Strong winds and rain while setting the boats up did not deter the sailors of the Port MacDonnell sailing club from going out on the water for four races on Saturday.
Race officer Mack Ferguson, assisted by Graham McKay and Chris Jacobs on the rescue boat, set a simple starboard triangle and loop course for all four races.
The aim of the shorter races was to allow for more tactical sailing and to make up for some of the lost races earlier in the year.
Dave Evans, Christa Mlakar and Damian McMahon on ‘Farr-Mer’ had a great start as first boats across the line.
Austral20 ‘Pinky’ skippered by Jennifer Jones tried to beat ‘Farr-mer’ across the line, but a slight miscalculation meant they crossed before the start gun and had to restart.
Despite the rest of the fleet closing in, ‘Farr-mer’ was able to hold onto their lead and also took line honours in the first race.
The second race saw all boats much closer to the start line and jostling for prime position as the countdown to the start loomed.
Austral20 ‘Mirage’ with Dennis Illman and Donnita Widdison on board managed to time their start perfectly to cross the start line first.
Close on their tail at the start and for most of the race was Stephen Dyble’s Austral20 ‘Minty’, however they just could not quite overtake ‘Mirage’.
Like at the start the first boat across the finishing line was ‘Mirage’ with ‘Minty’ behind them due to ‘Farr-mer’ making a small miscalculation and not sailing to correct course.
Due to radio issues between the rescue boat and the tower, the third race was started twice with a general recall issued to all boats after the failed first start.
Even with all the confusion, ‘Mirage’ was able to take prime position as the first boat to cross the start line, though ‘Salt Peter’ with Robin White on the helm, was close behind.
The fleet was close together, with all the Austral20’s close to each other for the whole race.
Once more ‘Mirage’ was able to hold their lead and finish the race in first position.
Much to their pleasure, ‘Minty’ was able to finally get their first across the line in the final race of the day.
As they and ‘Farr-mer’ managed to pull to the front of the fleet, ‘Pinky’ and ‘Salt Peter’ had a good tussle at the back of the fleet, swapping positions throughout the race.
Showing just how important a good start is, ‘Minty’ was also the first boat to cross the finish line for the final race of the day.
Both ‘Pinky’ and ‘Salt Peter’ got into the Fringe spirit, with their crew and boats all decorated in blue and sea theme.
The time keepers and rescue boat crew were all in agreement that ‘Salt Peter’ with its shark mascot on the front of the boat, and crew member Sharon White in a brilliant blue wig, were the best decorated boat on the water.
Race Results
Race 1: 1st – Minty (S. Dyble, N. Watson, A. Romescu), 2nd – Mirage 2nd – (D. Illman, D. Widdison), 3rd – Farr-mer (D. Evans, C. Mlakar, D. McMahon), 4th – Salt Peter (R. White, S. White, N. Stone), 5th – Pinky (J.Jones, D. Jones, S. Harfield).
Race 2: 1st – Mirage, 2nd – (D. Illman, D. Widdison), 2nd – Minty (S. Dyble, N. Watson, A. Romescu), 3rd – Salt Peter (R. White, S. White, N. Stone), 4th – Pinky (J.Jones, D. Jones, S. Harfield), DNF – Farr-mer (D. Evans, C. Mlakar, D. McMahon) .
Race 3: 1st – Mirage, 2nd – (D. Illman, D. Widdison), 2nd – Minty (S. Dyble, N. Watson, A. Romescu), 3rd – Pinky (J.Jones, D. Jones, S. Harfield), 4th – Salt Peter (R. White, S. White, N. Stone), DNF – Farr-mer (D. Evans, C. Mlakar, D. McMahon).
Race 4: 1st – Minty (S. Dyble, N. Watson, A. Romescu), 2nd – Mirage 2nd – (D. Illman, D. Widdison), 3rd – Farr-mer (D. Evans, C. Mlakar, D. McMahon), 4th – Salt Peter (R. White, S. White, N. Stone), 5th – Pinky (J.Jones, D. Jones, S. Harfield).
