Race Results 9 November 2024
Spring Series Heat 5 produced a thrilling finish with the first three boats separated by just over 30 seconds. Top Weight crossed first from Australia, with Yendys third but fastest around the course.
SFS Race Report 9 November 2024 Spring Series Heat 5 RACE 5 of the 2024-2025 SEASON When the first three boats finish with just over 30 seconds separating them, you can say that it was a great race and a great finish. But it might not have been that way for one of the three finishers if things had gone to plan.
Top Weight first over the line finishing at 4:07:43 pm
Australia at 4:07:51 pm
Yendys at 4:08:17 pm (but still fastest around the course)
Photos thanks to Phil Franklin out on the rescue boat this week.
An ENE breeze of about 8-10 knots greeted the fleet when they headed out to the start at Kirribilli. Actually, the breeze was moving between SE and NE and occasionally gusting up to 15 knots which made the course selection a challenge for the PRO. At times like this, the No.2 E course is a useful compromise with enough upwind room for tactical decisions and with either a long square or three-quarter shy run to the bottom mark providing lots of passing opportunities.
It was very pleasing for the starters to see all boats out on the course early and ready to race. Britannia set off as the limit boat on the limit handicap of 20 minutes (we do not go any earlier than that). She was followed by Tangalooma and Mistake a minute later. Australia and Top Weight followed off their very favourable handicaps of 17 and 16 minutes, leaving Yendys with a lot of start to make up after being penalised again for her win last week.
Photo courtesy of Phil Franklin.
We often talk about the importance of choosing the correct side of the course. The main factors to consider are the tide and the tendency of the shifting breeze to predominate one way or the other. Today there was enough backing to the NE that working the northern shore would pay. And on the first lap of the course, the small, flooding tide would not come into play nearly as much as in the middle of the course. Yendys, to her credit set off with that in her plan and by the first mark had picked up almost 10 minutes on the leaders. 2
At Shark Island for the first time, Australia had done the best of the longer markers rounding 2 minutes ahead of Tangalooma with Top Weight a further 30 seconds behind. They were followed by Mistake and Britannia with Yendys in hot pursuit a further 5 minutes back.
Photos thanks to Renata Zanetti.
Photo courtesy Phil Franklin
By now the weather had improved and the breeze seemed to ease a little. Australia, meanwhile, had taken off and had widened the gap between her and the chasing fleet to more than 3 minutes at the Kirribilli mark. But then all of that good work came unstuck when the spinnaker drop resulted in Australia over-staying the mark and having to tack back to round in second place 15 seconds behind Top Weight who had passed Tangalooma and leaving her 2 minutes adrift at the bottom mark. Yendys meanwhile had managed a late set of her red and white ringtail and had closed the gap to Britannia to less than a minute with Mistake just ahead of Britannia.
Photo courtesy Phil Franklin
The final work up to Shark Island was quite a race between Top Weight and Australia who were tack for tack all the way and in spitting distance from one another at times. On the final tack into the Shark Island lighthouse, Australia was showing a little more speed and, as you would expect from her 6 foot beam, she was threatening to round the bow of Top Weight and take the lead. Commodore Terry Stewart, steering Top Weight with his A4 crew, was alive to the threat and tacked early managing to slip inside Top Weight and round the Island 15 seconds ahead. Australia, well steered again by our new Vice Commodore, Marshall Flanagan, then gybed inside Top Weight with both boats setting their big blue spinnakers for drag race to the finish. Yendys, steered this week by the legendary Michael Van Stom, had made up further ground and rounded 4 minutes behind the leaders. With the breeze dropping further, the finish was always going to be touch and go for the first three boats. Yendys had the advantage of a ringtail (set for the second time) and the two leaders had just enough of a gap in the lighter breeze to hold her at bay, maybe. By the middle of the run, Top Weight looked the favourite having stuck to a rhum line course while Australia went in search of breeze coming out of Athol Bay and Mosman Bay. That almost worked until the excited Top Weight crew crossed the line a mere 8 seconds ahead of Australia. Yendys needed a little more runway managing to finish in third place only 26 seconds behind Australia.
It was about then that Australia was left to rue the 3 minutes or so lost at the bottom mark first time around. For the spectators, though, it was a great race and an equally great finish. With the podium paces filled, Tangalooma (who had earlier lost time in a tangle with a small yacht) followed, then came Mistake with Britannia bringing up the rear.
Crossing the finish line, Tangles, Mistake and Britannia. Photos thanks to new SFS Board Director - Phil Franklin.
Next week is a championship race off scratch, with rumours circulating that the boys from A18s will make it across the bay to issue a serious challenge to the short odds Yendys. Something to look forward to! As always, thanks to our fantastic volunteers, Barley, Renata, Stewart, Phil, Rusty, Bentley We can’t do it without you!
Barley and Renata! Photo thanks to Phil Franklin.
The Race officers Rusty and Bentley on the Killo. Photo thanks to Phil Franklin.
Stewart and Phil. Photo thanks to Renata Zanetti.
Peter Notley watching on from Scotchmans Hill.
Photo courtesy Renata Zanetti out on the rescue boat.