A few familiar boats were missing for the second regatta of the year at the Welland Yacht Club.
However, six boats were still at the start of the first race of the Tulip Trophy while none of the usual Laser boats took part.
The wind direction was in a more normal quarter giving a flag tack up the river to buoy number four.
A number of the boats encountered equipment problems before the start, which forced them to put in the bank to rectify them.
The start was disputed, the boats fighting for a good opening to set off in the open air.
And it was Mark Scourfield in one of four solos on the water who managed to pull away from Clive Herd in the refurbished Graduate canoe, which was right behind.
The fleet quickly spread out and Herd in the Graduate got into trouble and on the second straight had to call it a day and pull out of the race to make some rig adjustments.
Sailing along the 1000 buoy straight was not what the crews expected as the wind became increasingly choppy and with some large trees passing it also upset the direction.
It tested resolve and patience at times, with Nick Bonsor taking an unexpected dive at the jibe mark.
Helen Boyd and Paul Wilson, both solo, were followed by Eric Murray in the smaller Mirror10 in pursuit of Scourfield.
As the wind began to drop, the race director decided to shorten the course to just one lap, which raised no complaints – and the results after applying the handicaps had first Scourfield, second Murray and Boyd third.
There was a change of course for the second race, which kept tacking to a minimum.
Nick Bonsor missed that race but Martin Cook in another Solo had now joined him at the start, which again was quite a contested affair.
Once again it was Scourfield and Herd who took the boats away from the clubhouse, followed by Cook and Boyd.
The two leading boats managed to stretch and were involved in a close fight for the lead on the water, which changed several times during the race. Martin Cook had also managed to secure a place on his own and in third place.
The crews sometimes having to race in a frustrating wind, it was as much a test of patience as of navigation technique.
After just under an hour, it was Scourfield in the Solo who took the honors from Herd in the Graduate.
After applying the handicaps, it was Martin Cook in Solo who took a well-deserved third place.
The last outing was on the same course, and it was Herd who got the better start and managed to clear the fleet with Scourfield chasing – and again these two got away from Cook and Boyd in solos.
Conditions weren’t any better once the boats were on the straight and it felt like you were switching places, with Herd in the lead around the upper turn mark.
With the wind dropping, Eric Murray called it a day in the mirror and Cook and Boyd persevered and kept the two lead boats just in sight.
Herd and Scourfield were never more than 50 yards apart all the way around, and on the final run to the clubhouse jibe mark, it was Scourfield who had the mark priority at inside Herd.
Rounding the mark, however, Herd managed to capitalize on a mistake and snuck in to take the line honors by 13 seconds.
However, the handicap meant the Scourfield was close enough to claim top spot – with Herd and Natalie second, with Martin Cook third and Helen Boyd fourth.
The overall result saw Scourfield first with three wins and three points, while Boyd finished second with 11 points and Clive Herd third with 12.
