Swallows and Amazons Weekend, Walton and Frinton Yacht Club 15 - 16th July. This is the first occasion (and we hope not the last) when TARS Eastern Region joined forces with the Old Gaffers Association (OGA) at their annual weekend, courtesy of the Walton and Frinton Yacht Club. The weekend was as ever very ably run by Tessa Hodgkinson of the OGA, particularly with youngsters in mind. Families camped in a local garden or on boats in the Old Walton Pond or Titchmarsh Marina. The weekend centres on the Swallows and Amazons race which took place in very blustery conditions on the Saturday afternoon and involved all manner of traditional (i e wooden) and modern (i e plastic) gaff, gunter, and lug sail dinghies helmed or crewed by the youngsters. There were several dinghy casualties, a broken mast included. The race was followed by a "paper boat "(for paper read polystyrene) boat-building competition with a race for the amazing varieties of designs, in the Old Pond. At the Saturday Evening prize-giving, your secretary had to judge the best "paper boat" (Concours d'elegance) and present the prizes to all the paper boat builders. TARS Eastern Region also donated a prize (a year's free membership of TARS and a TARS Burgee) and this was duly presented to Alex and Beckie Manning who were first in the Traditional Gaffers Class in the Swallows and Amazons race. For the first time, both Nancy Blackett and Lottie Blossom (alias Ragged Robin III) were both in attendance for the weekend and were open to visits: Nancy Blackett in Titchmarsh Marina and Ragged Robin in the Old Pond. The weather on Sunday was as beautiful as on the Saturday. The day began with a car-boot Boat Jumble and ended with an afternoon picnic on Walton Stone (Flint Island).