Port Macquarie Sailing Club

22-2-26

THE Port Macquarie Sailing Club raced their summer Marathon on Sunday in a beautiful North Easter under sunny skies. The start down river from the clubhouse to the Town Green was against the run in tide. Buoy A was a Port mark just off the Town Green where the Port Macquarie Yacht Club were running their inshore race, then it was mainly running and reaching all the way upriver with the tide the Dennis Bridge (Pacific Highway). Once buoy B, another Port mark, was rounded there, it was a long work back to the finish line at the clubhouse, mostly against the tide, although the last few boats started to get into the first of the run out tide. Jeff Walsh and Kim Williams manned the big safety boat and looked after the downriver end of the fleet, and Steve Bohlsen in the little safety boat looked after the upriver end of the fleet.

In the catamaran division, Ethan White and Bryce Haffner on their 16’ sloop rigged Viper Cat ‘Viper’ took off from the fleet and sailed very well to finish well ahead of the other catamarans, which were all 14’ Arrow Cats. However, once yardsticks were applied, all the Arrow Cats finished ahead, lead by Frank O’Rourke on ‘Zero’, then Jack Corthals on ‘Crackerjack’, Tony Kuhn with grandson Julian (for the downriver leg of the race) on ‘Stella’, and Scott Witchard on ‘Lukim Yu’.

In the monohulls, Simon Gandy and Ezra Mert in the MG ‘Vamos’ took off and were the first monohull home by a long way, but the rest of the fleet finished within a little over 2 minutes of each other after racing for over 2½ hours, meaning that once yardsticks were applied to the times, Troy Lewis from Taree Aquatic Club (Sailo’s) in his Sabre ‘Dead Reckoning’ took the win ahead of Steve Couch who sailed very well in his Laser ‘Lazybuoy’ to relegate his next door neighbour in ‘Vamos’ into 3^rd place by 19 seconds. Derek Ayriss and Bob Dewar in the Tasar ‘Rumpus’ took 4^th place ahead of son Syd Ayriss and crew Rory Toogood in an NS14 ‘Windspeed’ by 2 minutes and 7 seconds. Dave and Hudson McNeill in their Tasar ‘Toy of Joy’ started and were going well until a capsize near the rowing club on the way up river put them out, and Gary Herbert having a try in the Impulse ‘Serenity’ was on a steep learning curve, and although not going down river past the Settlement Point Ferry, did get up to the Dennis Bridge mark, then found the very long work home a bit too much and retired.

Next week is the next round of Sprint Races, races 12-16. Stuart Symons is on duty, although it will be a light fleet with 3 boats up at the Big River Regatta, one boat at an Impulse Travellers Trophy at Great Lakes Sailing Club, and a Tasar at a Sydney regatta.

By Jeff WALSH