First though the Contender Fleet had to say a last farewell to Freddie Gale, who finally succumbed after a typically brave and resistant battle with illness.  Freddie’s vision had given the class much of its direction, there was no better tribute to him than the class once again mustering well over 100 boats for its premier event.

The event would be decided on the final day, but then, even after the whole fleet had been towed out to the start area; racing was finally abandoned - leaving Jan as the new Champion.

Jan von der Bank, seen here sailing at full speed to escape some of the more insensitive questioning from the German Press!!

The Contender could still attract a top class fleet for its main championships though, as at Kiel the ‘big four’, Bonezzi, Scott, Jones and Renilson, would be joined by John Browett in a ‘top of the table clash’. Scott and Browett dented their chances with mid week black flags, and on the last day only Bonezzi and Browett were left in contention for the title. The Brit picked up a penalty, leaving the consistent Italian to take another well earned Championship.

For the 2000 Championships it was once again back to Medemblik, where a 107 boat fleet almost became 108 as Bernard Shapley’s dinghy was almost cut in two by a powerboat. In the racing, the big names were very much again to the fore, but then some uncharacteristic results in the teens put paid to the chances of Jones and Renilson. The way looked clear for Andrea to collect his 4th title when on the penultimate day, Gabriel Wicke won both races. In the start of the last race of the event, Andrea got into a tangle and had to take a 720º penalty, leaving Gabriel to climb clear into the second place that would make him Germany’s first Championship winner.

Ashore, all the talk was now of Carbon rigs and the difficult question - would the expensive upgrades split the class? Meanwhile, there was a Europeans to contest at Loctudy, where Frank Suchanek won four races, yet only just scraped into the top ten as the light airs consistency of Ian Renilson added more silverware to the sideboard.

The early assumption had been that Andrea would dominate the event but in the end it was Arthur Brett who showed that attention to detail, plus his relentless practice schedule, would bring him success.

Arthur repeated the trick on his home waters of Black Rock YC, near Melbourne, in an event notable for some of the breezy conditions sailed in.

Some turned to an excess of alcohol as an aid to sleeping (or so they said) to the point that Keith Paul, who is surely old enough to know better, took a tumble and broke a rib or two. 

Stuart Jones, Graham Scott and Andrea Bonezzi on the podium in Sardinia. They may have been successful in the week, but could not match
the eyes of the ladies in reception!

Nigel Walbank capped back to back wins with an OCS, the ever present Andrea Bonezzi was never far from the top of the leader board, but in the end it came down to another pair of ex-champions to slug it out as Graham Scott and Stuart Jones contested the final day.

In the end it was Jones who prevailed to take his second win, once again to a chorus of bleating noises from the UK fleet… hardly a surprise there as most of the boats had arrived on the Island in the rear of a sheep lorry!