Close rounding of the Onion Point clearance mark
We were sent out on what proved to be a very good course around Goat Island, Snapper island and Spectacle Island before a long work to Humbug and home. The breeze hung in on the strong side of the forecast at around ten knots providing a very good work up the course and with the occasional soft patches in the lee of the headlands.
We started higher than the fleet and were able to foot to Onion Point where we met the pin end yachts pinching up to the mark. Meridian showed a clean pair of heels but Much Ado V, Dump Truck and Lisdillon rounded in a line inside Passion X.
We went a bit wide of Greenwich Point looking for clear air only to have a very large and long lasting lift carry the inside and behind yachts well up the course. Utopia had the best of the lift and also the next shift back to clear out a couple of minutes in a very short space of time. Lidsillon was ahead but suffering from being on the wrong side of the shift but they did tack back earlier and were rewarded with the next lift on port tack to regain their lost ground on Passion X.
Sweet Chariot also picked the shifts well and only our starboard tack rights prevented them crossing our bow. By the time we rounded Goat Island there were two fleets with the front runners being Much Ado V, Dump Truck, Utopia and Meridian with the back group being Passion X, Lisdillon, Joli, Sweet Chariot and Fireball. This last group had a close running race with Fireball carrying wind down from behind and joining the group. We went wide mid stream leaving the rest to blanket each other in the shadow of the Balmain shore and by doing so were able to break away just enough to have clear wind for the square run down to Snapper Island.
On rounding Snapper we were surprised to see Dump Truck stuck hard and fast on the rocks with Much Ado V returning to render assistance.
This bit of intrigue put us up to third fastest behind Utopia and Meridian with Joli chasing us hard. We were fortunate with the work back as I pinched hard to have some room above Clarke Point and as we approached it we were headed and needed all the spare height we had accumulated. Joli behind was more affected as they had the header for longer. We then had a good run of the shifts through Humbug to break away more and secure a second place on handicap behind Utopia but only seven seconds clear of Fireball who stayed close after their catch up move down Snails Bay. Meridian with a second fastest had too big a handicap to overcome and finished fifth on handicap.
Taking Starboard rights on Sweet Chariot
Taking the transom of Lisdillon
Dump Truck on the rocks