It was a mixed bag of light conditions for Port Macquarie Sailing Club’s double-header on Sunday. A short 2 lap course was planned for Summer Series Race 8 which started with a patchy 5-6 knots SSE breeze that turned more easterly during the race.
With light winds and a light incoming tide, the bulk of the fleet kept fairly close together making for interesting tactics at each of the turning marks.
Simon Gandy, sailing solo in Up Beat, eventually took line honours and backed up for the yardstick win. The Impulse fleet ran a close race in the middle of the field. Terry Howard in Flying Dragon reached the finish line in front of Martina Holt in Spellbound and Rob Barwick. Stuart Symons took Serenity out for a spin and was leading Steve Couch in Lazybuoy for the majority of the race until the last run to the finish line when Lazybuoy managed to sneak past. With handicaps applied, the results were: Flying Dragon, Up Beat, Spellbound, Lazybuoy, Impulsive, and Serenity.
In the catamaran division Scott Witchard on Hummer took the win from Dave Winter on Spica for both yardstick and handicap results.
After lunch, the 6th Club Championship was graced with a reversed tide and an extra couple knots of breeze that moved from easterly to nor’easterly during the race.
For the catamarans, the result was a carbon copy of the first race of the day.
The Impulse fleet was much more competitive in the afternoon with Warren Sykes in Runamuck adding to the battle. The upwind mark became a hazard when Flying Dragon decided to lay down on the buoy while its skipper was tangled in the main sheet and had to cool off in the water.
Runamuck took the yardstick win with Spellbound in close pursuit and the quickly recovered Flying Dragon just seconds behind. Serenity finished next followed by Lazybuoy, Roger Shipton in Zazzoo, Simon Gandy and Eve Judd in Voyager and Elsa Gandy and Charlotte Judd in Up Beat. The time difference between first and last across the line was just 3 minutes and a handful of seconds showing the light conditions and close competition.
Handicaps shook up the results: Impulsive, Spellbound, Lazybuoy, Flying Dragon, Runamuck, Serenity, Zazoo, Voyager, and Up Beat.
Next weekend will be Sprint Races 20 to 25. Note that the start time is changed to 11:30am. It is hoped that the later start will give more time for better winds to develop. Several club members will also travel south on Saturday to take part in Queens Lake Sailing Club’s Queen of the Lake event for another full weekend of sailing.
