After a morning of rain, and an afternoon of heavy showers with a choppy sea, the prospects did not look good. However, a dry spell came during the race, and so most sailors managed to avoid a wetting. The start was at 18.15, fiteen minutes earlier than the last series, and this came as a surprise to some boats, including the eventual winner, Jacobi. The fleet set off beating out of the River for the Dennis mark, and Jacobi rounded first, followed by Big Purple and Jetta. With a steady breeze the boats began to spread out according to their handicaps, and Jacobi, the fastest boat, established a useful lead.
Jetta, Big Purple and Jabadeo were in close contention for the first few legs of the race but by the time the fleet rounded the Shag mark for the second time Jacobi was well ahead, followed by Jetta, Jabadeo and Big Purple. Coming up to the finish by Trebah Beach, the crew of Jetta had an anxious moment when the head of the spinnaker became twisted round the top of the forestay, but after a gybe to clear the Beach, it was freed and brought down safely. Jacobi won both the PY and IRC classes, but the handicapping worked well, because after 90 minutes of racing there was less than 2½ minutes separating the first and last boats on corrected time.