After a delayed start the two divisions set out on a westerly course, heading off into a very light and shifting breeze mostly from the West. With the temperature getting to 30 deg the breeze dropped away even more. It was then that we felt a breath of wind on our backs. We quickly hoisted the spinnaker and got moving nicely, this placed us in a great position and we hit the lead. With some breeze behind us, all the Div 3 spinnakers went up to provide a spectacle for Div 1 as we closed in on them as they floundered in no air on the north side of the river.
The breeze out of the East was short lived and with a swing back to the West (and the North and where ever else it wanted) we found our spinnaker providing a very effective brake. By the time we sorted this, A Fine Balance and Xena has passed us on their way to #1 mark. The race then went something like:
- from #1, a work to #5
- run to #2
- reach and then work (how did that happen?) to #4 with the wind getting strong it tested our No.1 rig.
- run then reach & work up to #1 – overpowered with the No. 1 rig in a freshening Westerly
- fast run back to #5
- finally a tough work into a solid Westerly to the finish.
Hot and tired we crossed the line ahead of A Find Balance, Xena and Wind Falls. These also became the handicap positions. A most challenging yet enjoyable race.