Port Macquarie Sailing Club’s Spring Series race 4

DESPITE forecasts of howling winds, the Port Macquarie Sailing Club’s Spring Series race 4 was held in a nor’easter that tended to come and go on Sunday.

With mostly sunny skies and a run-in tide, the river was quite flat, making it a lovely day for a sailing race.

Gary Herbert and Kim Williams set a shortish course with a downriver start, past Starboard buoy A off King Point, around Starboard buoy B near the mouth of Limeburners Creek, a run upriver to Starboard buoy C across from the Governors Way canal, and a short work back to the start/finish line to complete the lap.

The Arrow Catamarans did four laps of the course, and Frank O’Rourke on ‘Zero’ led the way to take the scratch win from Jack Corthals on ‘Crackerjack’ and Tony Kuhn on ‘Stella’. Tony was a last-minute starter after having a skin cancer removed.

Although ‘Crackerjack’ was closer to ‘Zero’ in time, once the handicaps were applied the results remained the same.

The start of the three-lap monohull race saw a bit of extra excitement as the three Impulses, always so even in pace,  fought for the same piece of water as they tacked off the north shore.

Jeff Walsh in ‘Serenity’ was the last to tack to port and was soon hailed by Germain Corthals in ‘Aeolus’, who had already done his port tack and was now back on starboard.

‘Serenity’ bore off to go behind and suddenly came across Rob Barwick in ‘Drift’, right behind ‘Aeolus’. Fast tacks saw the hulls barely touch, but the rigs did, causing ‘Drift’ to capsize.

‘Serenity’ did a penalty turn to exonerate herself and the racing continued as ‘Aeolus’ and Steve Couch in his laser ‘Lazybuoy’ got a small break on the fleet, after Stuart Symons’ Tasar ‘Elmo’ got a late start.

For the first half of the race the wind pumped in well, causing ‘Lazybuoy’ to capsize while in second position near the end of the first run and then retire. ‘Elmo’ also retired in the stronger breeze.

‘Serenity’ eventually caught ‘Aeolus’, and ‘Drift’ kept closing in on the pair as the breeze eased a little.

The last lap saw ‘Drift’ get a break and take the win ahead of ‘Aeolus’ and then ‘Serenity’.

Once the handicaps were applied, ‘Aeolus’ secured first place by three seconds ahead of ‘Drift’, and ‘Serenity’ was again third.

Club member Simon Gandy in his MG14 ‘Vamos’ sailed with Martina Holt in the MG14 East Coast regatta at Queens Lake Sailing Club over the weekend to finish sixth on scratch and fourth on handicap.

Next Sunday is the first handicap start race, with the first boat starting at 2pm.

Frank O’Rourke is rostered on duty.

By Jeff WALSH