Last week we struggled all around the course buried mid fleet and without any lucky breaks. An involuntary gybe at the corner of Cockatoo Island caused be a wind eddy forced us too close along the shore from where we never recovered. We were too close in at the West end of Cockatoo Island and caught in the wind shadow. Tacking back through Humbug we could not get into phase with the shifts and had a pretty average result.
This week was a different story. We set the No 2 genoa in anticipation of a southerly front which came through just as the fleet was starting. The smaller overlap and more comfortable sail area meant we were quick to windward and tidy in the tacks. From the first tack we had Worlds Apart covered with Agrovation behind her. With clear air we could pick our course and at the same time keep a loose cover on Worlds Apart and an eye on Agrovation.
We did not see the rest of the fleet after we rounded Cockatoo Island and were enjoying our time at the lead. Agrovation sailed into the wind shadow off Long Nose and around Goat Island we managed to stretch out the lead on Worlds Apart when they were caught in a light spot in the lee of Goat.
The breeze had dropped away to seven knots as we approached Greenwich when it freshened from the South bringing Worlds Apart charging up to us and past us. There was little we could do as the breeze we were in was lighter and tighter and until the fresh breeze arrived we could not pole the genoa out to windward. Once Worlds Apart was past us we managed to get the genoa drawing and sat on their stern blanketing them as much as possible as we entered Humbug. Luck was back on our side as a fresh gust from behind gave us an inside overlap at Onions Point and with a dead square run to the finish we all had clear air. Being to leeward boat the angle of the finish line favoured us and we reclaimed the fastest times win by a quarter of a boat length. While we could see only Worlds Apart and Agrovation at the finish the freshening breeze brought all the fleet home and despite that we managed a third on handicap.