Passion had a very successful Winter Wednesday series. We won the series with three weeks to go and finished with a handicap about four and a half minutes more than at the start of the series. The only change we made from last year was to take out the 200 kg of lead from under the floor and remove about 100 kg of surplus equipment. Apart from this there were no changes. We did reef down earlier due to the lighter weight and we did get to use the black carbon genoa on more occasions due to the conditions we had. Our final race was a bit of an anticlimax. We did beat Viva. Rainbow and L’Eau Co over the line but the light conditions on the reach home suited the early finishers and the freshening breeze from behind rescued the tail enders. In the circumstances an 11th place was ok and off a handicap much harsher than at the start of the season when we had our last 11th place.
After ten years of sailing Passion there will be mixed feelings entering the new yacht in next years series. I am hoping we can have a year in the same division so that we can see how the new Passion X will fare against the likes of Allegro and Amante.
In the meantime there is much to do to get Passion X launched and gain experience but I am confident enough to book a marina berth at Port Stephens for the regatta next April.
Finally a very big thanks to the loyal crew who fronted up in all the wet conditions. In some respect the good result is a good attendance record because on the miserable days even a place in the second half of the fleet can be a keeper.
Tacking angles look superb due to the outgoing tide. Others did even better.