A favourable forecast of a ten-knot ESE breeze drew 17 crews and their yachts out on Sunday March 10 for the penultimate consistency race of the 2024 summer sailing season of HYC. The fluky, inconsistent breeze threw up its challenges with many skippers calling for tacks even before the crew had settled on the rail. The course G2, with its short off-wind legs, offered many opportunities for gaining ground with slick spinnaker work but there was more to be had working the shifts upwind.

For three yachts in division one it was going to be practice for the double-handed race until Circa picked up a couple of crew in the Wet Bar; Sophia and Bad Habits did sail two-up. A spinnaker start and first over the start and finish line was complemented with a first on handicap for Ian Holder skippering Bad Habits. It was a three-way tussle between Sophia, Perle and Circa with changes in position almost on every leg however they finished in that order behind Bad Habits with Perle second and Sophia third on handicap.

The shifty breeze played into the hands of those on Covert Operation who excel in picking the changes and can tack the big dinghy on a dime. Bart Brouwer and crew raced away for a nine minute line honours win in division two only to be second on handicap to Ray Murphy’s Pinta with Volant third.

Not to be out-done, Bruce Bradford on Whispering Jack had a blinder, beating Covert Operation’s quick time around the course by 12 minutes although competing in division three but finished fourth on handicap. WJ, with a time quicker than the division one boats, may have done just enough to qualify for that division next year. Second over the line and first on handicap was Marc Carpenter’s Intuition, with Chris Blackney sailing Vaya Con Dios solo into second place whilst Stuart Marks on Tosca was third.

The final consistency race, the man overboard race (a bucket tied to a fender is the person overboard), will be after Easter on April 7 and is a 1330 start. There is potential for much merriment and mayhem on the final day’s racing that will determine final podium positions.