JUSTIN Whithorn and Chris Baldwin from Stroud took part in rounds five and six of the 2010 Zapcat National Championships, held at Leith Docks, Edinburgh.

Whithorn and Baldwin have been racing their twin-hulled semi- inflatable Zapcat for the past two years and this was the team's most two days, winning a gold medal on the first day and a silver on the second day, just missing out on first place by a boat's length.

The day's racing consists of six heats and one final.

The position achieved in each heat earns points which determine the team's starting position in the final.

On the first day, the weather was warm and sunny and racing in the dock, by the Royal Yacht Britannia, was calm.

Team BladeRun won every heat which put them in pole position in the final.

They had a good start and took the lead, which they managed to hold on to.

The second day started off wet and was more changeable with a strong wind picking up in the afternoon.

This made the water choppy and the Zapcats were susceptible to being lifted into the air.

Team BladeRun had some good heats, winning four out of six, putting them in second place on the start line in the final.

The first start of the final was called off after three boats collided on the first corner, even though Team BladeRun was leading.

The team were beaten into the lead in the re-start by their championship rivals, but were chasing hard and on the final straight were only half a boat's length behind them by the end.

Team BladeRun have had a slow start this year due to being plagued with engine problems.

These now appear to have been fixed and the team can now get down to some serious racing.

Team BladeRun are now in second place in the championships and are looking forward to some racing in the Surf at Prestatyn on July 23-24.