) are not too bad considering that I have missed half of the series, and Paul leads me by a fraction at this stage of the season. The guy in the lead at present is Laurie, but after all, he has age on his side!

I have published the leader board below, which is a persons tally to date, but have omitted the two Mikes. When I received the score sheets, there were two or three versions of the name Mike. Both surnames begin with a P, and there was some confusion on my part. It will be interesting to add their scores and positions once I have caught up with them and as stated above, positions can change in the blink of an eye!