Spring Series 2020 Race 1 Report

The call was Course 5 with the possibility of being shortened if the wind didn't fill in. With a westerly that appeared to freshen a little, scratch boat Megisti crossed the start line at the pin end on a starboard tack. She appeared to be moving well, but ahead, it looked like a large hole half way to Fort Denison. That hole wasn’t the only one to affect today's competitors… 

As it turned out, it wasn’t the fastest of first legs, especially for the first two boats. Second to start, Conquista spotted Megisti off the northern end of Fort Denison, thinking for a moment that she might have already rounded the Fort. But no, just like Conquista, both were still struggling to reach the first mark of the course more than half an hour after the start.

Blue Sky started strongly at the pin end while Martela, tacked as the wind turned and then ran the line before crossing to make slow progress while trying to avoid that hole.

After rounding the Fort and heading east, Blue Sky set the Ayso and had to sail deep to mid harbour, into yet another hole. Meanwhile Martela sailed higher into Athol Bight with a symmetric kite... at least she had some semblance of a "breeze".

Each came close, but not too close, to the channel marker at the southern end, before rounding the Fort and heading on an even slower (is that possible!) leg towards Shark Island, gazing at the leading boats in the distance. Even Megisti’s kite didn’t seem to be of much help at that stage. (But more on that kite later).

By this time Megisti was well around and Conquista just passing the Fort.

Eventually a couple of decent gusts got them going again. Conquista took a wider line around the top end of Shark Island while Megisti opted for closer in.

Then it was a zig zag course down to the Rose Bay mark (“No, it’s not the Shark Island mark, it’s the other one”), with one particular stand-up paddleboarder seeming to be a fan of taking another zig-zag track that brought him across in front of Conquista a couple of times on the way to the mark. Who was stalking whom?

All competitors suffered around the course with a lack of significant wind making it both challenging and frustrating.

Rounding Shark Island Light, and due to the failing winds the call came to shorten course (Course 5 Short). Blue Sky came within a boat length or two of Martela as she continued to sail higher to the Rose Bay mark, pulling away from Blue Sky. Martela hoisted the kite as she rounded Rose Bay and straight-lined it to the finish. As Blue Sky passed Shark Is. she hoisted the kite but it wasn't until well past Shark that the issue got resolved, sailing strong with the finish in sight.

For Conquista and Megisti it was a zig zag course down to the Rose Bay mark (“No, it’s not the Shark Island mark, it’s the other one”), with one particular stand-up paddleboarder seeming to be a fan of taking another zig-zag track that brought him across in front of Conquista a couple of times on the way to the mark. Who was stalking whom?

Some helpful breeze and plenty of tweaking of the sails, Conquista rounded the Rose Bay mark a couple of minutes ahead of Megisti and then tried to find the best course to the finish having opted not to run a spinnaker. And so it was, when Megisti put up the kite she gradually overtook Conquista (at the breakneck speed of about 2 knots) and then opened up a gap of several minutes before the finish.

With barely a cloud in the sky and a bit frustrating in the light winds it was a lovely day on the harbour.