In a rare occurrence, Port MacDonnell turned on perfect sailing conditions for the annual Port MacDonnell Coastal Classic.
The event is the club’s longest race of the season with the course starting in front of the club and taking sailors all the way down to Brown Bay, into the back and back out again before returning to finish the race in front of the club house.
The race was set by Race Officer Max Schleuniger and committee boat driver Chris Jacobs.
Due to the length of the course they were on the radio on the committee boat, Briony Schleuniger and Ian Cunningham were on the radio in the club house and Jen Ferguson, Mary Evans and Robyn McLennan were on the radio at the Finger Point lookout as a relay between the club house and the committee boat.
The race was sailed as a stern chaser race, instead of all boats beginning at the same time and then finishing at different times, each boat started at a different time depending on their handicap with the hope that all boats will cross the finish line at the same time.
The first boat to start the race was Austral20 ‘Salt Peter’ with Robin White, Sharon White and Neville Stone onboard.
The last boat to start the race was Don McLennan’s ‘Harmony’ with McLennan, Adrian Romescu, Christa Mlakar and Sharon Holmes onboard.
Despite the large time gap between the first and last boats, the fleet had all come together by the second buoy.
Austral20’s ‘Windy Fred’, skippered by Tom Paltridge, and ‘Papillion, skippered by Mack Ferguson, were side by side between the first and second buoys until a mistake by ‘Windy Fred’ at the second buoy allowed ‘Papillion’ take the lead.
The fleet spread out on the last leg and Dave Evan’s ‘Farr mer’ was able to take a large lead in front of the rest of the fleet.
‘Farr mer’ was able to hold onto the lead and crossed the finish line before second placed ‘Papillion’.
Race Results
1.Farr mer (D. Evans, B. Mann, J. Jones) 2.Papillion (M. Ferguson, J. Kain, G. McKay) 3.Harmony (D. McLennan, A. Romescu, C. Mlakar, S. Holmes) 4.Minty (S. Dyble, T. Watson, N.Watson) 5.Windy Fred (T. Paltridge, S.Harfield) 6.Mirage (D. Illman, D. Widdison) 7. Salt Peter (R.White, S. White, N. Stone)
