THE Port MacDonnell Sailing Club was back in action on Saturday with races 17 and 18 of the season.
Race officer Chris Lynch and committee boat driver Chris Jacobs set the course in the waters in front of the club house.
Before the first race started there was drama on Austral20 Mirage, as Dave Evans fell overboard.
Another Austral, Papillion, also had issues with its boom breaking and it had to retire before the first race began.
Tom Paltridge’s Austral Windy Fred had a great start to the race as the first boat across the line and was followed by Dennis Illman’s Mirage.
The issues did not end when the race started as Salt Peter, skippered by Robin White, retired after the first lap.
In only it’s third race at the club, Jennifer Jones’s Austral20 Pinky 2 lost a shackle and did not have a replacement part on board, so they had to retire from the race.
Out of the six boats that started the race, only four of those boats completed the course.
Line honours went to Harmony, with Windy Fred crossing the finish line second.
Only two boats started the second race, as the previous race winner Harmony ripped a sail and had to retire to shore before the start of the second race.
In the dramatic weather conditions, the first boat to cross the start line was not noted by the time keepers or the race officer.
Both boats which started the race, made it through unscathed and Windy Fred took out line honours only a minute ahead of second-placed Austral20 Minty, skippered by Stephen Dyble.
RACE RESULTS
Race 1: 1. Windy Fred, 2. Minty, 3. Mirage 2, 4. Harmony, DNF: Salt Peter, Pinky 2, DNS: Papillion.
Race 2: 1. Windy Fred, 2. Minty, DNS: Mirage 2, Salt Peter, Pinky 2, Papillion.
