OCTOBER'S unpredictable weather continued to perplex the Royal Windermere Yacht Club's Flying Fifteen fleet Torrential overnight rain was followed by mid-morning blue skies and a pleasant south-westerly breeze, but by the start of the race grey skies had returned and the breeze had come round to an unsteady south-easterly.

One the south lake course Nigel and Jean Tullett, in Kiffs, faced stiff competition on the long beat to the Graythwaite windward mark from Michael Bentley and David Hawkes, Folly, with the middle of the lake providing the best of the breeze.

Folly reached the mark first while Kiffs tacked across from the west and joined the spinnaker race to Sandy Nab, where the breeze under the west shore dropped away leaving the fleet struggling.

Kiffs reached the mark ahead and developed a strong lead on the next leg while further down the fleet Andrew Whitehead and Bev Armer, Ffidget, battled with Frank Kelly and Rachel Sykes Fiscal Folly. Kiffs' lead was maintained over the rest of the race, while Ffidget pulled away from Fiscal Folly to finish third as the rain returned to accompany the fleet home.