AN UNFORTUNATE capsize in the third race cost a Kent crew overall honours in the Dart 18 Catamaran Grand Prix series at Whitstable over the weekend.

San Norman and Melanie Rogers, from the Catamaran Yacht Club, Sheppey, were neck and neck with outright winners David and Sam Lloyd, from Stokes Bay, after the opening two races on Saturday.

But disaster struck in the third as the Kent pair got into difficulties after attempting a high-speed tack on the staring line and rolling into the sea.

Their craft came upright again with out too much trouble but by that time the majority of the fleet had disappeared towards the windward mark leaving them with the difficult task of acting up.

Under te circumstances they did well to finish 13th as the Lloyds took their second winning gun of the day to put themselves in strong position for the remaining two races and the series as a whole.

Although the wind was still from the west, it had considerably less strength as the 43 Dart 18s put to sea in rapidly fading sunlight on Sunday morning. Gusts were still coming through under the clouds, but there were periods of calm which saw the cats making little progress.

But it deter not deter Norman and Rogers who got back in the grove to win the fourth race with the Lloyds back in fourth place behind competitors from the Mumbles, south Wales, and their own club.

Overall results. 1 David and Sam Lloyd, Stokes Bay SC, 7pts; 2,Dan Norman and Melanie Rogers, Catamaran Yacht Club, 9pts; 3 Bob and Luke Fletcher, Snettersham SC, 17pts; 4 Gareth Owen and Jo Pierce-Jones, Dee SC, 20pts; 5 David and Jo Bartlett, Starcross SC, 20pts; 6 David and Louise Roberts, Stokes Bay SC, 26pts.

Top Whitstable YC entry was Richard Ledger and Roger Fermor who finished 13th.

Dart 16s (four entries only) 1 Ben Daigneault and Graham Tomlinson, Eastbourne SC; 2 Tim and Chloe Bolton, Whitstable.