A three-way tie for first place developed after spirited racing in fluky, six-to-nine-knot breezes on Saturday, August 30, 2003.

With even less wind on Sunday, principal race officer Don MacIntyre called a postponement that stretched into the early afternoon before three gun blasts signaled the end of the regatta.

Strange Device won the tiebreaker, claiming the Thunderbird North East Districts Regatta for the third year in a row, ahead of One Too Many and Looney Tunes.

The victory was the fifth-consecutive victory for the Strange Device team of skipper Oliver Lennox-King and crew, Tom and Wouter Van Essen, world 470 class champions in the early 1970s.

Since purchasing Sail No. 1240 from Ken Hymas three years ago, Strange Device has also won the Thunderbird Internationals hosted by Fleet 10 in 2000, as well as the ABYC One Design Regatta in 2003.

“This crew has done exceptionally well together, although the margins in Fleet 10 are getting more slim with every race, ” said Lennox-King, the 1975 British 470 class champion. “Competition is very fierce.”

At the 2003 Thunderbird North East Districts, the top three boats each completed one day of racing with eight points. Strange Device prevailed with a fifth-place finish in the first race, first in the second race, then second in the final race. With Chris Reil at the helm, One Too Many had a 1-2-5 record. Looney Tunes, with Wendy Loat at the helm, finished with a 3-4-1 record.

The Thunderbird class sailboat was designed in 1958 by Seattle, Washington, naval architect Ben Seaborn. More than 35 years of experience and construction of more than 1, 250 Thunderbirds around the world have demonstrated that the 26-foot (7.89 meter) Thunderbird class sailboat is a success on all accounts.