Mark Pitt’s Beneteau First 35 ‘Mulberry’ has carried its recent strong Valmadre form to achieve podium finishes, 2nd in Division 2 PHF and 3rd in Division 2 IRC, in the opening race of the Ocean Racing WA (ORWA) Siska Series last weekend.

Two HYC boats, Mulberry and Martin Eyers' C&C 115 ‘Circa’, competed in the 33 nm FSC-hosted Foundation - George Law Memorial Race, named after the late George Law, owner of the well-known Peterson 45 ‘Battlestar’.

Sailed in light conditions, the race down to Rockingham and back had to be shortened following a couple of early retirements, including ‘Circa’, due to lack of wind. The large presence of weed around the course following last week’s storms also proved to be a constant hazard for competitors, slowing down boats already struggling to maintain momentum. However, never one to give in, ‘Mulberry’ hung in, and after dropping sails and pausing to drop off weed they had collected, they launched the big Code Zero to power past their competitors on the return leg north back to Fremantle. The decision to put in an early tack south after rounding Jervois Bay also paid off handsomely, allowing the helmsman HYC Rear Commodore Sail, Jos Colvin, to lay the shortened race finish at Challenger Passage between Garden and Carnac Islands. Skipper Mark Pitt will look to build and carry this strong result in the remaining four races of the offshore FSC Captain Stirling Cup Series.

Ray Murphy