Top teams from Britain and abroad will be competing on West Kirby Marine Lake this weekend in the 60th running of the ever popular West Kirby Sailing Club Wilson Team Racing Trophy event.

The competition actually starts at 8am on Friday and will continue during daylight hours on Saturday and Sunday when the final is expected to take place around 3pm.

A total of 42 teams will be taking part in Firefly dinghies and the competition will come thick and fast with up to twenty four craft in four flights of six on the lake at a time.

A team of umpires will follow the action and make rapid on the water decisions to do away with time consuming protests.

West Kirby will have four teams in the action with the main squad backed up by West Kirby Hawks, the Hilbre Highlanders and the Waders.

Canada, America, the Czek Republic and Ireland will be represented and there will also be an all ladies line-up plus top teams from England including the renowned Spinnaker squad.

A number of newly obtained dinghies will be used and all that is needed is favourable conditions for a feast of entertainment on and off the water.

Meanwhile a fading wind and fast running ebb tide brought about nine retirements in the latest Liverpool Yacht Club races on the Mersey.

Neil Thomas in his Prima 38 Mighty Max was the only finisher in IRC Class One.

It was better in Class Two won by Steve Harrison in a Sigma 33 Quattro ahead of Michael Inman in a similar type craft Musketeer.

At Hoylake Steve Stratton in Fidelio won both the Saturday Series Opera races in Fidelio.

On Sunday there were successes for Gavin Melling in La Tosca and Andrew Stratton in Silvana.