MORECAMBE Bay ended up in Coniston Water again this year.

The lake has become almost the permanent home of the annual MBSA regatta and this year cruisers and dinghies contested the three-day event over August Bank Holiday in a competition organised by Coniston Sailing Club.

Yet again the club's home contingent of Sonatas showed that this popular design from the 1980s is hard to beat, with Footnote, sailed by Judy Leese with crew Dave Amos, Gordon Rogerson and Phil Howarth lifting the Jubilee Trophy.

Judy, who has been sailing Footnote for nine years, said the 23ft Sonata is a winner because it is ideally suited to lake conditions.

The cruiser can be sailed almost like a big dinghy to take advantage of the slightest wind shifts.

"Anything bigger needs much more room for the turns," she said.

Although the MBSA regatta was a handicap event, Judy believes there is a lot to be said for one-design racing, which is popular with Sonata owners.

"The one-design means that you can't change very much on the boat and that makes racing close," she said.

Back in the 1980s, Morecambe Bay Sailing Association was formed to promote the joint interest of clubs around the huge bay which divides Cumbria and Lancashire, but the idea has largely failed to become anything more than a very loose association, with the annual regatta as a focus.

In the dinghy competition competitors came to Coniston from several other clubs and winners were Chris and Julie Waddington, of Burton, in a GP14.