Wimbleball Sailing Club has held a three-hour open pursuit race, the Exmoor Beastie, to kick off – and perhaps end – the season because of the coronavirus crisis.

Some 26 boats from across the country were prepared around the club’s grounds during torrential morning rain, the race starting at noon with an unexpected lull in the wind which left the early starters going nowhere fast.

The exception was Val Millward in her Challenger Legless Jester, which glided through the water to pull out an impressive lead over a pack of K1s which kept looking like overhauling her but never quite made it until the final few minutes.

The K1s, with a couple of Aeros, chased the Challenger, but the real threats, a pair of expertly helmed RS400s, gained places at pace, sliding through into the lead with not long left. A neck and neck tussle ensued in the final few minutes with first one, then the other, gaining a small advantage, and at the end just feet were in it.

Jon Heissic and Nick Griffin from LLangorse SC came 1st in their RS400, Bob Warren and Olly Croft from Restronguet 2nd in their RS400, and Peter Barton from Lymington SC in his RS Aero 9 was 3rd. Val Millward had a cracking race and came a commendable 6th.

Sailing secretary Tony Paine said: “We were lucky to get a good race away, especially as sailing will now be curtailed for the foreseeable future.”