Passion X is duty boat next Wednesday at RANSA and so assured a fourth place for the day. That will not be enough to change our overall series position as the fleet is small and a last place can be a third on a bad day.
Today’s race was cancelled for fear of a few gusts over 30 knots that were noticed before the scheduled start. We moored up in Rushcutters Bay solving the worlds problems and for the afternoon our maximum recorded wind speed was 30.4 knots which was significantly less than last week.
Now I would be the last person to criticize a race committee for cancelling a race due to strong winds. They have an implied duty of care to the competitors and any decision has to be respected. That said we would have enjoyed the race today as the wind was strong enough for our No 4 jib and a reefed main and the wind angle was a broad reach up and a tight reach home. The crew has waited patiently for these conditions all season and to be denied the race on the last day we were were sailing was frustrating indeed.
With the wind strength and angle we have consistently been with Blue Chip at the Cannai Point mark and the angle home was the broadest it has been all season so we feel we would have kept Marloo and Sorcerer at bay at least until the work home from Shark Island. The conditions gave us the best chance we have had all season for a first place but it was not to be.
The only first place we had all season was the third race when the conditions were quite light but no so light as to have the race abandoned. The next light race that we finished was a weird wind pattern when Sorcerer and us were left in a hole and finished long after the fleet.
For the season we were not last fastest in every race. We did beat Blue Chip once when they got lost and we did beat Marloo and Sorcerer once when they decided to sail a longer course. In actual sailing we did beat Sorcerer twice in light conditions. In fair sailing we were not last only twice in the season and that was with a trouble free series when we had no breakages or brain fades.
We would prefer if more yachts of Passion X’s speed were included in the Division 1s. Amante, Allegro and Fidelis have all had a turn and did not like it. Well we liked the longer course but found the lack of close competition very frustrating. There is a wind strength range from 8 to 18 knots where we do not have the righting moment to keep up with the more powerful beasts. Over 20 knots we have a small jib and can sail survival mode quite well as well as doing well downwind. Under 8 knots our tenderness is not a handicap.
Perhaps I need a bigger boat!