After a relatively quiet Spring series it was good to get a fresh breeze and zip around a longer course. For the race the wind varies between 15 knots to a short peak of 30 knots and Passion with a clean bottom, the small No 3 jib and a full mainsail handled the conditions well.
Ignoring the problems with the Genoa halyard we started to leeward of the fleet and just reached Humbug first. Saoirse soon ran over the top of us but then proceeded to take the fleet up into the lee of Greenwich leaving us alone on a course out the middle in breeze. That got us to Cockatoo Island first but we soon had the fleet blanketing us from behind and closing quickly. Saoirse and Irukandji out a little wider came out first but we held off the rest of the fleet. On the wind we were having a good duel with these two and managed to stay close for much longer than expected. The green men on Saoirse seemed to be sailing better than usual but to be fair the conditions suite her non overlapping headsail.
By Goat Island Saoirse had a lead over Irukandji and us on Passion that would hold to the finish line. For a short time on the run from Goat back around Cockatoo Island we carried a 30 knot gust down and looked to make up ground only to lose a similar amount as we negotiated the large fleet of early starters rounding Cockatoo for the beat home.
Out third place on time and second on handicap was all we expected and enough to put us in the lead for the series.
Frank recorded the tracks on his phone and they show we enjoyed some very good tacking angles against an incoming tide.
After the race it was time to go up the mast and unwrap the genoa halyard from the forestay. I think I will enjoy not having a furler on the new boat as it will save eight kilos of weight eight metres up in the air or the equivalent of 32 kilos extra lead on the bottom of the keel.
The yellow tracks are from Wednesday 25th Nov and show good angles in a fresh breeze.