On Sunday March 24, the final day of racing beckoned for yachts from HYC and ORSSC competing in the ten races over five days of the keelboat North Coast Series. Scheduled for just two races, a third was added to make up for one lost earlier in the season due to a major wind-shift in direction and strength.

Four yachts from ORSSC and 11 from HYC headed out from their respective marinas in a brisk easterly to do battle in the waters off Mullaloo beach. It was their last opportunity to secure pennants and points for the NCS overall trophy in each of three divisions and at HYC the elusive Mini Series trophy.

In division one Ian Holder on Bad Habits from HYC had a great duel with Scott Forrest’s etchell Whim A Way from ORSSC with the former recording three fastest times for two wins and a third placing. Whim A Way was only a minute behind on elapsed time and was second in the three races. Ian Campbell on Hot Gossip will be the talk of ORSSC for his win in race three and third place in race one. Perle struggled without two regular crew but was third in race two.

The seven boat fleet of division two produced the closest racing, at least on handicap, with the difference between first and second less than a minute in all three races. Volant (Emille Janssen, John Ball, Frank Hagemann and Kevin Meta from HYC) was the most successful, winning races one and three with Farrouk (Des and Gail Riley) second in two races. Show Me (Tim Tucker) won race two and was third in race one. Panache (Geoff James) and Venomous (Andrew Hodkinson), both from ORSSC, were third in races two and three respectively. Bart Brouwer’s M27, Covert Operation was clearly fastest in all three races for a second place in race one and two fourths.

There were three withdrawals for race three across the three divisions and in division three the fleet (all HYC) was reduced from three to two and hence just the first two races counted. In race one Rob Bills on Catabatic was first and fastest and in race two Resolute (Damian and Kerry Martin) achieved the same result whilst Intuition (Marc Carpenter) was second in both.

Many thanks to those who were on Alibi as the starting management team, the folks out in the Ribs laying the course, and the captain of Alibi, Mark Taylor. Without your efforts, there couldn’t have been any racing.

John Bird