The last race of the RANSA Winter Series was almost identical to the previous week with perhaps a little more breeze. The six yachts that places from third to eighth finished within a minute of each other and unfortunately we were the eighth.
The first leg was a reach to the heads followed by a reach back to Steel Point. After a very good start the faster yachts progressively sailed over the top or by the lee but we managed to hold out Rainbow at the turn. On the work back to Steel Point we sailed a higher course and in the fresh conditions risked going close into the point. With that one move we overtook Enigma and looked to have prospects for a good handicap place. Unfortunately I focused too much on staying in front of Rainbow and did not appreciate what a large knock we, Rainbow and Enigma took over on the Shark Island side of the course. Had we tacked on the first header into Rose Bay we might have finished much higher up the order.
We had a tight contest with Rainbow all the way around Shark Island and managed to time our tack to the turning mark to perfection to open up a small lead. We needed all of this lead to manage the broad reach to the finish line in dying conditions. Meanwhile Enigma who had been tucked away well behind made up enough ground on the broad reach much as she did last week to pip us on handicap.
The light breeze on the run to the finish did not help our handicap prospects as the faster yachts were already home in fresher conditions.
Despite the modest result we enjoyed the afternoon and celebrated the end of the season with a glass of bubbly.