Alister Richardson's day at SPA Regatta

A run-in with the police.

After a long lay-off due to injury, Alister Richardson is back with a vengeance. Top ten results at Hyeres and the 49er Europeans look like being bettered in Medemblik - with crew Peter Greenhalgh he is currently leading the regatta. Here's what he has to say about the second day's racing in some quite fruity conditions.

"The first race we rounded the windward mark in second. We had good boat speed and we managed to go up the right hand side and got a nice little shift to come back across the fleet. Rodion the Ukrainian had quite a reasonable lead but we managed to catch up downwind. He seemed to be backing off quite a bit and soaking it down the waves while we were sending it all the way.

"After the leeward mark he started tacking on to us. He was reaching down to us to try and close us out but we had too much speed and we just cruised straight over the top of him. That was the last we saw of him.

"We are sailing quite well in that stuff with the Pryde sails which seem to be quite good. We had a set of Neil Pryde sails on which seem to go quite well in that stuff.

"In the second race we had a crap start and got rolled by the Japanese and had to tack off. We got into a nice clear lane going up the beat. We went up the middle of the beat and then out to the left again. We were about fifth and we picked off a few more to round the top mark in third. Down that run we didn't gain or lose any places. Up the beat we had quite a bit of pace - we went the wrong way but still picked off one. Rodion had got quite a big lead so we could not catch him. He got a first and we got second.

"There was a bit more breeze in the third race. We came out of the starboard end of the line. It looked as if it was left-hand favoured so you had to get across. We had a great start out of the starboard end, hit hard left tacked and were just miles ahead. Rodion had gone all the way out to the right and looked very bad. He got a ten degree shift at the end and as we were coming across we were crossing him. We wanted to tack beneath him but a police boat got in our way. We had to cross him by a long way and then tack. Then the police boat got out of the way so we rounded the windward mark just behind him. We gained on him downwind and by the bottom mark we were right on his tail. We had to tack off straight away as he was giving us dirty air. We had to go the wrong way because he just kept tacking on our face. We got one bad shift that stopped us crossing him. So we were second again.

"In the last race we had to stand quite well back to keep the bow out and that was just going upwind because the chop is so steep and short. Downwind it was okay with the kite. I should imagine if it had got any windier it would have been all on.

"Once we got ashore we had to go through everything on the boat. Check all the ropes, blocks etc. Make sure the rudder stock is not breaking. Now we're off to Amsterdam. The boat's been put to bed."