Mark Pitt’s Beneteau First 35 ‘Mulberry’ has maintained the top spot in Division 2 PHS in the FSC Captain Stirling Cup Series after a strong result in Saturday’s Ocean Racing WA (ORWA) Halls Head Ocean Race last weekend. Mark Pitt and crew achieved a successful 3rd place in both Division 2 IRC and PHS.

Saturday’s Halls Head Ocean Race was the first of a doubleheader sailed to Mandurah and back last weekend. Like our own Pot of Gold weekend, this Fremantle Sailing Club (FSC) event sees the ocean racing fleet sail to Mandurah on Saturday to be hosted by the Mandurah Offshore Fishing and Sailing Club (MOFSC) overnight and then return to Fremantle in the Point Robert Return Ocean Race on Sunday. While both races constitute part of the five-race FSC Captain Stirling Cup series, only the race down accrues points in the coveted Siska ocean racing series.

Saturday’s race started with a gusty offshore breeze of nearly 20 kts which then died, swung and built throughout the day, with most of the seven-hour race sailed on a beat in a moderate to strong sea breeze. Despite a poor start, Mulberry enjoyed a tight tussle with fellow mid-sized boats heading south down Success Channel, before bearing away west through the Challenger Passage north of Garden Island. Rear Commodore Jos Calvin shared the helm with former Management Committee member, Marshall Fox. The fleet then turned south into the strong SSW winds, sailing past the notorious Coventry Reef before seeking shelter in the protected waters of Comet Bay close to the finish. Sunday’s race proved to be a shorter 5 ½ hour run home with the light to moderate onshore breezes providing crews with plenty of fun trimming their spinnakers for maximum speed in the sleigh ride to the finish.

'Mulberry' leads the Captain Stirling Cup series Division 2 PHS by a solitary point, with the final Gauge Roads Race in May to determine the series winner. While currently sitting fourth in the Division 2 IRC table, again, only a single point separates second from fourth, and a good result in May could see 'Mulberry' runner-up in IRC as well.

Ray Murphy