IT was a case of déjà vu when sailors went to sea last Sunday, with strong winds and 2.5- to 3-metre swells topped by ocean chop of up to half a metre.
With memories of the previous weekend’s event still fresh, one yacht intending to venture seawards elected to forgo the experience.This left four yachts only to contest the scheduled ocean triangle event.
With initial nor-easterly winds swinging northwards, blowing consistently above 20 knots and gusting up to 50 per cent higher at times, three yachts faced the starter, with a fourth permitted a late start after encountering difficulty on the dock.
Razzamatazz 2, with owner Kevin Brown on board; Solar Coaster, helmed by Stuart Watson; and Cool Change, with Teddy Clausen helming; started in advance of the delayed Enticer.
They began the first northerly leg of the triangle, off the Bird Rock start-line, in an even start.
In sailing terms this leg was “hard work”, which, in the circumstances, was a perfectly accurate description of what yacht crews endured.
The freshly antifouled Razzamataz 2 took the lead shortly after the start, with Watson’s Solar Coaster sailing two-up in pursuit, while Cool Change settled into third place. With a Long Ocean event scheduled it appears there was a misunderstanding about the correct course. Both Razzamataz 2 and Solar Coaster sailed a longer, different course while Cool Change made the correct turns. The late-starting Enticer appeared to sail the correct course.
Due to the misunderstanding, Cool Change took the on-water lead over the other two yachts, holding the lead until the finish and guaranteeing the overall race win.
Although noting the misfortune of other yachts, Cool Change’s crew continued in race mode, with that yacht almost doubling its rated hull speed (the calculated maximum speed of the yacht hull) on the final leg of the triangle.
Razzamataz 2 never gave up the chase and closed to about half a mile at the finish, while Solar Coaster, sailing short-handed, finished about a further mile back – a creditable result in the circumstances.
After the application of handicaps Cool Change’s corrected time of 2 hours 18 mins 18 secs took first place; Enticer, with corrected time 2 hours 33mins 56 secs, came second while Razzamataz 2, with a corrected time of 2 hours 44 mins 32 secs, took third place.
The result left Cool Change well-positioned to take out the ocean series pointscore, with Enticer having a solid grip on second place, while Solar Coaster is currently in fourth breathing down the neck of third-placed Third Man and that yacht unlikely to race again this season.
This weekend sees the initial race in The Cassegrain Wines inshore racing series with forecast lively conditions likely to lead to an exciting day for all competitors.
By Captain SLIPPERY
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