Daybreak on Day 1 opened with a brilliant sunrise in a clear blue sky with light westerly winds. This has never happened before during Cadet Week so from the outset things looked bright.
There were plenty of hands at the club early on to start rigging boats and setting up the safety boats, and real hubbub as the cadets arrived. Excitement mixed with nerves as some would be racing for the first time, but even those who'd been present before shared some of these emotions.
A briefing was following by rigging and launching as the Toppers, Mirrors and Picos set off down the Walton Creek for their starts at Spit Buoy.
Three races took place with the 2nd and 3rd races shortened because a later than planned first start. The wind direction allowed for a Spit start with a beat to Twizzle buoy. Choosing the right part of the channel and end of the line for the start caused some trouble. The Mirrors took time to settle into the racing but soon found their form and although they ran near the rear of the fleet their corrected times made respectable reading. With only a few capsizes the races ran smoothly and the final race back to the club provided some close battling near the front with the lead changing frequently.
Piers Prior took the honours in the Pico fleet with two wins and a second place finish. The topper lead is held by Jack Collis but with only 2 points separating the top 3 the week ahead will be closely fought. The mirror took some time finding their form but here also the racing is close.
Today ended with a BBQ on the beach at Frinton and a game of crocker helped the cadets get to know one another. | 
