Of late Humbug seems to have been our downfall on many a night and tonight went according to that record. Despite a respectable start and arriving in Humbug near the front of the fleet we were becalmed and passed on both sides. Much Ado V, Joli and Meridian seemed to exit Humbug more or less as they arrive while Jackpot and Utopia went through our lee with ease. From behind the rest of the fleet came charging through with breeze and in particular the heavier Fireball and Ausreo kept going with momentum into the fresh breeze around the corner while we sat waiting and waiting for it to arrive. By the time the breeze filled in to our position everyone except Agrovation had sailed past and we were chasing their wake across to Cockatoo Island. Sweet Chariot went wide around the Island and made up ground on Ausreo, Fireball and Lisdillon who was in tight to the island. It was a wall of Black division yachts too wide and high for us to sail through so we followed on the stern of Lisdillon who was following Ausreo and Fireball. It took forever to get clear air and for the work to Goat Island we were alongside either Ausreo at first or Fireball later. Lisdillon was caught on the wrong side of a shift to drop back rather quickly as we had the previous week as what goes around comes around. Indeed our tracks up to Goat Island against the tide show we were on the lifting tack all the way so that at Goat island we were right on the stern of Fireball. On the reach home we got a tiny break when the wind freshened from windward and we were to windward of Fireball and while it was a tiny break it was just enough for us to hold to the finish line. Up front the only yacht we could see was Jackpot who never made up the time spend alongside Passion X in Humbug on the way out and while they did draw away seven minutes it was not enough to beat their handicap against us. When we crossed the line just ahead of Fireball we were suprised to see Sweet Chariot charging up Humbug and charging up the handicap positions to be fifth on handicap. Fireball was close enough to beat us on handicap so we filled the seventh position.
Up front Much Ado V scored the double first and fastest and it was finishing time order through Joli, Utopia and Meridian as these leading yachts escaped the dying breeze towards the end of the race.
The Black fleet in Humbug courtesy of Ian Sanford and the GFS facebook page