IAN Dobson and Andy Tunnicliffe won their fourth consecutive World GP.14 title after an action-packed week's sailing in Looe Bay.

But the manner in which they had to work to defend their Aigua Charter-sponsored crown must have seemed light years away from the golden sands and sunny skies of Sri Lanka where the Burwain Sailing Club duo from East Lancashire last tasted success.

The championships, which attracted a ceiling limit fleet of 130 of the Jack Holt-designed 14-footers, including some from Australia, Sri Lanka and South Africa, produced a whole raft

of weather conditions – only snow and ice seemed to be missing, provided you didn't count what the raucous Irish contingent were adding to their G&Ts.

Launching and beaching were particularly difficult for the visitors, many of whom may have been former World and National dinghy sailing champions but were probably more at home on inland lakes than the open seas.

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