Sailing Magazine
Pic by Mitch Pearson/SurfSailKite
Just 1 race again today due to the vagaries of the wind – which also played havoc with some of the top guns, yet our man William Voermann took it all in his stride to finish 31 – and lie 26th after 2 races. Not bad at all for a “Japie” in a 95-boat fleet!
Course One was designated, meaning an extra leg back to windward for the finish, but there was a long way to go before that. There was a strong tide running out of Moreton Bay from South to North and this would turn back in the middle of the afternoon. Any chance of it becoming a true Nor’easter was cast adrift when the Easterly aspect won the day, but it settled in for a good 12-knot type affair, which is pretty much ideal. It would clock even further right for the finish, with a course change to 060 degrees as the direction for the crews to find the Committee Boat and finish pin.
Alas, nine boats did not get to partake in today’s on water festivities, for they broke the start (OCS). One of these was yesterday’s winner, ‘Havoc’, which will be devastating for them, but they will put it behind them now, for sure. It also means that with a pair of second places now, ‘Lisa Rose’ (AUS 1449), which is Martin Hill, Sean O’Rourke, Julian Plante, and Mat Belcher, have a very tidy lead at the top of the table. Etchells racing can be snakes and ladders, so they will be very focussed on achieving some more very handy podium finishes in the days to come.
However, winning the day, after a slowish start was ‘Tango’. Class Governor, Chris Hampton, with crew Sam Haines and Charlie Cumbley are no strangers to the podium, and were happy with their day’s work, and even quicker to remind me that this World Championship is a long way from done, just yet. Apart from the win today, they also climb into second place overall with 16 points, 12 adrift of ‘Lisa Rose’.
