THE strong winds and rain while setting the boats up failed to deter the sailors of the Port MacDonnell Sailing Club from going out on the water for four races on Saturday.
Race officer Mack Ferguson, assisted by Graham McKay and Chris Jacobs on the rescue boat, set a simple starboard triangle and loop course for all four races.
The aim of the shorter races was to allow for more tactical sailing and to make up for some of the lost races earlier in the year.
Dave Evans, Christa Mlakar and Damian McMahon on Farr-Mer had a great start as first boats across the line.
Austral20 Pinky, skippered by Jennifer Jones tried to beat Farr-mer across the line but a slight miscalculation meant that they crossed before the start gun and had to restart.
Despite the rest of the fleet closing in, Farr-mer held onto its lead and also took line honours in the first race.
The second race saw all boats much closer to the start line and jostling for prime position as the count down to the start loomed.
Austral20 Mirage with Dennis Illman and Donnita Widdison on board managed to time their start perfectly to cross the start line first.
Close on their tail at the start and for most of the race was Stephen Dyble’s Austral20 Minty.
However, Dyble’s team was unable to overtake Mirage.
Just like the start, the first boat across the finishing line was Mirage, with Minty behind it due to Farr-mer making a small miscalculation and not sailing to correct course.
Due to radio issues between the rescue boat and the tower, the third races was started twice with a general recall issued to all boats after the failed first start.
Even with all the confusion, Mirage took prime position as the first boat to cross the start line.
Robin White was at the helm of Salt Peter and was close behind.
The fleet was close together, with all the Austral20’s close to each other for the whole race.
Once again, Mirage held its lead and finished the race in first place.
Much to the team’s pleasure, Minty finally got its first across the line in the final race of the day.
Further back, Pinky and Salt Peter had a good tussle at the back of the fleet and swapped positions throughout the race. S
Proving how important a good start is, Minty was also the first boat to cross the finish line in the last race of the day.
Both Pinky and Salt Peter got into the Fringe spirit, with their crew and boats all decorated in blue and sea theme.
The time keepers and rescue boat crew were all in agreement that Salt Peter with its shark mascot on the front of the boat, and crew member Sharon White in a brilliant blue wig, was the best decorated boat on the water.
Race results:
Race 1: 1. Minty, 2. Mirage, 3. Farr-mer, 4. Salt Peter, 5. Pinky.
Race 2: 1. Mirage, 2. Minty, 3. Salt Peter, 4. Pinky, DNF. Farr-mer.
Race 3: 1. Mirage, 2. Minty, 3. Pinky, 4. Salt Peter, DNF. Farr-mer.
Race 4: 1. Minty, 2. Mirage, 3. Farr-mer, 4. Salt Peter, 5. Pinky.
