Saturday for the annual Round-the-Island Seagull Race which was won by Allan Powell and Glenn Clinton, whose triumph came amid protests.

The Silver Spring trophy for line honours and the Gray Cup for the fastest circumnavigation (four hours, seven minutes) went to Wooden Cheeks with Powell and Clinton aboard.

The purpose built craft made of 1/8'' veneering and west system epoxy was 23-feet long, weighed 130 pounds and was powered by a new 5R seagull motor.

The winning duo accepted their awards amid catcalls and howls of protest from the traditionalists who want the modern, more powerful engines relegated to a class of their own.

It is expected that the format of the race will be reviewed for next year to ensure more competitiveness.

The cruising class honours went to No Name piloted by newlyweds Warren and Siobhan Brown who were awarded the Peter Moran Memorial Trophy. The Prop Trophy for the winner of the Traditional Dinghy class went to Phru Phru driven by race organisers Richard and Susan Amos.

The first all female crew of Wendy McDonald-Smith and Kathy Powell in Black Cheeks won the Williams Harris Shield.

The conditions for the race were marginal at best as 10-15 knot winds from the southwest pounded 12 of the intrepid little craft into submission. Conditions were particularly bad at the Oil Docks where Bruce Lorhan and Shelly Fortnam in Eat `n' Lizards saw their bow split wide open. They limped whilst bailing frantically to Shelly Bay where Blake West helped them nail and tie their craft back together.

In the true spirit of the race they pounded their way up North Shore to finish in the respectable time of six hours, 36 minutes, still bailing for all they were worth.

Ian Finady and crew successfully navigated their boat to within 20 yards of the finish line where they ran out of gas.

The wind on their bow prevented them from rowing across the line, so despite their strong protests they were compelled to cross the line in tow. See page 22 for complete results.