Thirteen travelling boats arrived by road at Stokes Bay, being joined on the water by a fourteenth launched on the other side of the Solent, to be greeted by light cold northerly winds. Sharing the event with the Musto Skiffs, it was looking to be a good weekend. With the windward mark tucked up under the lee shore and big shifts and pressure lines over the course, place changes were to occur throughout the day. Real snakes and ladders stuff. A case of holding one's nerve and taking the knocks to get to the pressure.

With many turning up in good time, the opportunity was taken to look over new aquistions and winter refurbishments, with Marck Cockrill and Ros Farr's lime green "WAFI" (GBR 646) catching the eye especially.

March 24th – 25th the B14s converged on Rutland Water Sailing Club for the first TT of the year. However, the big event of the weekend was to be the Saturday evening's prize giving at the Whitehorse Pub in Uffingham Morcott. It kicked off nice and early and rocked on till late with some great food and company.

Nine of the travelling UK fleet made the journey to Rutland Water for the opening event of the 2012 TT series. The fleet were to be greeted by no wind and a pea soup foggy morning. However, the sun burnt off the fog by midday and temperatures shot up, with many reaching for their summer kit- quite unusual given the cold weather usually associated with this event, and very odd for those that had been there a little over a month ago in the snow.

 

The B14 winter travellers headed up the M40 and west along the A14 to Draycote Water Sailing Club .for the Draycote Dash to be greeted by sunshine and 5 knots of wind with 10°C plus