Despite the long weekend and while numbers were down in Division 1, the other fleets maintained a strong presence, with 17 boats competing in the HYC Australia Day Race. The race committee was keen to reuse the temporary Scarborough Beach Mark still in place from the recent Pot of Gold and to provide a spectacle for all the northern suburbs beachgoers, so set a 10 nm course along the coast south to Scarborough and back.

Conditions were as forecast, with a dying moderate offshore south-easterly predicted to make way to a fresh sea breeze towards the end of the race. Depending on its arrival time, this could greatly assist the back markers and push them up to join the front runners.

It was a tight start for Division 2, until Bart Brouwer’s M27 ‘Covert Operation’ hoisted the spinnaker and broke away from the pack to round Little first. Tim Tucker’s Spirit 28 ‘Show Me’ also raised the kite for the run to Little and after rounding, established a potential race-winning lead on the long beat south to Scarborough. After rounding the mark at Scarborough it was kites up in a dying offshore breeze, accompanied by gusty easterly ‘bullets’ on the beam, providing tricky conditions for those flying spinnakers in the run home north.

Drama unfolded on Mark Taylor’s Viking 30 ‘Helga’ when a crew member suffered a leg laceration requiring both skipper and race committee to coordinate with local volunteer sea rescue to undertake a patient transfer at sea followed by a short dash to an awaiting ambulance.

Sailing extremely well, ‘Show Me’ maintained their lead and were rewarded to hear the congratulatory tone of the Start Tower horn as they crossed the line signalling their first ‘fastest’ result, eight minutes in front of their rivals. However, Ray Murphy’s Beneteau First 285 ‘Pinta’ benefitted from the arrival of the fresh sea breeze and made up time on those in front to win on handicap, relegating (some might say somewhat unfairly) the excellent ‘Show Me’ to second, with ‘Blue Chip’ third. Well done to the pairings of Des and Gail Riley on Farr 9.2 ‘Farrouk’ and Deborah and Keith Fisk on Viking 30 ‘Blue Chip’ to complete the course double-handed, each with only the two crew onboard. No doubt this impromptu practice will benefit them in the HYC double-handed race scheduled for later in the season.

Despite the long weekend offering an array of local cruising opportunities, a fleet of nine boats competed in the Division 3 Jib and Main (JAM) fleet. Given the limited numbers in Division 1, ‘Mulberry’ and ‘Sophia’ were asked to join Div 3 JAM in line with a recent change to the sailing instructions. Without the use of a spinnaker for the long leg from Scarborough, the boats improvised by poling out their headsail. This inconvenience didn’t impede regular Div 1 stalwart, Bruce Bradford’s Bakewell-White 36 ‘Whispering Jack’ on their way to fastest, finishing some 20 minutes in front of the second finisher, Mark Pitt’s Beneteau First 35 ‘Mulberry’. However, also benefiting from the favourable arrival of the sea breeze, Marc Carpenter’s Cole 32 ‘Intuition’ was first on handicap, with Stu Marks Bavaria 34 ‘Tosca’ second and ‘Whispering Jack’ in third.

Next race is the afternoon Consistency 6 this Sunday, 4 February 2024.

Ray Murphy