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The inaugural PBYC Spring regatta has been
raced and settled in the finest sailing weather that Pittwater can
offer.
Congratulations to our regatta champion:
Happy
Hour………Bob & Kimba Searle
Following a classic Friday night twilight
race (regatta race 1) with great attendance, seven boats went on to
compete in the weekend events. Of the weekend competitors, Flying
Colours had taken lead points on Friday followed by Free Spirit and
Happy Hour. By 11am on Saturday Lyndall and I were anchored at
Portugese Beach on the Hussy and a nice gentle NE’er was starting up for
the keen starters. We took the risk that the wind would fill in early
and selected a longer course for race 2 with the first leg to Mackerel
Beach. So with some pretty good flag work Lyndall sent them off on a 6
mile chase around the regular Pittwater buoys. Happy Hour absolutely
nailed the start and was boat lengths in front for the first beat.
Unfortunately Free Sprit was denied a pin start by boats below calling
her up but John was soon on his way chasing down the fleet. After
taking in all the Pittwater marks the boats arrived back at the start in
good time (led by gun boat Kokalot) to give the late finishers a 15
minute lunch break before race 3. Results showed the good start by
Happy Hour paid off with a bit over a minute between them and second
placer Flying Colours. Third was Kokalot.
Race 3: We had decided early that if the
wind looked solid we would send the fleet on the longer race around Lion
Island for Race 3. So confident in a building sea breeze (and just
after a seaplane landed through the start line) we fired the gun with
Flying Colours, Saffron and Moonmist getting the best starts. The fleet
quickly disappeared around Soldiers Point and Lyndall and I settled in
for a long lunch. However the breeze REALLY filled in and our lazy
afternoon was rudely interrupted by the appearance of Kokalot flying
down the bay hotly followed by an inseparable pair of Flying Colours and
Bob Bennett’s new Farr. In the end only 5 seconds separated them and
the whole fleet was home inside an hour and a half!! Winners again were
Bob and Kimba on Happy Hour followed by Saffron which must have reveled
in the strong winds in Broken Bay. Kokalot was rewarded with another 3rd
place.
By six that evening many of the boats
were moored in the Basin and we were joined by a couple of other members
who had cruised over for the night. Simon lobbed in Ariki and Dan and
Janelle Nolan (who were having a quiet weekend on My Girl) joined us on
the beach for a great BBQ.
Sunday morning the weather could not have
been more different. A colder SE’er had come through overnight and by
11am we had quite choppy conditions. The option of sending the fleet on
a beat to the south on a course that would provide reaching, running and
2 long beats was irresistible. Having the runabout as starter was a
bonus and I was able to follow the fleet and check out some of the mark
roundings. Once again Kokalot led from start to finish but Skippers
Gordon and Bennett again had a close race all the way with Bob again
just gaining the edge. Happy Hour had an incredibly unlucky headsail
wrap at the bottom mark but recovered brilliantly to take 3rd
place on handicap. In the end they cleared 4th by 30 seconds
to take the regatta by one point from Jim and Debbie Gordon on Flying
Colours and John Buggy’s Free Spirit. John was also brave to predict a
handicap win for race 4 at the post-regatta drinks at the RSL on Sunday
afternoon and yes John you were spot on-nice win in those conditions.
In the divisions, Happy Hour also won the
“Past Performer’s” event, Moonmist won the “Wooden Boat” division and
Flying Colours was the best of the “Modern Boats”.
Members this was a great event and a good
start to what we hope will be a regular Palmy spring event. Ideally we
hope to encourage a few non-members, potential members as well as more
of you from the Twilight fleet (even if not for all of the weekend
races).
See you on the water.
John & Lyndall Bacon (Hussy) |