High Speed Racing

Last Saturday an impressive fleet of 41 boats took on another gusty, shifty Southerly. The day served as both Heats 5 – 6 of the Spring Pointscore and Heats 3 – 4 of the Club Championship. It was tough sailing as the competitors battled a breeze of 25+ knots that seemed to constantly be shifting. In between dips in the water the fleet managed some great sailing – with incredible boat speeds on the reaches and runs. As tracked by Brett Beyer’s GPSs, topping the day for speed were Nick Pellow at 13.82 kts in a Standard, and Andrew Cox at 12.96 kts in a Radial. 

At the end of the exhilarating day, the winners were: Championship– Standards: Ian Alexander (Championship Heat 3) and Matt Wenke (Championship Heat 4); Radials: Campbell Patton (Championship Heats 3 and 4); 4.7s: Daniel Costandi (Championship Heats 3 and 4).  Pointscore (after handicap): Standards: Ian Alexander (Pointscore Heat 5) and David Newman (Pointscore Heat 6); Radials / 4.7s: Andrew Cox (Pointscore Heat 5) and Daryl Lawrence (Pointscore Heat 6). 

Thanks to this week’s race volunteers — Jason Wilkins (PRO) and Clare Alexander on the Jazzman, Alistair Sutherland (COTD), and Pia Hattersley (CoCOTD) on the RIBs, and Campbell Patton in the canteen. Thanks also to the additional volunteers who stepped up due to the high winds: Mark Crowhurst, Diana Chen and Emily Ball. After working hard all day on the water, the sailors were grateful to the team that put together the delicious meal upon their return: Paul Adam, Shirley Roach and Andrea Bergman who whipped up a beautiful BBQ spread, and Pat Levy and Peter Collie who worked their magic on the BBQ.  

A strong Southerly meant tricky conditions last Saturday.