Race 2 BPYC Spring Series - a whiff of spring

And it was yet another glorious day to sail with the BPYC. Race 2 got underway at noon on Sunday 11 September. Four competitors entered: Blue Sky, G-Whizz, Starfire, and Conquista. The forecast was for light winds so the fleet was to complete one of our less used courses, #6 Short, which rounds Fort Denison, heads over to Nielsen Park and back to the start & finish line between Clark Island and the navy buoy.

Once on the water it turned out the BOM didn’t quite get it right as there was a mostly steady breeze to complement the sunshine, perfect sailing conditions and a whiff of spring in the air. After starting on handicap only minutes apart, Starfire, G-Whizz and Conquista chased each other to Fort Denison in close pursuit. Then their skippers decided to deploy different tactics. G-Whizz and Conquista left their spinnakers in the bag for the downwind run towards KFC (i.e. the safe-water mark of Bradley’s Head), while Starfire’s crew appeared intent on maximising their season tickets at Taronga Zoo. Though once she had their kite flying Starfire leapt forward and rounded the AS mark at Nielsen Park first. But where was Blue Sky? In their rear view mirrors, the crews on the three front running boats admired the artistic shapes of Blue Sky’s spinnaker, manoeuvres that were sure to maximise Blue Sky’s opportunity to play catch-up on the return leg. Beating back towards Clark Island the wind did provide some interesting shifts, forcing some competitors to throw in unexpected tacks. Overall G-Whizz sailed most consistently and crossed the finish line first. Conquista managed to sneak up on Starfire and inch ahead on the very last tack to claim second place. And after a solid second half of the race Blue Sky had made up a lot of lost ground to finish only minutes after Starfire. Well done and congratulations G-Whizz.

The next BPYC race is on 25 September at 12pm.

And while we have you, a big thank you to all our members who have already renewed for 2022-23. For those still on the fence, the club offers a grace period until the end of September, during which the sign-up fee for renewing members is waived. If you are contemplating whether to renew or not - now is a good time. Please remember, as per AS regulations, before you can race with us (or any other AS affiliated club) you need an active AS number, which is included in the BPYC membership. New members are of course always welcome, you can sign up or renew online on this website.