For the first time in a while, it was back to a south easterly, or more likely an easterly breeze that greeted the 85 sailors in last week’s Wednesday twilight race conducted by Whitsunday Sailing Club. 10 knots of breeze and flat waters made for a lovely experience on the water.
After a week’s break, it was clear that the fleet was out of practice, as all boats were well clear of the starting line when the signal sounded for the first start. Bobby’s Girl (Mark Beale) was first to cross the starting line, some 10 seconds late, and they were still well clear of the rest of the fleet. Once they got going, it was the usual suspects at the front, with Bobby’s Girl leading QMS Ponyo (John Galloway), while Smooth Criminal (Leo Rodriguez) battled against Reignition (Charles Wallis) for the minor placings. Further back, Houdini (Rob Meizer) were delayed when a crew member missed his trapeze wire and ended up in the water. As the race progressed the pressure was on at the front with nothing to split the leaders, with QMS Ponyo trying everything to get the upper hand, but Bobby’s Girl held on to score another line honours win. On corrected time however, QMS Ponyo took the honours from Reignition and Wide Load (Shannan Hart).
Wobbly Boot (Craig Piccinelli) led the fleet away in Division 3, with Seventh Heaven (Charlie Preen) and Aquatarius (Tom Parker) in pursuit. A near collision between Masquerade (Tom Vujasinovic) and Lama (James Hayes) was averted at the last moment, while Shiraz (John Cable) suffered a torn sail, delaying their progress until a replacement was set. Once underway, Wobbly Boot built a comfortable lead, while aquatarius closed in on Seventh Heaven, getting within 30 seconds by the time they reached the finish. On corrected time, Seventh Heaven took the honours by 2 seconds from Norbert G (Ghigo Casalini), with Rossgo (Greg Hammon) a distant third.
Races continue every Wednesday from 4:30pm, with limited crewing positions available. Those wishing to participate as crew need to be at the club by 2:30 pm (limited spots available). Full results are available at https://app.sailsys.com.au/club/85/profile?tab=results.
Photo: Norbert G dwarfed by Reignition and Smooth Criminal
