ROGER Gilbert and James Stewart, of Frensham Pond Sailing Club, sailed quite brilliantly to win the National Merlin Rocket Championship at Looe Sailing Club.

The Championship was won by Gilbert, with a race to spare, his worst result in the 78 boat fleet being fourth.

He then gave an exhibition of quality sailing in the final race winning by a large distance in the force 4/5 breeze.

Gilbert, winner of the RS400 championship in Looe in 2003, and current RS200 National champion, is a team-mate and training partner of fellow Frensham Pond sailor, Nick Craig, who won the Enterprise Worlds in Looe in 2006.

Both men are multi championship winners and have won the Endeavour Champion of Champions Trophy and rank amongst the very best sailors in Great Britain.

Tom Stewart and Liam Dempsey, from Northampton SC, perpetual 'bridesmaids', were again second, 12 points behind the winners.

Stewart did, however, win the National 12s championships in Looe in 2003.

Richard Whitworth and Sally Ann Townend, from Hollingworth SC, were a close third overall.

Whitworth, who won in Looe in 2004, could count two firsts and two seconds but had to count two 10th places.

Andy Davis and Ellie Bremer, of Chase SC, who won the Merlin week at Salcombe (10 entries) earlier in August, were a close fourth.

The leading boat from Cornwall and Devon was Glen Truswell and Olly Turner, from Starcross SC, who finished a very creditable fifth place after winning race six.

Race Officers, Roger Hocking and Simon Cole, set some very challenging courses in demanding conditions, with two of the six days lost to too much wind and to little wind respectively.

However, the seven races sailed were primarily windy, gusting to force six at times.

The competitors revelled in the conditions, and one top sailor felt the two windy races on the last day could not have been bettered anywhere in the world!

The Merlin fleet was fulsome in their praise for Looe Sailing Club.

Vice Commodore Dominic Lozynski's safety boat team consisting mainly of RIBs, gave fast and very efficient cover to the capsized boats.

Father and son, Graham and Steve Sargent and team, once again kept the fleet very happy on the sea front, beach and harbour, while Gary Oswald and Paul Dunn and team made sure launching and recovery was made a lot easier for the boats.

In the clubhouse, Rear Commodore Paul Richardson and team ensured the famous Merlin socials were up to and above the normal high standards, all good fun and no problems.

There was even the return of blazers, ties and cocktail dresses for Commodore David Jackman's reception and a super Cornish speech from Mayor Ron Overd.

The teams responsible for running shore-based activities are often unsung heroes, but play a big part in class associations deciding to run their World and National Championships in Looe, so many in fact that Looe has a waiting list, with bookings up to 2013, which can only be good for the future economy of the town.