RACE
REPORTS
(see race
results table for times, etc)
INVITATION
RACE
Saturday Jan 3.
Light conditions, flat water wind 5 building to 15 knots.
Traditionally a 'sandbagging' event notable for two things this year -
1. Five of the starters were very late (up to 20 minutes!) crossing the
start line. This may sound curious but if you are battling against a foul
tide with little or no wind, it can easily happen.
2. George Bulka's 'Red Shift' showed great speed leading the fleet until
a navigation error allowed 'Wilparina 2', 'Slick Willie' and 'Sayonara'
through. George recovered somewhat to finish second over the line.
There are no points awarded for this race but the corrected time results
(except for Sayonara who was only doing this race) were a pointer to the
rest of the Regatta.
RACE ONE
Sunday Jan 4
NW wind 15 - 20 knots initially then SW after an expected front moved
through. The 10 am briefing decided to postpone until an 11.30 briefing
decided on a 2 pm start. At 1.30 pm the race was postponed to a later
date as gusts to 50 knots were recorded before a 30 - 35 knot SW set in.
Went out on Ray and Jackie Bailey's almost new Cosmos 43 cat called 'Cats
Chorus' anyway and was most impressed by the way in which it handled the
strong conditions. With three reefs and a full jib we easily saw 12 knots
while 'stooging around'. We actually left the marina thinking the race
was still 'on' and the belting rain squalls made visibility very poor
to the extent that we could not actually see any start boat or other competitors
as we sailed back and forth about the expected starting area. It was only
after we radioded that we learnt that the race had been cancelled.
RACE TWO
Monday Jan 5
The Newhaven race of about 32 miles. Weather started off (9am) as light
southerlies and built to 20 knots during the race.
Congested start in almost no breeze and a following tide made starting
very tricky. Quickskips got the jump on everyone and then Raw To The Core
(RTTC), Red Shift and Wilparina 2 sped out in hot pursuit.
The race settled down as the front runners enjoyed fair winds around the
course but not so for the back half of the fleet as the wind veered from
SW to SE, faded and then came in strongly about half way through the race.
This gave the front runners a lot of off wind work (of course) and they
had some great sails back to the finish.
Cascade, Quickskips and Pages Bookshop were having a close tussel with
Pages having the benefit of watching the other two close ahead putting
various sails up and down as the wind became most unreliable. Then the
SE set in and Quickskips and Cascade scooted off under kite as Pages broke
her spinnaker prodder mount and could only do 16 knots under main and
jib : this was too slow to keep up !
Wilparina 2's crew spoke of flying their kite from Newhaven all the way
to the last mark (number 29) at about 20 knots.
Slick Willie had a similar ride but a crew member hit his head on the
boom as they approached #29 and mayhem ensued as they had to bag the kite,
round the mark and sail the last 2 km windward leg to the finish.
None could catch RTTC as the Riley rocket took line honours.
RACES THREE
AND FOUR
Wednesdays 2 race program was brought forward in anticipation of bad weather
on Wednesday - the race committees faith in the weather bureau was proved
later.
Tuesday Jan 6
A NW wind of 5 - 15 knots provided good conditions for this two race day
beginning at 9 am. The races were triangles of about 10 miles each.
The first race proved a fiasco as the competitors could not find the start
boat! Only Slick Willie was aware enough to start on time and they easily
won line and handicap honours. The other competitors furiously motor sailed
to the start (engine rules?) but were too late. RTTC protested the start
but the protest was not properly submitted so was lost on a technicality.
The second race saw Quickskips get a great start but the big 43' cruiser
'Cats Chorus', joining in the racing for a bit of fun was over the line
too early. Wayne Huxley had the 50' 'Cruise Missile' up and running but
unfortunately ran aground in the mud and had to motor off. It was in this
race that Quickskips, in a no win port and starboard situation with Cruise
Missile tried to bluff by calling "new boat rule - give way"
only to hear Wayne Huxley reply "we're newer than you - you give
way". Wayne later described his new and very large toy (50 x 26)
as surprisingly responsive to sail trim with all systems good. This cat
weighs 6 tonne loaded for cruising which is the upcoming intention.
RTTC won line honours after they protested (what's in their water?) re
shifting the finish line. The committee gave them a small time allowance
which justified their call.
WED. JAN
7
Weather was 40 knots plus which justified the decision to alter the race
program.
THURSDAY
JAN 8
Scheduled lay day. Due to extreme weather it was not possible to re-run
Race 1.
RACE FIVE
Friday Jan 9
At the 7 am briefing it was expected that winds of 5-15 knots would give
competitors a lovely sail down to Flinders and back (about 35 miles).
At the 9 am start we had 15 knot NW wind and it built from there.
The start saw a very short beat to #27 channel mark and then a 10 mile
broad reach to a mark off Cowes, Phillip Island. The fleet sped off with
all of them going 12 to 18 knots and had a great ride as the wind freshened.
The front runners were around the Cowes mark in 20 knot breezes and were
beating towards the channel that goes to the head of Western Port. The
breeze shifted to WNW and built as the slower (and usually smaller) boats
rounded the Cowes mark and set off upwind. Shortly after Pages Bookshop
broke its mast. Cats Chorus stayed with them for moral support as the
crew of only two eventually retrieved the broken gear and set off under
motor back to the marina. This incident made other competitors think again
and another four boats retired, one with a broken daggerboard and others
with minor damage and some misgivings about racing around the mouth of
Western Port in severe conditions. Cats Chorus measured 25 to 40 knot
winds while they were standing by Pages.
Seas were confused with a 1-2 m swell and a 1m wave on top once past the
lee of Sandy Point. RTTC, Slick Willie and Wilparina 2 charged down the
course with massive amounts of spray and loadings. RTTC took line honours
from Wilparina 2 at about the time that Pages finally motored into the
Marina.
RACE SIX
and Sternchaser fun.
Saturday Jan 10
A fair wind of about 15 knots NW gave the best day's sailing of the week.
A 9 am start for the non point scoring sternchaser saw the remainder of
the fleet have a great course of about 11 miles with lots of off wind
sailing. This race gave the closest finish of the week with Slick Willie
and Wilparina 2 almost finish in a dead heat over the line.
Some competitors got great amusement seeing ex-Commodore Phil Hames in
a 23' mono hull acting as a camera boat. Shouts of "traitor"
were audible as the demasted (Pages) skipper tried to maintain balance,
hang on and take photos simultaneously. He said that the last time he
sailed a mono was in an ex-Americas cup 12 metre!
Race 6 was
sailed again in terrific conditions as RTTC, despite some interesting
'gymnastics' when a little overpowered won line honours as Slick Willie
got the corrected time accolades.
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