Today’s results was almost a Greenwich Flying Squadron trifecta with Izzi, Ghwizz and Passion finishing second third and fourth respectively. Starr Ferry sailed by a fellow MHASC member kept the top places in the circle of close associates.
We compromised on the rig and set the No 2 genoa and full main in anticipation of the forecast winds of over twenty five knots that never arrived.
The first mark looked like a tight beat but the incoming tide and a bit of easterly shift meant the whole fleet would have to tack onto starboard at some stage to make the mark. With that in mind we started near the pin on port and pulled away behind the stern of the one brave starboard tacker who caused a bit of havoc for the boats higher up who did not have the room to bear away. The problems the starboard tacker gave to the rest of the fleet meant we had only Luce Change in front of us and we soon pinched to windward for clear air.
Winner on the Day Star Ferry
Allegro down low was as always going faster and when the wind knocked she was able to tack and cross the fleet. We tacked on the same knock and forced Gwhizz to tack onto starboard. When we tacked back to port Gwhizz opted to hang on longer and that was her undoing. Izzi had made a good start and was well up in the fleet on the beat. Starr Ferry had tacked away early and made good use or the first lift to run over the top of us but at the top mark she tacked too low and had to tack again for the rounding.
Mostly a port tack course to the heads
A Respectable Portion of the Fleet Behind
The run back to Steel Point was frustrating as the big Benetau First 45s wanted to push us wide. Eventually I did a hard deviation to take their stern and we matched them to Steel Point only to lose them in Rose Bay when they just achieved the inside overlap on the rounding mark.
We did better into the Rose Bay mark than Star Ferry and Larrikin who sailed into the lee of the hill but by Point Piper Larrikin had caught us .
It was a bit of a procession from here to home and I was delighted to finish in top half of the fleet on time. Our benchmark both old and new were well behind on the day .
The equal forth place with Enigma lifted our series ranking from eighth to equal fifth but the 1, 7, 4 places in the last three weeks will probably get the handicappers attention.