IT was a good day on the water for the Port MacDonnell Sailing Club’s last race meeting for the year on Saturday.
With eight boats contesting race 13 and 14, tight racing occurred all day with a fantastic course which allowed the bigger boats to use their spinnakers.
Most of the boats took advantage of this course to have extra sail on the downwind legs.
The field consisted of Sherwin Road (skipper David Carlyle, Peter Seebohm and Max Schleuniger), Papillon (skipper Mack Ferguson and Jeremy Kekewick), Salt Peter (skipper Robin White, Sharon White and Bob Bamford), Harmony (skipper Donald McLennon, Dave Evans and Hazel Grant), Freycinet (skipper Morris Dickins, Jen Jones and Nick Watson), Mirage (skipper Dennis Illman and Adrianne Watson), I Was Once (skipper Greg Graham) and One toy too many (skipper Brad Mann and Joe McMilan).
The day saw I Was Once enjoy the interaction and challenge of having One Toy Too Many on the water for a bit of extra competition.
Race results again saw a change from the normal, with Harmony winning the first race of the day on club handicap, but again on class handicap it was I was Once followed by Freycinet and Salt Peter in third.
On class handicap race two had the same outcome, showing a consistent performance for all on the water.
The race saw a late challenge from Harmony on Freycinet, with the former just edging past Freycinet by a couple of seconds on the finish line.
The ever-available rescue boat driver Kevin Johnson partnered with officer of the day Rex Clarke was supported by time keepers in the clubhouse Jen Ferguson, and Mary Evans.
With the support from all the members on duty, this allows all the boats to be out on the water.
They are thanked by all the crew and skippers for their services throughout the year.
Following the day’s races, club members enjoyed a shared Christmas dinner at the clubhouse, where they talked over the racing which has occurred over the year and the challenges for the rest of the season.
With racing to resume again early in 2018 after the traditional Christmas and New Year hiatus, the club’s calendar consists of some optional events during the break.
The first of these is the Guichen Bay Challenge hosted by the Robe Yacht Club on Sunday January 21.
This will be followed by the Milang to Goolwa Freshwater Classic yacht race to be held on Saturday January 27.
Saturday, February 3 will then see the Port MacDonnell Sailing Club reconvene the 2017-2018 season with two races under officer of the day Neil Thomson.
