It was the best day this season so far for a harbour race, with a beautiful balmy 23 degree day with 10 knot breeze, dropping later to about 8kn for the finish a run out tide.
Xena gets another good start with her top crew Carolyn, Vince and Brad Vs Farrago with their top crew- Paul, Barry and Darryl.
It’s not long before Farrago pulls ahead, probably Searles with a few knocks around the corner.
We hold a great line through the Gladesville Bridge and moorings to Hunters hill / Drummoyne keeping Farrago in sight.
We are down to Woolwich / cockatoo when we are caught by most of Div 1 leaving us very quickly in their wake.
We see a nice Div 1 battle between heavy weights Still festering , League of Ext gents , Axis of Evil and Van Demon.
It’s here Farrago gets away into the distance in a slightly stronger breeze from Cockatoo to McMahon’s point since we have our great no.1 headsail up Vs Farrago’s no 2.
In the stretch from Birchgrove up to Berry’s bay we have that big shiny Black beauty Velvet synchronising some tacks with us .
We get up through under the bridge nicely avoiding the ferry traffic and see Farrago turn and set their black spinnaker for home.
But we have some fun to come at least, the Bowman - yours truly has to weather the swell from the Opera house round Fort Denison and up to Kirribilli house before we get the spinnaker set, due to contact pounding AND surfing on the foredeck of the little boat ( she thought she was on her way to Hobart).
ANYWAY all set well and were we’re off homeward bound with all onboard and Vince’s frustration settles as he flies the kite home, now as happy as Larry.
We beat a massive Optima fleet coming round Goat island to McMahon’s point looking like a pack pf ducklings herded by rubber inflatable tenders as a huge ship heads towards them horn and all ,along with a tall ship and Greenwich racing fleet under spinnaker’s.
We can’t see Barry on Farrago but we cant see Div 1 either, gotta be a good thing I say, but skippers worried but I say
“They are just ahead just round the corner” from Birchgrove then Balmain, Drummoyne and Searle’s where we see them finished just and headed to mooring at Bedlam .
We are chased down by League of Gentlemen at Gladesville bridge well in front of rest of fleet under spinnaker power of big red.
We must be flying as we finish after the big boat where there’s a puff on Abbotsford point to then give us a strong finish and only beaten home by 1 DIV 1 boat well done little one Xena.
We Weathered the storm and had strong run home on the purple spinnaker, with some great gybes by the crew on the way home and faultless spinnaker works.
We finish and start packing up on way back to mooring when rest of Div1 showed up to finish.
Sorry Barry and Paul we’ve sailed Xena well on the way home. Hope Paul nightmares stop at night , I hear he’s haunted by purple spinnakers at night and on Saturdays. Well sailed both crews getting home so quickly.
Looking forward to next week already
Brad aka the Rear Commodore , XWP
It’s not long before Farrago pulls ahead, probably Searles with a few knocks around the corner.
We hold a great line through the Gladesville Bridge and moorings to Hunters hill / Drummoyne keeping Farrago in sight.
We are down to Woolwich / cockatoo when we are caught by most of Div 1 leaving us very quickly in their wake.
We see a nice Div 1 battle between heavy weights Still festering , League of Ext gents , Axis of Evil and Van Demon.
It’s here Farrago gets away into the distance in a slightly stronger breeze from Cockatoo to McMahon’s point since we have our great no.1 headsail up Vs Farrago’s no 2.
In the stretch from Birchgrove up to Berry’s bay we have that big shiny Black beauty Velvet synchronising some tacks with us .
We get up through under the bridge nicely avoiding the ferry traffic and see Farrago turn and set their black spinnaker for home.
But we have some fun to come at least, the Bowman - yours truly has to weather the swell from the Opera house round Fort Denison and up to Kirribilli house before we get the spinnaker set, due to contact pounding AND surfing on the foredeck of the little boat ( she thought she was on her way to Hobart).
ANYWAY all set well and were we’re off homeward bound with all onboard and Vince’s frustration settles as he flies the kite home, now as happy as Larry.
We beat a massive Optima fleet coming round Goat island to McMahon’s point looking like a pack pf ducklings herded by rubber inflatable tenders as a huge ship heads towards them horn and all ,along with a tall ship and Greenwich racing fleet under spinnaker’s.
We can’t see Barry on Farrago but we cant see Div 1 either, gotta be a good thing I say, but skippers worried but I say
“They are just ahead just round the corner” from Birchgrove then Balmain, Drummoyne and Searle’s where we see them finished just and headed to mooring at Bedlam .
We are chased down by League of Gentlemen at Gladesville bridge well in front of rest of fleet under spinnaker power of big red.
We must be flying as we finish after the big boat where there’s a puff on Abbotsford point to then give us a strong finish and only beaten home by 1 DIV 1 boat well done little one Xena.
We Weathered the storm and had strong run home on the purple spinnaker, with some great gybes by the crew on the way home and faultless spinnaker works.
We finish and start packing up on way back to mooring when rest of Div1 showed up to finish.
Sorry Barry and Paul we’ve sailed Xena well on the way home. Hope Paul nightmares stop at night , I hear he’s haunted by purple spinnakers at night and on Saturdays. Well sailed both crews getting home so quickly.
Looking forward to next week already
Brad aka the Rear Commodore , XWP
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